RECOMMENDATION FOR A DECISION to raise no objections to the Commission delegated regulation of 27 January 2021 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/884 derogating in respect of the year 2020 from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 as regards the fruit and vegetables sector and from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1149 as regards the wine sector in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, and amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1149

B9‑0111/2021

Draft European Parliament decision to raise no objections to the Commission delegated regulation of 27 January 2021 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/884 derogating in respect of the year 2020 from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 as regards the fruit and vegetables sector and from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1149 as regards the wine sector in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, and amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1149

(C(2021)00371 – 2021/2530(DEA))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Commission delegated regulation (C(2021)00371),

– having regard to the letter from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development to the Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs of 2 February 2021,

– having regard to Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council[1], and in particular Article 62(1), Article 64(6) and Article 115(5) thereof,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council[2], and in particular Article 53(b) and (h), and Article 227(5) thereof,

– having regard to Rule 111(6) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the recommendation for a decision of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development,

A. whereas, in light of the exceptionally severe market disturbance and of the accumulation of difficult circumstances encountered in the wine sector, which has its origin in the imposition by the United States of tariffs on imports of Union wines in October 2019 and which continues now with the fallout from the ongoing restrictive measures due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, exceptional difficulties have been encountered by all Member States and by farmers in all Member States with the planning, implementation and execution of operations under support programmes in the wine sector laid down in Articles 39 to 54 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013;

B. whereas, in view of the unprecedented nature of those combined circumstances, the Commission adopted, on 4 May 2020, provisions under Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/884[3] providing for flexibilities and allowing derogations from delegated regulations applicable to the wine sector;

C. whereas, despite the usefulness of those measures, the wine sector has not managed to regain its balance between supply and demand and is not expected to regain it in the short to medium term due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;

D. whereas, given that the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to continue during a considerable part of the financial year 2021, the Commission proposed to extend the application of the measures laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/884 for the duration of the financial year 2021;

E. whereas the swift implementation of those continued flexibilities and derogations are essential to their effectiveness and efficacy in addressing difficulties in the running of support programmes in the wine sector, preventing further economic losses and addressing the market situation and disturbances of the functioning of the supply chain in the wine sector;

1. Declares that it has no objections to the delegated regulation;

2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission.