Food aid: apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the 1995 Convention (Regulation (EC) No 1292/96)

PURPOSE: apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the Food Aid Convention 1995 for the period 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999. CONTENT: Council Regulation 1292/96/EC provides that the Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal by the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, shall determine the Community share of the overall amount of cereals aid laid down in the Food Aid Convention as the total contribution of both the Community and its Member States. The Convention has been renewed for a period of one year with a view to its renegotiation. It will, therefore, remain in force until 30 June 1999. Under the terms of the Convention, the Community and the Member States have undertaken to provide a minimum of 1,175,000 tonnes of grain per year for use as food aid. In the light of these considerations and the opinions expressed by some of the Member States, the Commission believes that, for the period 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999, the Member States' contribution could be decreased by 57,000 tonnes and that of the Community itself can be increased by 57,000 tonnes. The Commission takes the view that the Community budget can cover the additional quantities without an increase in the overall allocation for compulsory expenditure. The new situation would give the Member States' own operation a share of 40.69% and Community operation a share of 59.31%. As before, the commitment made in connection with the Convention should be considered as a minimum. As in recent years, the Commission expects, when the budget process begins, to propose allocations enabling it to provide developing countries with amounts of food aid which are determined by their actual needs and which go beyond the Community's own commitments under the Convention.