WRITTEN QUESTION E-1939/99 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. Marketing agricultural sectors and products.
C 203 E/92 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 7. 2000 (2000/C 203 E/116) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1938/99 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission (4 November 1999) Subject: Payments for conversion to organic farming Can the Commission detail the resources given over each of the past five years to enable farmers to convert from non-organic to organic farming? Is the Commission prepared to increase the amounts payable, in the light of the fact that conversion leads to a drop of approximately 20 % in productivity, thus helping both to alleviate over-production and to improve quality? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (24 November 1999) Council Regulation (EEC) No 2078/92 of 30 June 1992 on agricultural production methods compatible with the requirements of the protection of the environment and the maintenance of the countryside (1) promotes the use of farming practices which reduce the polluting effects of agriculture. The programmes launched by Member States also include aid for farmers who undertake to introduce or continue with organic farming methods. The aid granted to farmers is cofinanced by the Community at a level of 75 % in objective 1 areas and 50 % in non-objective 1 areas. Depending on the economic situation of the organic sector compared to the conventional farming practices, Member States grant aid for the introduction of organic farming methods during the period of conversion or support as well as the continuation of organic farming. The financial data available does not differentiate between introduction and maintenance. Within the European agriculture and guiidance fund (EAGGF) ü budget granted for agri-environmental measures under Regulation (EEC) 2078/92 (which in 1998 was € 1 727 million), about 8 % to 11 % are spent on organic farming. As in the past, financial support for farmers is to be calculated on the basis of lost income and the additional expenditure generated by special environmental requirements. In the next financing period the upper ceilings on Community support for agri-environmental measures have been raised from those laid down for measures accompanying the 1992 reform to € 600 per hectare for annual crops, € 900 per hectare for perennial special crops and € 450 for other forms of land use. In addition the Community provides funding for a variety of investment aids for farmers in general either under Council Regulation (EC) No 950/97 of 20 May 1997 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures (2) or regional measures for diversification in objective 1, 2 and (5b) regions. The Commission does not have detailed information on the use of such aids by organic farmers. (1) OJ L 215, 30. 7. 1992. (2) OJ L 142, 2. 6. 1997. (2000/C 203 E/117) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1939/99 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission (4 November 1999) Subject: Marketing agricultural sectors and products Is the Commission prepared to help fund marketing schemes to promote certain sectors and niche products within European farming outside the European Union? 18. 7. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 203 E/93 Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (24 November 1999) The Commission would recall that it submitted in January 1999 a proposal for a Council regulation on measures to promote and provide information on agricultural products in third countries (1). This proposal covers all the agricultural products, in particular typical or quality products displaying high added value. The Commission proposes, following the management committee procedure, to draw up every two years a list of the products and markets concerned by promotional activities. (1) COM(98) 683 final. (2000/C 203 E/118) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1942/99 by Isidoro SÆnchez García (ELDR) to the Commission (4 November 1999) Subject: Implementing specific measures for the ultraperipheral regions in the field of state aid Article 299(2) of the Treaty obliges the Commission to put forward specific measures for the ultraper- ipheral regions, including in the field of state aids, in order to ensure that the application of the Treaty provisions take due account of the particular difficulties faced by these regions, including their remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate and economic dependence on a few products. Clearly, transport problems are not the sole specific problem caused by these factors, both singly and in conjunction, operational subsidies are essential to compensate for all these disadvantages, since such aids are intimately linked to the running costs which companies located in these regions have to shoulder. regulations on aids make no provision for Current this situation, because the new wording of paragraph 299(2) of the Amsterdam Treaty was not in force when they were adopted. Does the new Commission intend to take these problems into account and incorporate them into any proposal it may make? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (29 November 1999) The Commission has always shown itself highly attentive to the problems of the Communityís outermost areas. Special arrangements are made under the guidelines on national regional aid, namely: ü exceptions to the maximum aid intensities: the outermost regions qualify for an increase of 15 percentage points on the intensity authorised for the other regions eligible for a derogation under Article 87(3)(a) (former Article 92) of the EC Treaty: in the case of large firms, aid may amount to as much as 65 % of the net grant equivalent (nge) for the investment concerned instead of 50 %; in the case of small and medium-sized firms, the intensity may be as much as 75 % nge; ü the possible granting of operating aid to offset partially the additional transport costs, without any time-limit or degressivity, provided that the region concerned is eligible for the exemption under Article 87(3)(c). Article 299(2) (former Article 227) of the EC Treaty provides that áthe Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, shall adopt specific measures aimed, in particular, at laying down the conditions of application of the present Treaty to those regions. í The Cologne European Council called on the Commission to present to the Council before the end of 1999 a report on the measures for implementing Article 299(2)