Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the Food Aid Convention 1995
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 03. 03. 1997 COM(97) 18 final 97/ 0026 (CNS) Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the Food Aid Convention 1995 (presented by the Commission) Explanatory memorandum 1. The new Council Regulation (EC) No 1292/96 of 27 June 1996 on food-aid policy and food-aid management and special operations in support of food security entered into force on 8 July this year. Article 21(1) of the Regulation, which concerns the allocation of grain under the Food Aid Convention, provides that "the Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, shall determine the Community share of the overall amount of cereals aid laid down in the Food Aid Convention as the total contribution of both the Community and its Member States". Article 21(2) states that "the Commission shall coordinate the operations of the Community and the Member States as regards the supply of cereals under the Food Aid Convention and shall ensure that the total contribution by the Community and its Member States is at least as high as the quantities provided for in the Convention". 2. Since the 1986 Food Aid Convention expired on 30 June 1995, its members began negotiations for a new Convention. 3. 4. The negotiations were successful, and the Food Aid Convention was adopted in final form at the 69th meeting of the Food Aid Committee. Under the terms of the new Convention, which came into provisional application in the Community from 1 July 1995 for three years (until 30 June 1998), covered by a declaration providing for provisional application, the Community and its Member States have undertaken to provide a minimum of 1 755 000 tonnes of cereals per year for use as food aid. This undertaking represents an increase of 85 000 tonnes over the commitment of the Community and the Member States under the previous Convention, incorporating unchanged the contributions of Austria (20 000 tonnes), Finland (25 000 tonnes) and Sweden (40 000 tonnes) under that Convention. In the light of these considerations and the opinions expressed by some of the Member States, including Sweden, Finland, Austria, Spain and Italy, the Commission believes that the Member States' contribution should be increased by 28 900 tonnes and that of the Community itself should be increased by 56 100 tonnes. The Commission takes the view that the Community budget can cover the additional quantities without an increase in the overall allocation for compulsory expenditure. <£ Contributions would be apportioned as follows: old contribution (tonnes) new contribution (tonnes) Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Portugal Spain Sweden United Kingdom Total Member States EC Overall total - 41 500 15 600 200 000 193 500 10 000 4 000 95 400 1 400 50 200 20 000 - 110 700 742 300 927 700 8 400 41 500 15 600 200 000 193 500 10 000 4 000 87 000 1 400 50 200 8 900 40 000 110 700 771200 983 800 1 670 000 1 755 000 5. 6. These figures would give the Member States' own operations a share of 43. 94% and Community operations a share of 56. 06%. As before, the commitment made in connection with the Convention should be considered as a minimum. As in recent years, the Commission expects, when the budget process begins, to propose allocations enabling it to provide developing countries with amounts of food aid which are determined by their actual needs and which go beyond the Community's own commitment under the Food Aid Convention. The Member States themselves will of course likewise monitor developing countries' needs and provide them with amounts of food aid which are determined by actual needs and which go beyond their own commitments under the Convention. 7. The Commission is proposing to the Council that it adopt the attached Regulation allocating the quantities provided for in the Food Aid Convention. This includes a proposed breakdown of national aid in its annex on which the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council are asked to decide. Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No. apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the Food Aid Convention 1995 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1292/96 of 27 June 1996 on food-aid policy and food-aid management and special operations in support of food security,1 and in particular Article 21 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,2 Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,3 Whereas the Food Aid Convention 1995 has applied provisionally in the Community since 1 July 1995; whereas Council Regulation (EC) No 1292/96 did not enter into force until 8 July; Whereas Article 21 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1292/96 requires the Commission to coordinate Community and Member States' operations for the purposes of the Regulation; whereas it has presented a proposed breakdown of national aid to this end and this is published in the annex; whereas this should be decided on by the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council and adopted together with the Regulation, 'OJNoL 166, 5. 7. 1996, p. 8. 2OJ No. 3Opinion delivered on. (OJ No. ) < *• HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: The 1 755 000 tonnes of grain constituting the minimum annual contribution to be made by the Community and its Member States pursuant to the Food Aid Convention 1995 shall be apportioned as follows for the lifetime of the current version of that Convention: (a) (b) Community operations: national operations: 983 800 tonnes; 771 200 tonnes. Article 2 The breakdown of quantities for national operations provided for in Article 21(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1292/96 and published in the annex to this Regulation must be decided on by the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council and adopted at the same time as this Regulation. Article 3 This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at For the Council £~ PROPOSED BREAKDOWN OF AMOUNTS ALLOCATED UNDER NATIONAL FOOD AID OPERATIONS UNDER THE FOOD AID CONVENTION ANNEX Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Portugal Spain Sweden United Kingdom (tonnes) 8 400 41 500 15 600 200 000 193 500 10 000 4 000 87 000 1400 50 200 8 900 40 000 110 700 ISSN 0254-1475 COM(97) 18 final DOCUMENTS EN 11 Catalogue number : CB-CO-97-013-EN-C ISBN 92-78-15055-X Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg 3-