Brussels, 02/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 30 September, experts at the Special Committee for Agriculture (SCA) were quite critical of the proposal setting out sugar sector production quotas over several marketing years. This involves the first proposal examined according to the legal basis of Article 43(3) (exclusive Council remit).
The first draft text, presented in 2009, had been ruled invalid by a decision by the European Court of Justice, which decided that sugar companies have the right to repayment for excessive levies that they have had to pay over several marketing years (2001 to 2006).
This proposal sets out the new levies due for these marketing years and will therefore determine the amounts to pay back to sugar companies (repayments only for the difference between the old and new levy levels). The producers affected will also be able to claim back the interest calculated by EU countries applied in their national provisions.
The proposal also decides the amount that has to be paid by sugar companies to beet producers. In the absence of this payment, repayment to sugar companies would be reduced by the same amount. This “negative” correction has risen to almost €295 million (EU budget). Interest repayments by member states can be claimed back by the Commission.
A few countries such as Denmark and the Czech Republic have underlined the bureaucratic burden that this initiative could have on their administrations. Several delegations (France, Austria, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Belgium etc.) said that the application deadline planned (four months) was too short. Certain countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium had a number of questions on implementation of these measures, particularly with regard to identifying beneficiaries who abandoned this activity several years ago or who are even no longer alive. According to some countries, such as Poland, Italy and Belgium, it could be useful if they had a common calculating method for interest payments. Work will continue at an appropriate working group level at the Council. (LC/transl.fl)