Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-25-Speech-2-327"
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"en.20070925.33.2-327"2
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"First of all, I can again only express my sympathy with all the people that have been hit by the consequences of the fires.
The second option is the new rural development programme 2007-2013, which includes measures for restoring agricultural production potential, as well as forestry potential, following natural disasters.
It must be noted that interventions through these two options would be limited to reforestation and reconstruction of production potential, and again cannot be used to compensate for loss of income.
I want to conclude with the possibilities that will be available within state aid schemes. A disaster like the forest fires in Greece would normally be considered exceptional occurrences, which actually allows Member States to grant support to compensate for material damage.
Nationally funded assistance to agriculture and forestry may be given following notification of a state aid scheme, and is subsequent to approval by the Commission.
I would also remind you that there is a much easier possibility, which is to use what we call
state aid, which means that Member States can pay farmers, with the new changes that have taken place, EUR 6 000
and you can do that every three years. So, without asking anyone, you can actually pay direct to the farmer up to EUR 6 000 to help immediately, if necessary.
I think it is important to say that the single farm payment
the direct payment to the farmers
is not at risk. The possible destruction of the crops, of animals or of buildings, has no consequence on the decoupled payment since there is no obligation to produce.
As regards cross compliance, one important rule is that the reduction of direct CAP payments under cross compliance can only be decided as a result of actions or omissions directly attributed to the farmer. Therefore, forest fires like the ones we saw in Greece this summer would not result in the reduction of payments.
As far as wine is concerned, in the event of partial destruction, vineyards could be eligible within the restructuring scheme, under the current Regulation, and within the national envelopes that will be foreseen for the new CMO.
The reformed CMO for fruit and vegetables foresees new crisis prevention and management tools. However, this new regulation will only be in place from 2008, and there is no retroactive clause.
As for the last question, the financial rules do not allow the Commission to transfer possible savings from the market organisation budget to specific national programmes to support Greek farmers.
Concerning the specific question on non-governmental organisations, monasteries or environmental bodies, the Commission does not have the possibility to directly support these for the purpose of environmental restoration activities. European Union assistance is only possible through specifically designed programmes and interventions which are drawn up by Member States following the principle of subsidiarity and submitted to the Commission for co-financing.
I want just to mention some specific possibilities in our rural development policy which could be used to help as well. I referred to these in my previous reply. The first option concerns the programme 2000-2006, and can involve modification of the programme complements of national operational programmes and the regional operational programmes in order to reconstruct agricultural potential after national disaster measures. This can, for example, mean that a farmer can get money for buying cattle, fruit and olive trees or to restore buildings that have been destroyed.
However, I have to repeat very strongly that it is not possible, via rural development policy, to compensate farmers for lost income."@en1
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