27 Amendments of Kriton ARSENIS related to 2011/0282(COD)
Amendment 84 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The Union's priorities for rural development should be pursued in the framework of sustainable development and the Union's promotion of the aim of protecting and improving the environment as set out in Articles 11 and 19 of the Treaty, taking into account the polluter pays principle. The Member States should provide information on the support forhow they will implement the biodiversity strategy and the climate change objectives in line with the ambition to devote at least 20% of the Union budget to this end, using a methodology adopted by the Commission.
Amendment 87 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) In order to ensure the immediate start and efficient implementation of rural development programmes, support from the EAFRD should be based on the existence of sound administrative framework conditions. Member States should therefore assess compliance with certain ex ante conditionalities. Each Member State should prepare either a national rural development programme for its entire territory or a set of regional programmes. Each programme should identify a strategy for meeting targets in relation to the Union priorities for rural development and a selection of measures. Programming should comply with Union priorities for rural development, while being adapted to national contexts and complement the other Union policies, in particular the agricultural market policy, cohesion policy and the common fisheries policy. Member States should also ensure that their national or regional programmes are coherent with other national programmes such as the national renewable energy action plans and the national forest programmes. Member States which opt for a set of regional programme should be able to also prepare a national framework, without a separate budgetary allocation, in order to facilitate co-ordination among the regions in addressing nation-wide challenges.
Amendment 92 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) Forestry is an integral part of rural development and support for sustainable and climate friendly land use should encompass forest area development and sustainable management of forests. During the 2007-2013 programming period a variety of measures covered different types of support for forestry investments and management. In the interest of simplification but also of allowing beneficiaries to design and realisze integrated projects with increased added value, a single measure should cover all types of support for forestry investments and management. This measure should cover the extension and improvement of forest resources through afforestation of land and creation of agro-forestry systems combining extensive agriculture with forestry systems, restoration of forests damaged by fire or other natural disasters and relevant prevention measures, investments in new forestry technologies and in the processing and marketing of forest products aimed at improving the economic and environmental performance of forest holders and forest workers and non remunerative investments which improve ecosystem and climate resilience and environmental value of forest ecosystems. Support should avoid distorting competition and be market neutral, be market neutral and coherent with environmental objectives. Forest management plans including biodiversity aspects should be applied to all forests receiving funding under rural development programmes. As a result limitations should be imposed relating to the size and legal status of beneficiaries for the production of wood but not for non-wood forest products. Preventive actions against fires should be in areas classified by Member States as medium or high fire risk and should go beyond roads and water tanks; modernised traditional practices should be included. All preventive actions should be a mandatory part of aevery forest Management Plan under its protection planchapter. The occurrence of a natural disaster in the case of action for the restoration of damaged forest potential should be subject to the formal recognition by a scientific public organisation. The forestry measure should be adopted in the light of undertakings given by the Union and the Member States at international level, and be based on Member States' national or sub-national forest plans or equivalent instruments which should take into account the commitments made in the Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests in Europe. It should contribute to the implementation of the Union Forestry Strategy. In order to ensure that afforestation of agricultural land is in line with the aims of environmental policy the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the definition of certain minimum environmental requirements.
Amendment 95 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) Agri-environment-climate payments should continue to play a prominent role in supporting the sustainable development of rural areas and in responding to society's increasing demands for environmental services. They should further encourage farmers and other land managers to serve society as a whole by introducing or continuing to apply agricultural practices contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and compatible with the protection and improvement of the environment, the landscape and its features, natural resources, the soil and genetic diversity. In this context the conservation of genetic resources in agriculture and the additional needs of farming systems that are of high nature value should be given specific attention. Payments should contribute to covering additional costs and income foregone resulting from the commitments undertaken and should only cover commitments going beyond relevant mandatory standards and requirements, in accordance with the ‘polluter pays’ principle. In many situations the synergies resulting from commitments undertaken jointly by a group of farmers multiply the environmental and climate benefit. However, joint action brings additional transaction costs which should be compensated adequately. In order to ensure that farmers, forest owners and other land managers are in a position to correctly implement the commitments they have undertaken, Member States should endeavour to provide them with the required skills and knowledge. Member States should maintain the level of efforts made during the 2007-2013 programming period and have to spend a minimum of 235% of the total contribution from the EAFRD to each rural development programme for climate change mitigation and adaptation and land management, through the agri- environment- climate, organic farming and payments to areas facing natural or other specific constraints measures.
Amendment 125 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – points p a - p c (new)
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – points p a - p c (new)
Amendment 140 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – paragraph 2
Article 21 – paragraph 2
2. Support under this measure shall only concern small-scale infrastructure, as defined by each Member State in the programme. However, rural development programmes may provide for specific derogations from this rule for investments in broadband and renewable energy. In this case, clear criteria ensuring complementarity with support under other Union instruments shall be provided.
