Niveau juridique : Union européenne
Texte de la question :
« A recent international scientific study on the impact of the destructive bacterium Xylella fastidiosa paints an ominous picture of the future of olive trees in Greece, Italy and Spain, which together produce 95% of Europe’s olive oil.
In particular, the study predicts that, if the bacterium spreads further, the economic losses sustained by these three countries will exceed a total of EUR 20 billion. In Greece, where no attacks by this pest have been reported so far, the potential damage is estimated at EUR 2 billion.
The damage to olives will cause a reduction in olive production, with unsustainable economic consequences for producers, a fall in supply resulting in an increase in prices for consumers, the loss of traditional olive groves and a decline in the value of land and the attractiveness of olive-growing regions for tourists, which will have a serious impact on the local economy.
In view of the above, will the Commission say:
1. What actions are planned to prevent the spread of the bacterium?
2. Is it planned to finance measures to prevent the spread of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa under the new MFF 2021-2027 and to ensure that it is biologically controlled? »
Réponse donnée par Ms Kyriakides au nom de la Commission européenne, le 26 juin 2020 :
« EU emergency measures laid down in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/789 (1)are in place to prevent further spreadinto the Union territory from the current outbreak areas (2). Those measures also include movement and import restrictions forspecified plants, including olive trees, survey obligations of the Union territory, as well as awareness campaigns about the threat ofXylella fastidiosa.
Following the latest Scientific Opinion of the European Food Safety Authority published in May2019 (3) and the experience from the different outbreak areas, those measures are currently being updated with the aim to ensure a more targeted and risk based approach.
Moreover, dedicated research projects on Xylella fastidiosa, XF-Actors (4) and PonTE (5), have been funded under HORIZON 2020 with the aim to improve the knowledge on the biology of the pest and to develop tools to prevent, detect and control the effects ofthis pest.
Lastly, EU grants are available to help Member States with the implementation of monitoring programmes and EU emergencymeasures (6), as well as for compensating operators for the value of the destroyed plant material.
Under the rural development programmes of the common agricultural policy, support can be given to farmers for the investments inpreventive actions and for restoration of the agricultural production potential damaged, inter alia, by the Xylella fastidiosa. Sameopportunities will continue under the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.
(1)∙Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/789 of 18May2015 as regards measures to prevent the introduction into and the spread within the Union of Xylellafastidiosa, OJL125, 21.5.2015, p.36‐53⋅
(3)∙EFSA Journal 2019;17(5):5665, 200 pp. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5665⋅
(4)∙cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/206027/factsheet/en⋅
(5)∙POnTE (Pest Organisms Threatening Europe): www.ponteproject.eu⋅6∙Regulation (EU) No652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15May2014 laying down provisions for the management of expenditure relating tothe food chain, animal health and animal welfare, and relating to plant health and plant reproductive material, amending Council Directives 98/56/EC, 2000/29/ECand 2008/90/EC, Regulations (EC) No178/2002, (EC) No882/2004 and (EC) No396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directive2009/128/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decisions66/399/EEC, 76/894/EEC and 2009/470/EC, OJL189, 27.6.2014, p.1‐32.
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