ДОКЛАД относно предложението за решение на Съвета за упълномощаване на Португалия да прилага намалена акцизна ставка за бира, произведена в автономната област Мадейра

11.4.2008 - (COM(2007)0772 – C6‑0012/2008 – 2007/0273(CNS)) - *

Комисия по регионално развитие
Докладчик: Sérgio Marques

ПРОЕКТ НА ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛНА РЕЗОЛЮЦИЯ НА ЕВРОПЕЙСКИЯ ПАРЛАМЕНТ

относно предложението за решение на Съвета за упълномощаване на Португалия да прилага намалена акцизна ставка за бира, произведена в автономната област Мадейра

(COM(2007)0772 – C6‑0012/2008 – 2007/0273(CNS))

(Процедура на консултация)

Европейският парламент,

–   като взе предвид предложението на Комисията до Съвета (COM(2007)0772),

–   като взе предвид член 299, параграф 2 от Договора за ЕО, съгласно който Съветът се е консултирал с него (C6‑0012/2008),

–   като взе предвид член 51 от своя правилник,

–   като взе предвид доклада на комисията по регионално развитие и становището на комисията по земеделие и развитие на селските райони (A6‑0146/2008),

1.  одобрява предложението на Комисията;

2.  приканва Съвета, в случай че възнамерява да се отклони от текста, одобрен от Парламента, да информира последния за това;

3.  призовава Съвета да се консултира отново с него, в случай че възнамерява да внесе съществени промени в предложението на Комисията;

4.  възлага на своя председател да предаде позицията на Парламента съответно на Съвета и на Комисията.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

On 30 May 2007 Portugal seized the European Commission of a request for a derogation from Article 90 of the Treaty in order to apply a rate of excise duty lower than the national rate fixed in accordance with the provisions of Council Directive 92/84/EEC of 19 October 1992, to beer produced in Madeira in cases where production does not exceed 300.000 hectolitres. This, in Portugal's view is essential for the survival of the local brewing industry.

Breweries in Madeira already benefit under the provisions of Article 4 of Council Directive 92/83/EEC which allows Member States to provide for the application of reduced rates of excise duty which must not be less than 50% below the standard national rate on beer produced by small independent breweries whose production does not exceed 200.000 hectolitres.

Increased tourism has boosted production of one local brewery to a level dangerously close to the statutory limit beyond which it will no longer qualify for reduced rates. It will then face severe competition from both large national and multi-national breweries which, unlike the small remote companies in Madeira, benefit from large marketing services, economies of scale and lower production costs.. As the Commission points out in its Explanatory memorandum, even with the 50% fiscal advantage, prices of locally produced beer are still 7.5% higher than the retail price of beer brewed on mainland Portugal, should that advantage disappear local production would be unable to compete.

Your rapporteur agrees with the European Commission in its assessment of the need to maintain the reduced rate of tax despite an increase in production levels. In increasing the qualifying production level from 200.000 hectolitres to 300.000 hectolitres, the Commission has taken due account of any effect this may have on the single market. It points out that this measure only affects one of the two breweries on the island of Madeira and that its effects can therefore be considered minimal. Beer imported into Madeira from breweries located in mainland Portugal or elsewhere will not benefit. In order to further ensure that the increased production rate does not give an unfair advantage to Madeira companies in the context of the total Portuguese market, it is specifically provided that production in excess of 200.000 hectolitres[1] will only benefit to the extent it is consumed locally

In your Rapporteur's opinion, whilst the proposed decision is essentially technical it is important that Parliament review it to ensure that the qualifying conditions governing the original authorization still exist and to control that no undue advantage was being given to one sector of the beer market.

• [1]  The present limit on the level of production.

СТАНОВИЩЕ НА комисията по земеделие и развитие на селските райони (1.4.2008)

на вниманието на комисията по регионално развитие

по предложение за решение на Съвета за упълномощаване на Португалия да прилага намалена акцизна ставка за бира, произведена в автономната област Мадейра
(COM(2007)0772 – C6-0012/2008 –2007/0273(CNS))

Докладчик по становище: Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos

app

SHORT JUSTIFICATION

Commission's proposal

Portugal is seeking a derogation from Article 90 of the Treaty in order to apply a rate of excise duty, lower than the national rate fixed in accordance with Council Directive 92/84/EEC of 19 October 1992 to locally produced beer in Madeira by independent breweries whose annual production does not exceed 300 000 hectolitres instead of 200 000 hectolitres.

Portugal has explained that it considers such a move to be essential for the survival of the local brewing industry, as increased tourism has caused one of the two breweries located in Madeira to be approaching an annual production of 200 000 hectolitres, a quantity above which its entitlement to reduced rates under existing provisions would cease. However, should breweries located in Madeira reach production in excess of that threshold, this would not mean that they were in a sufficiently strong position to face up to competition from beers from mainland Portugal (or mainland Europe).

Their share of the local market would most likely continue to shrink due to strong competition from foreign beers and insufficient possibilities offered by Article 4 of Council Directive 92/83/EEC of 19 October 1992 on the harmonisation of the structures of excise duties on alcohol and alcoholic beverages to offset the disadvantages suffered by the breweries in Madeira on account of their remote location, fragmented terrain and tight local markets. Additional costs comprise maintaining high level of stocks, transport of raw and secondary materials, and packaging from mainland Portugal.

