51997PC0407

Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 1323/90 instituting specific aid for sheep and goat farming in certain less-favoured areas of the Community (97/C 264/05) COM(97) 407 final - 97/0210(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 25 July 1997)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas prices are in serious decline on the Community market in sheep's and goat's milk products and the situation is unlikely to improve in the medium term;

Whereas the resulting impact on producers' incomes is likely to be extremely unfavourable in less-favoured areas listed under Council Regulation (EC) No 950/97 of 20 May 1997 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures (1), where there is little alternative to production using the existing sheep and goat dairy breeds; whereas these producers should be compensated by increasing from 70 % to 90 % the percentage granted them under Council Regulation (EEC) No 1323/90 of 14 May 1990 (2), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 40/96 (3), of the specific aid for non-dairy ewes in certain less-favoured areas of the Community,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EEC) No 1323/97 is hereby amended as follows:

- in the second indent of Article 1 (1) 'ECU 4,589` is replaced by 'ECU 5,977`,

- in the third indent of Article 1 (1) 'ECU 4,589` is replaced by 'ECU 5,977`.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

It shall apply from the beginning of the 1998 marketing year.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

(1) OJ No L 142, 2. 6. 1997, p. 1.

(2) OJ No L 132, 23. 5. 1990, p. 17.

(3) OJ No L 10, 13. 1. 1996, p. 6.