EAGGF Guarantee section: measures in respect of certains beneficiaries of operations financed by the fund

During the debate, the rapporteur, Mr Tomlinson, pointed out that all of the measures suggested by this proposal already existed in legislative texts that were in force and that such a proposal would not have been necessary if the Member States had applied the existing rules strictly and in full before now. The new Regulation on the ‘black list’ was necessary but it was too short and too vague; it therefore needed to be improved. The rapporteur called on the Council to adopt this proposal as soon as possible, taking account of all of Parliament’s amendments, without which it would not make any sense. He was supported by Mr Garriga Polledo (E) on behalf of the EPP Group and by the Belgian Socialist Mr Willockx, who considered that the fight against fraud should continue in the Committee on Budgetary Control rather than in special committees of inquiry. The Commissioner responsible for agriculture, Mr Franz Fischler, indicated that the Commission agreed with the rapporteur in general but felt that Article 43 was more appropriate than Article 189b as the legal basis of the Regulation. The Commissioner agreed to ensure that the Regulation was consistent with the provisions to be adopted on the protection of the Union’s financial interests and he stressed that it was important for the Member States to demonstrate a certain degree of flexibility.