Amendment 141 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) afforestation and creation of woodland according to the relevant bioclimatic zone;
Amendment 142 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) establishment of agro-forestry and silvo-pastoral systems;
Amendment 143 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) equipment or infrastructure to prevent forest fires, for woodland areas classified as being at medium to high risk of fire; the support provided for this purpose shall be granted in accordance with Article 25. In order to be eligible for support for this purpose, Member States shall be required to earmark cofinancing for equipment or infrastructure to prevent forest fires in the said areas;
Amendment 144 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) prevention and restoration of damage to forests from forest fires and natural disasters, including pest and disease outbreaks, catastrophic events and climate related threats;
Amendment 145 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Article 22 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Limitations on ownership of forests provided for in Articles 236 to 4027 shall not apply for the tropical or subtropical forests and for the wooded areas of the territories of the Azores, Madeira, the Canary islands, the smaller Aegean islands within the meaning of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2019/93 and the French overseas departments. Limitations on ownership provided for in Articles 23-27 shall not apply to support for environmental reasons such as protection against erosion or extension of forest resources contributing to climate change mitigation.
Amendment 147 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 22 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
For holdings above a certain size, to be determined by the Member States in the programme, support shall be conditional on the submission of a forest management plan or equivalent instrument including biodiversity measures and in line with sustainable forest management as defined by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe of 1993 (hereinafter ‘sustainable forest management’).
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 22 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Support for forest measures shall be based on a standard for good forest practices.
Amendment 150 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1
Article 23 – paragraph 1
1. Support under Article 22(1)(a) shall be granted to private land-owners and tenants, municipalities and their associations, and other land managers and shall cover the costs of establishment and an annual premium per hectare to cover the costs of maintenance, including early and late cleanings, for a maximum period of ten years.
Amendment 151 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 2
Article 23 – paragraph 2
2. Both agricultural and non-agricultural land shall be eligible. Species planted shall be adapted to the environmental and climatic conditions of the area and, answer to minimum environmental requirements and shall be consistent with the relevant bioclimatic zone. No support shall be granted for the planting of short rotation coppice, Christmas trees or fast growing trees for energy production. In areas where afforestation is made difficult by severe pedo-climatic conditions support may be provided for planting other perennial woody species such as shrubs or bushes suitable to the local conditions.
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 3
Article 23 – paragraph 3
3. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 90 concerning the definition of the minimum environmental requirements referred to in paragraph 2. Minimum environmental requirements shall follow the typologies of the European Environment Agency, covering all the different types of European forests.
Amendment 153 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – title
Article 24 – title
Establishment of agro-forestry and silvo- pastoral systems
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the establishment of proteceventive infrastructure. In the case of firebreaks support may also cover aid contributing to maintenance cost (tracks, water points, ditches, firebreaks) constituting a network to protect an area of woodland in accordance with local or regional forest fire prevention plans. No support shall be granted for agricultural e-related activities, particularly in areas covered by agri- environment commitments;
Amendment 159 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – points c and d
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – points c and d
(c) establishing and improving forest fire, pest and diseases monitoring facilities and communication equipment; (d) restoring forest potential damaged from fires and other natural disasters includingacilities for forecasting and monitoring risks of forest fires, pests, and diseases, as well as catastrophic events and climate change related events.nd communication equipment in woodland areas;
Amendment 163 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 3
Article 25 – paragraph 3
3. Support under paragraph 1(d) shall be subject to the formal recognition by the competent public authorities of Member States that a natural disaster has occurred and that this disaster, or measures adopted in accordance with Directive 2000/29/EC to eradicate or contain a plant disease or pest has caused the destruction of at least 320% of the relevant forest potential. This percentage shall be determined on the basis of either the average existing forest potential in the three- year period immediately preceding the disaster or on the average of the five-year period immediately preceding the disaster, excluding the highest and the lowest entry.
Amendment 165 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – title
Article 26 – title
Amendment 167 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 1
Article 26 – paragraph 1
1. Support under Article 22(1)(d) shall be granted to natural persons, private forest owners, private law and semi-public bodieprivate, semi public and public forest owners, municipalities, state forests and their associations. In the case of state forests sSupport may also be granted to bodies managing such forests, which are independent from the state budgettate forests.
Amendment 168 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2
Article 26 – paragraph 2
2. Investments shall be aimed at: (a) restoring forest potential damaged by fires and other natural disasters, including those caused by pests, diseases and climate change, and catastrophic events; (b) the achievement of commitments undertaken for environmental aims or providing ecosystem services and/or which enhance the public amenity value of forest and wooded land in the area concerned or improve the climate change mitigation potential of ecosystems, without excluding economic benefits in the long term.
Amendment 171 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 27 – paragraph 1
Article 27 – paragraph 1
1. Support under Article 22(1)(e) shall be granted to private forest owners, municipalities and their associations, forest workers and their associations and to SMEs for investments enhancing forestry potential or relating to processing and marketing adding value to forest products. In the territories of the Azores, Madeira, the Canary islands, the smaller Aegean islands within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2019/93 and the French overseas departments support may also be granted to enterprises that are not SMEs.
Amendment 187 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 31 – paragraph 7 a (new)
Article 31 – paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Member States shall ensure separate financial budgets for Natura 2000 agricultural areas, Natura 2000 forest areas and agricultural areas included in river basin management plans according to Directive 2000/60/EC.
Amendment 193 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 35 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 35 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
1. Support under this measure shall be granted per hectare of forest to forest holders, municipalities and their associations who undertake, on a voluntary basis, to carry out operations consisting of one or more forest-environment commitments. Bodies managing state owned forests may also benefit from support provided they are independent from the state budget.
Amendment 194 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 35 – paragraph 4
Article 35 – paragraph 4
4. Support may be provided to public and private entities, municipalities and their associations for the conservation and promotion of forest genetic resources for operations not covered under paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.