31. 12. 82 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 346/5
2. The Community has already completed three
research programmes in this field (1973 to 1975; 1976 to
1978 (2 • 7 million EUA) and 1979 to 1982 (10-3 million
EUA)). The Commission is now proposing a fourth
programme, to run for five years, with a budget of 34 • 7
million ECU. The Economic and Social Committee
believes that the proposed expansion is both justified and
necessary, because of the results obtained to date, and the
importance and scale of the problems. It therefore
endorses the programme submitted by the
Commission.
Specific comments
3. The Economic and Social Committee welcomes the
Commission's explicit aim not to replace or compete with
the national and other international activities in this field,
but to back up and collaborate with other bodies on the
problems which are of particular importance in the
Community context.
4. The Economic and Social Committee notes with
satisfaction that the results of programmes on reference
materials, more especially inorganic reference materials,
are now firmly established. More complex problems may
arise with regard to organic reference materials, which
will need further work in the future. Practically-oriented
work will therefore be very important here.
5. In its opinion (J) on the last R & D programme
(1979 to 1982) in this area, the Economic and Social
Committee drew attention to the need for a
comprehensive information programme: 'It believes that
it is essential to back up the valuable research work being
done with a comprehensive information programme on
the materials available, so that the maximum practical
benefit may be derived from the Community's work.' The
Economic and Social Committee regrets that far too little
progress has been made in this area with the result that the
services and opportunities set up with Community money
could be utilized. The Economic and Social Committee
once again stresses the need for an information
programme of this type, and asks the Commission to
investigate whether the situation could be remedied by
increasing the support - drastically pruned two years
ago - which the programme receives from the JRC.
6. The Economic and Social Committee welcomes the
Commission's intention, via the ACPM, to review and if
necessary adapt the programme after three years. It is very
important to ensure that users' views are taken into
account when this is done.
(•) OJNo C 128, 21. 5. 1979.
Done at Brussels, 24 November 1982.
The Chairman
of the Economic and Social Committee
Francois CEYRAC
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulations (EEC) No 3164/76
and (EEC) No 2964/79 on the Community quota for the carriage of goods by road between
Member States
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European
Communities No C 247 of 21 September 1982, page 4.
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION
On 24 September 1982 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and
Social Committee in accordance with Article 75 of the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community.
No C 346/6 Official'Journal of the European Communities 31. 12. 82
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its
202nd plenary session held in Brussels on 24 and 25 November 1982.
The full text of the opinion is as follows:
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community, and in particular Article 75
thereof,
Having regard to the request made by the Council on
24 September 1982 for an opinion on the proposal for a
Council Regulation amending Regulations (EEC) No
3164/76 and (EEC) No 2964/79 on the Community
quota for the carriage of goods by road between Member
States,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3164/76
of 16 December 1976 on the Community quota for the
carriage of goods by road between Member States (*), as
last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 663/82 (2),
Having regard to previous Committee opinions on this
matter, and in particular that of 26 November
1981 (3),
Having regard to the decision taken by the Committee
chairman on 19 October 1982 instructing the Section for
Transport and Communications to draw up an opinion
on this matter (Article 22 of the Rules of Procedure),
Having regard to the preparatory work undertaken by
Mr Morselli (rapporteur), and by Mr Binnenbruck and
Mr Schneider (co-rapporteurs),
Having regard to the opinion adopted by the
aforementioned Section at its 146th meeting held on
10 November 1982,
Having regard to the oral report made by Mr
Morselli,
Having regard to the discussions on 24 November 1982
during the 202nd plenary session held on 24 and
25 November 1982,
Whereas the introduction of a common transport policy
entails inter alia the establishment of common rules for
the carriage of goods by road between Member States;
Whereas these rules must be drawn up so as to help bring
about a common transport market;
Whereas the system of Community authorizations for the
transport of goods by road between Member States must
(») OJ No L 357, 29. 12. 1976, p. 1.
(2) OJ No L 78, 24. 3. 1982, p. 2.
(3) OJ No C 348, 31. 12. 1981, p. 38.
allow road haulage operators from Member States to
have equal access to the market;
Whereas Regulation (EEC) No 2964/79 introduced a
10 per cent increase in the maximum number of
short-term Community authorizations, valid for 30
days;
Whereas this Regulation expires on 31 December
1982;
Whereas the aforementioned Regulation (EEC)
No 663/82 allows 4 038 authorizations under the
Community quota from 1 April 1982, and Regulation
(EEC) No 3164/76 states that 'The Council, acting on a
proposal from the Commission, shall decide, by 30
November of each year, on any increase in the
Community quota and on the allocation to the Member
States of the extra authorizations resulting therefrom',
and that the last Regulation adopted 'shall remain
applicable until the Council has taken a decision on a
proposal for a Regulation reviewing the amount and/or
the allocation of the quota',
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION
by 92 votes to 30, with three abstentions:
The Committee is unable, at the present time, to approve
the Commission's proposal to increase the Community
quota by 189 authorizations, i.e. an overall increase of
4 * 3 % plus a total of 15 authorizations for the four
peripheral Member States. The reasons are as follows:
1. Commission proposals to increase the Community
quota drawn up under the terms of Article 3 of the
aforementioned Regulation (EEC) No 3164/76 have led
in recent years to disagreements within the Council. The
only solution to these disagreements has been a basically
political compromise.
