Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) introducing a scheme to compensate for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of certain fishery products from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the French department of Guyana as a result of those regions' remoteness'
C 73/46 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 3. 98 Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) introducing a scheme to compensate for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of certain fishery products from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the French department of Guyana as a result of those regions’ remoteness’ (98/C 73/11) On 9 September 1997 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Articles 43 and 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal. The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 7 November 1997. The rapporteur was Mr Bento Gonçalves. At its 350th plenary session (meeting of 10 December 1997), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 34 votes with two abstentions. 1. The Commission proposal reports the continuation of the conditions and background underlying (a) Council Decisions 89/687/EEC, 91/314/EEC and 91/315/EEC, which led to the establishment of programmes of options specific to the remote and insular nature of the Com- munity’s most remote regions, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the French overseas departments (Poseima, Poseicon and Poseidom), and (b) the Declar- ation on the outermost regions of the Community annexed to the Treaty on European Union. 2. The Committee also considers that the content of its earlier opinion (1) remains relevant, and provides grounds for the conclusion reached in the present opinion. The Committee draws attention to the forwarding 3. in good time of the report (2), which it had called for in point 3. 1 of its previous opinion, as a result of which it will be able to assess the application of the compensation system for the regions in question and its benefits for their economies in general, and the improvements seen in the social situation of the populations concerned. 4. The tables and comments contained in the report are informative and clearly show the effects of the improvements achieved by the various actors involved, especially the rise in exports with evident benefits in terms of increased employment and higher incomes for the populations in question. The Commission proposal updates the payment 5. amounts in the light, in particular, of the ecu exchange rate and the extra costs resulting from the regions’ remoteness, and, in the following points, extends support to new species: Article 2: 1 (b) 2 (b) and (c) 3 (c), (d), (e) and (f). 6. The Committee underscores the need to preserve fish stocks, inter alia by ruling out any aid for fishing of juvenile species. By the same token when aid is being awarded, preference should be given to small and medium-sized undertakings and local non-industrial fishing activities. (1) 95/C 102/06 of 10. 1. 1995, OJ C 102, 24. 4. 1995, p. 13. (2) COM(97) 388 final, 22. 7. 1997. 7. The Committee believes that the compensation system should continue as proposed by the Commission. Brussels, 10 December 1997. The President of the Economic and Social Committee Tom JENKINS