Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1985 > Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities (4th Committee) > Report No. 21 - Crisis in Farming - Summer 1985

APPENDIX 4

Written Question No. 683/84⁽¹⁾ by Mr. Leonidas Kyrkos (COM-GR) to the Commission of the European Communities

(14 September, 1984 84/C344/20)

Subject: Special aid for farmers whose crops have been destroyed.

The catastrophic rain and hailstorms which occurred in central and northern Greece on 14 August 1984 destroyed between 60% and 100% of horticultural produce, of tobacco, cotton, table grapes and hothouse products and this will have a severe impact on the incomes of farmers in these regions.

Does the Commission intend examining the scale of the damage and granting special aid to the farmers concerned ?

Answer given by Mr. Dalsager on behalf of the Commission

(12 November, 1984)

The Commission is aware of the damage caused by the torrential rain of 14 August 1984 to fruit, vegetables and other crops in certain parts of central and northern Greece.

The extremely limited funds available under Article 690 of the Community budget mean that the rules on the granting of emergency aid must be very strictly adhered to. Such aid can be granted only where a natural catastrophe has effects on the local population that are exceptionally widespread and severe.

Since in the case in question damage was restricted essentially to crops the criteria for the granting of emergency aid do not appear to be met.

Written Question No. 228/84 ⁽²⁾ by Mr. Luc Beyer de Ryke (L - B) to the Commission of the European Communities

(13 March 1985 - 85/C203/15)

Subject: Cold weather in January - total loss of vegetable crops in France, Belgium and Italy - Community aid.

As a result of the exceptionally cold weather in January this year, crops of winter vegetables have been frozen in the fields and totally lost.

Moreover, in the case of vegetables grown under glass, the high level of heating required to maintain suitable temperatures and conditions has resulted in abnormally high (oil and gas) costs for producers.

Can the Commission define the areas where producers have been adversely affected and say what exceptional aid it intends to provide in response to this disaster ?

Answer given by Mr. Andriessen on behalf of the Commission

(7 June, 1985)

Whilst being aware of the damage caused by the exceptionally cold weather last Winter, the Commission does not yet have an exhaustive appraisal of losses suffered by producers in the various regions affected.

Given the nature of the bad weather, which was a seasonal phenomenon, and the fact that it affected virtually the entire Community, and in the absence of available funds for measures of this type, the Commission is unable to envisage a general system of aid to compensate for losses. Article 690 of the budget relating to emergency funds, the 1985 appropriation for which was limited by the budgetary authorities to 2,750,000 ECU, is intended solely as a source of emergency aid for victims of natural disasters of an unforeseeable and localized nature, the consequences of which cannot be clearly defined.

(1) OJ No. C344/12, 24.12.84.

(2) OJ No. C203/10, 12.8.85