Honey: application of measures to improve the production and marketing

In adopting the report by Mrs Astrid LULLING (PPE, L), the European Parliament regretted that, contrary to the demands it had adopted unanimously, the Commission had not proposed any direct support measures. It also regretted the absence of a comprehensive and effective overall approach capable of doing justice to the ecological and economic importance of apiculture in Europe. The amendments made to the proposal seek in particular to: - introduce a pollinization premium to safeguard the ecological function of beekeeping in Europe (the premium would be ECU 2.5 annually per bee colony in Portugal, Spain and Greece and ECU 5 in the other Member States); - introduce an annual compensatory premium to offset loss of income attributable to the absence of Community preference; - oblige the Member States to submit to the Commission national programmes for each year comprising measures tailored to the situation and specific needs of their apiculture and designed to improve the situation of beekeepers and apiculture; - provide for Member States to carry out at regular intervals, in collaboration with the Commission, a study of the structures in the beekeeping sector in their territory, covering beekeepers, production, marketing and price formation. Parliament also emphasized the importance of considerable flexibility in the adoption of national measures and took the view that apiculture should be included in the compensatory allowance system laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 2328/91 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures. �