PURPOSE: to introduce a scheme for the period 2007 to 2013 to provide compensation for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of certain fishery products from outermost regions.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EC) No 791/2007 introducing a scheme to compensate for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of certain fishery products from the outermost regions the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, French Guiana and Reunion.

CONTENT: the Council adopted a regulation renewing the compensation system for fishery products from the EU's outermost regions, with a view to maintaining competitiveness with similar products from other Community regions. The regulation is aimed at continuing to provide compensation measures, for the period 2007 to 2013, for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of certain fishery products from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary islands, Guiana and Reunion. The system was first introduced in 1992 in order to compensate for additional difficulties in marketing fishery products from these regions, resulting mainly from transport costs to continental Europe.

The total amount of compensation per year will not exceed:

the Azores and Madeira: EUR 4 283 992; the Canary Islands: EUR 5 844 076; French Guiana and Réunion: EUR 4 868 700.

It is left to the Member States concerned to determine the fishery products eligible for compensation , their respective maximum quantities and the compensation amounts within the overall allocation per Member State.

Compensation will be paid to producers, owners of vessels and operators in the processing and marketing sector who incur additional costs in the marketing of fishery products, which must have been harvested and processed in accordance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy. Member States concerned must take steps to ensure the economic viability of operators receiving the compensation.

Each Member State concerned must determine for its regions the list of fishery products and the quantity of those products which are eligible for the compensation. This list and the quantities may be differentiated for each of the regions belonging to one Member State.

The compensation shall take into account:

-for each fishery product the additional costs resulting from the specific handicaps of the regions concerned, in particular the expenditure for the transport to continental Europe; and

-any other type of public intervention affecting the level of additional costs.

The compensation in respect of the additional costs shall be proportional to the additional costs it intends to off-set. The level of compensation in respect of the additional costs shall be duly justified in the compensation plan. However, in no case shall the compensation exceed 100 % of the expenditure incurred for the transport and other related costs of the Fishery products, which are intended for continental Europe.

Each Member State concerned shall draw up an annual report on the implementation of the compensation and submit it to the Commission by 30 June of each year. By 31 December 2011, the Commission shall, on the basis of an independent evaluation, report to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on the implementation of the compensation, accompanied, where necessary, by legislative proposals.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 06/07/2007.

APPLICATION: from 1 January 2007 until 31 December 2013.

Regulation 2007/791
OJ L 176 06.07.2007, p. 0001

SP(2007)2625/2

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted the resolution drafted by Duarte FREITAS (EPP-ED, PT) amending the proposed regulation 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 departments of Guiana and Réunion from 2007 to 2013. It wanted to increase by EUR 2 million a year the budget for outermost regions to compensate for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of certain fishery products, due to increases in energy and transport costs. It also proposed that compensation be allowed for products used in fish processing, since this would not constitute an accumulation of EU aid. In addition, compensation should not be restricted to 75% of transport costs, but should be sufficient to offset fully the additional costs arising from remoteness and should cover the cost of transport to the European continent and also between regions.

The main amendments were as follows:

- the support scheme should be a permanent one and not limited in time. Parliament therefore amended the title so as to delete the words “from 2007 to 2013”;

- the increased transport costs resulting from higher oil prices since 2003, which have added to the additional costs arising from remoteness, should be taken into account. Compensation should not be restricted to 75% of transport costs, as stated in the Commission proposal, and should cover the costs of transport not only to the European continent but also between regions;

- the additional costs linked to the use of products used in fish processing (such as olive oil and salt) should also be eligible for support, provided that such compensation does not overlap with Community aid for those products;

- a new article stipulated that the Commission may authorise state aid for the fisheries sector for the outermost regions. In such cases, the Member States must notify the Commission of the aid as part of the compensation schemes, and the Commission must approve it;

- as provided for under the previous scheme, it should continue to be permissible for local processing industries to be supplied by Community vessels in cases where catches by local fleets "are insufficient to supply those regions' processing industries";

- three amendments adjusted the amounts allocated to the Azores and Madeira, the Canary Islands and French Guiana and Réunion, thereby increasing the annual overall budget by EUR 2 million;

- a new article stipulated that, within the limits of the overall financial framework for the regulation, it should be possible for the amounts of compensation to be modulated among regions belonging to the same Member State ;

- on the basis of an independent evaluation the Commission should report every 5 years, with effect from 31 December 2011, on the implementation of the compensation scheme.

T6-0158/2007

A6-0083/2007

A6-0083/2007

The committee adopted the report by Duarte FREITAS (EPP-ED, PT) amending – under the consultation procedure – the proposed regulation 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 departments of Guiana and Réunion from 2007 to 2013. The main amendments were as follows:

- the support scheme should be a permanent one and not limited in time. The committee therefore amended the title so as to delete the words “from 2007 to 2013”;

- the increased transport costs resulting from higher oil prices since 2003, which have added to the additional costs arising from remoteness, should be taken into account. Compensation should not be restricted to 75% of transport costs, as stated in the Commission proposal, and should cover the costs of transport not only to the European continent but also between regions;

- the additional costs linked to the use of products used in fish processing (such as olive oil and salt) should also be eligible for support, provided that such compensation does not overlap with Community aid for those products;

- a new article stipulated that the Commission may authorise state aid for the fisheries sector for the outermost regions. In such cases, the Member States must notify the Commission of the aid as part of the compensation schemes, and the Commission must approve it;

- as provided for under the previous scheme, it should continue to be permissible for local processing industries to be supplied by Community vessels in cases where catches by local fleets "are insufficient to supply those regions' processing industries";

- three amendments adjusted the amounts allocated to the Azores and Madeira, the Canary Islands and French Guiana and Réunion, thereby increasing the annual overall budget by EUR 2 million;

- a new article stipulated that, within the limits of the overall financial framework for the regulation, it should be possible for the amounts of compensation to be modulated among regions belonging to the same Member State ;

- on the basis of an independent evaluation the Commission should report every 5 years, with effect from 31 December 2011, on the implementation of the compensation scheme.

PE384.518

PE384.654

PE386.325

PE384.481

CES0090/2007

PURPOSE: to introduce 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 departments of Guiana and Réunion from 2007 to 2013.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

CONTENT: in accordance with Council Regulation 2328/2003/EC, the Commission is required to report on the implementation of the measures provided for in this regulation, accompanied, if necessary, by proposals for appropriate adjustments needed to achieve the objectives laid down in this Regulation. The report and the accompanying Commission Staff Working Document provide an assessment of the application of the compensation scheme on the basis of data available in the Commission and of an external study on "the structural aspects of the Common Fisheries Policy in the outermost regions". The report concludes that the continuation of the scheme for the period 2007-2013 should be considered in view of the positive impact of the scheme on the fisheries sector in the outermost regions and the persisting need for support.

The current basis for support, Regulation 2328/2003/EC, covering an overall financial envelope of EUR 15 million/year, expires on 31 December 2006.

It is suggested to improve the efficiency of the compensation scheme by introducing the following

amendments to the current scheme:

- determination and adjustments of lists of eligible fishery products and their quantities and of compensation amounts by Member States within a fixed annual amount based on allocations in the current scheme to increase pertinence and flexibility of the scheme;

- introduction of safeguards to avoid unjustified levels of compensation by focusing on compensation of transport costs, limiting compensation to a determined share in transport and other related costs and taking into consideration other types of public intervention for the determination of compensation;

- definition of clearer eligibility conditions for recipients and products in order to guarantee a better achievement of the objectives of the scheme and compliance of assisted products with the Common Fisheries Policy;

- introduction of annual reporting by the Member States and of the requirement to ensure the setting-up of an implementation system that assures the regularity of operations;

- switch of the financial management system from shared management under the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Funds to direct centralised management under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund in accordance with Council Regulation 1290/2005/EC on the financing of the common agricultural policy.

For more information concerning the financial implications of this proposal, please refer to the financial statement.

COM(2006)0740
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: to introduce 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 departments of Guiana and Réunion from 2007 to 2013.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

CONTENT: in accordance with Council Regulation 2328/2003/EC, the Commission is required to report on the implementation of the measures provided for in this regulation, accompanied, if necessary, by proposals for appropriate adjustments needed to achieve the objectives laid down in this Regulation. The report and the accompanying Commission Staff Working Document provide an assessment of the application of the compensation scheme on the basis of data available in the Commission and of an external study on "the structural aspects of the Common Fisheries Policy in the outermost regions". The report concludes that the continuation of the scheme for the period 2007-2013 should be considered in view of the positive impact of the scheme on the fisheries sector in the outermost regions and the persisting need for support.

The current basis for support, Regulation 2328/2003/EC, covering an overall financial envelope of EUR 15 million/year, expires on 31 December 2006.

It is suggested to improve the efficiency of the compensation scheme by introducing the following

amendments to the current scheme:

- determination and adjustments of lists of eligible fishery products and their quantities and of compensation amounts by Member States within a fixed annual amount based on allocations in the current scheme to increase pertinence and flexibility of the scheme;

- introduction of safeguards to avoid unjustified levels of compensation by focusing on compensation of transport costs, limiting compensation to a determined share in transport and other related costs and taking into consideration other types of public intervention for the determination of compensation;

- definition of clearer eligibility conditions for recipients and products in order to guarantee a better achievement of the objectives of the scheme and compliance of assisted products with the Common Fisheries Policy;

- introduction of annual reporting by the Member States and of the requirement to ensure the setting-up of an implementation system that assures the regularity of operations;

- switch of the financial management system from shared management under the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Funds to direct centralised management under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund in accordance with Council Regulation 1290/2005/EC on the financing of the common agricultural policy.

For more information concerning the financial implications of this proposal, please refer to the financial statement.

COM(2006)0740
EUR-Lex