The Council: Agricultural measures for outermost regions and Aegean islands

Brussels, 25-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Today the Council adopted regulations laying down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the EU (67/12) and in the smaller Aegean islands (68/12) following a first reading agreement with the European Parliament.

In November last year, the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) for the Council and the European Parliament representatives agreed on compromise texts concerning these two regulations.

Both regulations provide agricultural measures that are intended to remedy the difficulties caused by the remoteness of the specific territories. In one case, it covers the following outermost regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. In the other case it covers the smaller Aegean Islands¹ facing difficulties due to their small size, their small population, their remoteness and the lack of transport lines.

These new regulations are part of the exercise of alignment of EU legislation with the Treaty of Lisbon on implementing and delegated acts (Articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty). At the same time, given that the original texts had been amended several times since their adoption, this exercise constituted an opportunity to recast the entire regulations to better reflect the current state schemes.

As regards outermost regions, the new text underscores the central role played by the Programmes of options specifically relating to the remoteness and insularity (POSEI programmes) which include the two fundamental elements: the specific supply arrangements due to the remoteness and the specific measures to assist local agricultural production.

A specific provision has been added to the regulation allowing a one-off payment of 40 millions € in 2013 in order to allow the sector of banana production in outermost regions to adapt to the reduction of banana tariffs following the latest trade agreements.

The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading on 5 February 2013. After being signed by the President of the European Parliament and the President of the Council, the legislative act will be published in the Official Journal of the EU.

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¹Any Greek islands in the Aegean Sea except the islands of Crete and Evia

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