Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-06-Speech-3-313"
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"en.20000906.11.3-313"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mrs Matikainen-Kallström’s question covers old ground as I see it. I would remind the House that the Commission presented Parliament and the Council with a report on the common market organisation of tobacco as early as 1996. The report pointed out that this sector makes a decisive contribution to maintaining the viability of certain regions within the Community, some of which are highly disadvantaged, and where there are few alternatives.
In the light of an inquiry at the time into the social and economic consequences of abolishing Community subsidies for tobacco cultivation, the decision was taken not to go down this path. However, this was also because there was evidence to show that subsidising tobacco cultivation has practically no effect on tobacco consumption, and thus on the risk to EU citizens‘ health.
This led to radical reform of the tobacco sector in 1998. The key aspects of this reform were as follows: firstly, there was an improvement in quality, in particular, tobacco growers switched over to low-nicotine and low-tar varieties. Secondly, research activities have been stepped up, financed by the Community tobacco fund. The appropriations for said fund were doubled. One of the main objectives of this research is to investigate the possibility of switching from tobacco cultivation to alternative activities. Thirdly, with a view to encouraging farmers to go over to other crops, the reform measures also made provision for a mechanism whereby quotas are repurchased from farmers who are willing to give up tobacco cultivation. In this way, these farmers are offered money, as it were, in order to facilitate conversion to other crops.
The provisions laid down in the tobacco market organisation can also be supplemented within the framework of the support measures for rural development.
On a final note, I would just like to say that the Commission will of course assess the reform measures taken. We will provide the European Parliament with a report on the functioning of the amended market organisation by 1 April 2002."@en1
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