Differences of opinion in the Council also became
apparent when the previous Commission proposal was
discussed.
2. Although the Commission was forced at this
juncture to find a method which took account of the
interests of all those involved, neither the Committee nor
the Council were given sufficient time to discuss such a
method and its criteria in detail.
3. The Committee notes that in its explanatory
memorandum the Commission itself refers to the lack of
time for detailed discussion on a suitable method, and
31. 12. 82 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 346/7
5. The Committee considers that consequently, in the
current situation, the Council should merely extend
Regulation (EEC) No 2964/79 concerning short-term
quotas, which expires on 31 December 1982, and only
take a final decision on the subject of quotas after
examining the new Commission proposal at the
beginning of 1983 and hearing the views of the Economic
and Social Committee, which will re-examine the matter
in due course.
The Chairman
of the Economic and Social Committee
Francois CEYRAC
APPENDIX
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee
Defeated amendment
The following amendment, tabled in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, was rejected during plenary
session discussions:
Page 2, first paragraph
Delete.
Page 3, point 5
Replace by the following:
'5. In view of all these considerations the Committee feels that the Council's first priority must be to
concern itself with the extension of Regulation (EEC) No 2964/79 on short-term Community
authorizations, which is due to expire on 31 December 1982, as a decision on this matter must be taken
before the end of the year.
6. As regards the fixed number of Community authorizations laid down by Regulations (EEC) No
3164/76 and (EEC) No 663 / 82, which will be increased to 189 by the Commission's present proposal,
the Committee does, however, find itself in a difficult position for the following reasons:
The most recent increase in the Community quota for 1982 dates from 1 April 1982, when the Council
enacted Regulation (EEC) No 663/82 of 22 March 1982. On that occasion the Council did not follow
the Commission's proposals at that time concerning either timing or scope, which clearly showed the
difficulties at Council level. In view of this situation, which still prevails, the Commission has
announced a new draft Regulation for the beginning of 1983, which will include an improved method
for calculating the Community quota. It therefore sees its proposal to increase the Community quota
for 1983 as a transitional measure, although it has used the methods of calculation which are still in
force.
The Committee is therefore prepared for one last time to approve the Commission's proposal, even on
this point, but only on the condition that the Commission gives an undertaking to the Council of
regrets that the Commission itself is partly to blame, as its
proposal for an amendment of the aforementioned
Regulations was not submitted until September 1982.
4. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Commission
sees its proposal as temporary, valid only for 1983, and
plans to take a new initiative at the beginning of 1983 to
determine a permanent method to be used as a basis for
annual Council decisions on the Community quota.
Done at Brussels, 24 November 1982.
N o C 3 4 6 / 8 Official Journal of the European Communit ies 3 1 . 12. 82
Ministers that it will submit the new proposal which has been announced to the Council and the
Economic and Social Committee by the end of June 1983. The new method of calculation must take
due account of the interests of all those concerned and be based on objective criteria.'
Reasons
See above.
Voting
For: 43, Against: 71, Abstentions: 14.
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) N o 3 5 5 / 7 7 on
common measures to improve the conditions under which agricultural products are processed
and marketed
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European
Communities N o C 147 of 11 June 1982, page 7.
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR T H E O P I N I O N
On 7 June 1982 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and Social
Committee in accordance with Article 43 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community.
B. O P I N I O N OF T H E E C O N O M I C A N D SOCIAL C O M M I T T E E
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its
202nd plenary session held in Brussels on 24 and 25 November 1982.
The full text of the opinion is as follows:
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community , and in particular Article 43
thereof,
Having regard to the request made by the Council of the
European Communities on 7 June 1982 for an opinion on
the proposal for a Council Regulation amending
Regulation (EEC) N o 3 5 5 / 7 7 on common measures to
improve the conditions under which agricultural
products are processed and marketed,
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on
29 June 1982 instructing the Section for Agriculture to
prepare the work on the matter ,
Having regard to the opinion adopted by the Section for
Agriculture at its 238th meeting held on 4 November
1982,
Having regard to the oral report made by the rapporteur ,
M r Wick,
Having regard to the discussions on 24 November 1982
during the 202nd plenary session held on 24 and
25 November 1982,
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION
with no dissenting votes, but with five abstentions:
I. General comments
1. Ever since its introduction in 1964, the
Community 's market-structure policy has been an
important adjunct to the policy on agricultural structures.
The Community 's market-structure policy has proved to
be an effective instrument of the common agricultural
policy and has played an important role in improving the
treatment, processing and marketing of agricultural
products; it has also served consumers ' interests by
improving food quality.
2. The Community 's market-structure policy has also
done much to further supply-side adjustment to changed
consumer demand, thereby reducing expenditure on
market support for agricultural products . The continuing
need for structural adjustment means that these common
measures must be continued beyond 1982, among other
things to complement the Community 's policy on
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