06/09/2005 (Agence Europe) -In Strasbourg on Tuesday, the European Parliament approved the proposal made last June providing essentially for the removal of certain provisions of the 1992 regulation on the common market organisation in the raw tobacco sector. These provisions were made obsolete by the reform of the sector in April 2004, which provided for the removal of the premium regime and the controlling production system. The report by Joseph Daul (EPP-ED, France) on the subject was approved by 463 votes in favour, 27 against and 68 abstentions. Under the reform which was decided upon in 2004, total decoupling in this sector will come in after a transition period of four years, which will start in 2006. During these four years, a minimum of 40% of tobacco premiums must be included in the system of single decoupled payments to farmers.