Brussels, 19/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - The delegated draft regulation seeking to extend the exceptional support mechanism to the fruit and vegetable sector currently in inter-services consultation at the European Commission (see EUROPE 11552).
The Commission is soon expected to adopt this act, which should enter into force on 1 July this year, when it takes over from the current regulation expiring on 30 June.
In an effort to respond to the embargo decreed by the Russian government on 7 August 2014, the European Commission introduced a support system focusing on: market withdrawals for free distribution; market withdrawals for other destinations as well as free distribution; non-harvesting and green harvesting. The draft regulation is likely to be amended before formal adoption by the Commission, which seeks to reduce the quantities eligible for support by 70%. Two other products are expected to be added: persimmons and sour cherries, to the long list of products already covered (such as apples, pears, broccoli, peaches, kiwis, nectarines, tomatoes, cucumbers, gherkins, carrots, cabbages and peppers). Quantities eligible for support are expected to be reduced significantly because producers have had the time to find new markets, affirmed the Commission in its explanation for the cut in support.
The regulation also seeks to grant each member state a limit of 3000 t for the products of their choice, in addition to the quantities set out according to the products in question. For example, according to the project: 88,900 tons of apples and pears for Poland; 16,600 t of citrus fruits for Spain and 6300 t of peaches and nectarines for Greece. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)