Brussels, 24/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 22 November, the parliamentary committee on agriculture and rural development amended the proposal for reform of aid to Community banana producers. The report by Jean-Claude Fruteau (PES, France) on this dossier will be on the agenda of the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg in December. After the EP vote, the Council hopes to conclude a political agreement on this reform at its meeting from 19 to 21 December (EUROPE 9311 on the latest debate by European ministers, on 21 November).
In its proposal, the European Commission suggests doing away with the existing compensatory aid scheme as well as the advance payments for producers. Aid for producers located in outlying regions (Canary Islands, Madeira, Guadeloupe and Martinique) would be replaced by a transfer of €278.8 million per year to the POSEI programmes. Continental producers (Cyprus, Greece and continental Portugal) would be integrated into the Single Payment Scheme (SPS).
Mr Fruteau's report amends the proposal in order to: - maintain the current system of advance payments to producers (considered essential for activity in this branch); - make it an obligation for the Commission to suggest, if the customs situation were to impose it, a series of concrete measures to guarantee the revenue of Community banana producers; - introduce the possibility of partial decoupling of aid (60% single payment and 40% aid whose amount would be linked to production); - and making the affiliation of aid recipients to a recognised organisation compulsory, except if that is impossible for geographic reasons. (lc)