Notwithstanding competitive pressure, the retail selling price of a Madeira beer (at EUR 128 per hectolitre) is currently about 7.5 per cent higher than the retail selling price of beer brewed in mainland Portugal and sold on the market of Madeira (at EUR 119 per hectolitre). Therefore, if those breweries lose the benefit of the tax reduction, the difference in the retail selling price would increase to at least 15 per cent (EUR 137 per hectolitre).

Thus, even though such breweries would, upon reaching 200 000 hectolitres annual production, cease to be "small" as defined in the said Article 4, they would nonetheless continue to be small compared to the large national and multi-national breweries with whom they compete.

It is, therefore, essential for continued survival of the local industry that a brewery should benefit from a reduced rate in case its annual production exceeds 200 000 hectolitres and is consumed locally, without however going beyond 300 000 hectolitres. This derogation would last until 31 December 2013 and would be reviewed mid-way.

Draftsman's position

The draftsman shares the opinion of the Commission and wishes to see the application of a reduced rate of excise duty, which may fall below the minimum rate but shall not be set more than 50 per cent lower than the standard national excise duty rate for Portugal, to beer produced in the autonomous region of Madeira by independent breweries whose total annual production does not exceed 300 000 hectolitres; production in excess of 200 000 hectolitres will benefit from the reduced only to the extent it is consumed locally.

*******

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development calls on the Committee on Regional Development, as the committee responsible, to propose approval of the Commission proposal.

ПРОЦЕДУРА

Заглавие	Акцизна ставка за бира, произведена в Мадейра
Позовавания	COM(2007)0772 – C6-0012/2008 – 2007/0273(CNS)
Водеща комисия	REGI
Становище, изказано от        Дата на обявяване в заседание	AGRI 17.1.2008 г.
Докладчик по становище        Дата на назначаване	Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos 18.12.2007 г.
Разглеждане в комисия	21.1.2008 г.		25.2.2008 г.		1.4.2008 г.
Дата на приемане	1.4.2008 г.
Резултат от окончателното гласуване	+: –: 0:	36 0 0
Членове, присъствали на окончателното гласуване	Peter Baco, Bernadette Bourzai, Niels Busk, Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos, Giuseppe Castiglione, Joseph Daul, Albert Deß, Michl Ebner, Carmen Fraga Estévez, Ioannis Gklavakis, Lutz Goepel, Friedrich-Wilhelm Graefe zu Baringdorf, Esther Herranz García, Lily Jacobs, Elisabeth Jeggle, Heinz Kindermann, Véronique Mathieu, Mairead McGuinness, Rosa Miguélez Ramos, James Nicholson, Neil Parish, María Isabel Salinas García, Agnes Schierhuber, Willem Schuth, Czesław Adam Siekierski, Alyn Smith, Petya Stavreva, Dimitar Stoyanov, Csaba Sándor Tabajdi, Jeffrey Titford, Donato Tommaso Veraldi, Janusz Wojciechowski
Заместник(ци) (чл. 178, пар. 2), присъствал(и) на окончателното гласуване	Alessandro Battilocchio, Katerina Batzeli, Esther De Lange, Ilda Figueiredo, Gábor Harangozó, Wiesław Stefan Kuc, Brian Simpson, Struan Stevenson

ПРОЦЕДУРА

Заглавие	Акцизна ставка за бира, произведена в Мадейра
Позовавания	COM(2007)0772 – C6-0012/2008 – 2007/0273(CNS)
Дата на консултация с ЕП	10.1.2008 г.
Водеща комисия                        Дата на обявяване в заседание	REGI 17.1.2008 г.
Подпомагаща(и) комисия(и)         Дата на обявяване в заседание	ECON 17.1.2008 г.		AGRI 17.1.2008 г.
Неизказано становище             Дата на решението	ECON 15.1.2008 г.
Докладчик(ци)            Дата на назначаване	Sérgio Marques 26.2.2008 г.
Разглеждане в комисия	27.2.2008 г.
Дата на приемане	8.4.2008 г.
Резултат от окончателното гласуване	+: –: 0:	51 0 1
Членове, присъствали на окончателното гласуване	Emmanouil Angelakas, Stavros Arnaoutakis, Elspeth Attwooll, Rolf Berend, Jana Bobošíková, Victor Boştinaru, Antonio De Blasio, Petru Filip, Gerardo Galeote, Iratxe García Pérez, Eugenijus Gentvilas, Pedro Guerreiro, Gábor Harangozó, Filiz Hakaeva Hyusmenova, Mieczysław Edmund Janowski, Rumiana Jeleva, Gisela Kallenbach, Tunne Kelam, Evgeni Kirilov, Miloš Koterec, Constanze Angela Krehl, Sérgio Marques, Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez, Miroslav Mikolášik, James Nicholson, Lambert van Nistelrooij, Jan Olbrycht, Maria Petre, Markus Pieper, Pierre Pribetich, Elisabeth Schroedter, Grażyna Staniszewska, Catherine Stihler, Margie Sudre, Kyriacos Triantaphyllides, Vladimír Železný
Заместник(ци), присъствал(и) на окончателното гласуване	Bernadette Bourzai, Jan Březina, Brigitte Douay, Den Dover, Emanuel Jardim Fernandes, Francesco Ferrari, Madeleine Jouye de Grandmaison, Ramona Nicole Mănescu, Ljudmila Novak, Mirosław Mariusz Piotrowski, Zita Pleštinská, Samuli Pohjamo, Christa Prets, Manfred Weber
Заместник(ци) (чл. 178, пар. 2), присъствал(и) на окончателното гласуване	Jean-Paul Gauzès, Jacques Toubon