Brussels, 19/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 16 September, the European Commission presented a new emergency aid programme for the perishable fruit and vegetables market, following the Russian ban on food products from the EU (see EUROPE 11157). The Commission had to suspend its previous instrument due to a huge influx of applications from Poland. Between 4 and 8 September, the Commission received applications for more than €167 million of support, €146 million of which came from Poland.
The new system, which will have the same level of budget (€125 million), provides an envelope for each member state and per product group, on the basis of the volumes exported to Russia last year. These new rules are set to enter into force on 22 September. With the exception of these upper limits, they will remain exactly the same as previously, with the same level of aid for members of producer organisations and the same measures taken (free distribution, non-food use, green harvesting or non-harvesting). The only difference is that the aid will also be open to citrus fruits (oranges, clementines and mandarins), for which harvest is about to begin. In a preliminary version of the text (delegated act), which could still be changed before it is published, the main tonnages for each member state are as follows: 94,600 tonnes for Spain, 77,270 tonnes for Italy, 59,430 tonnes for Belgium (mainly pears), 45,075 tonnes for Greece, 31,050 tonnes for France, 29,000 tonnes for the Netherlands, 18,000 tonnes for Poland (apples and pears only), 16,220 tonnes for Cyprus (citrus fruits only) and 13,100 tonnes for Germany.
Reacting to this decision, the agricultural organisations and cooperatives of the EU (Copa- Cogeca) said that this more targeted public aid was a step in the right direction, but “other measures are needed and additional funds outside the budget of the common agriculture policy are indispensable, because this crisis is not the fault of the farmers or the agricultural cooperatives” (our translation). (LC)