Secondly, research activities have been stepped up, financed by the Community tobacco fund.

I request that funding should continue from the Community Tobacco Fund.

The Community Tobacco Fund should cease to exist.

Restructuring measures could be funded from the new area within the Community Tobacco Fund, the budget for which needs to be increased by 3%.

I very much welcome the support for the transfer of part of the tobacco aid into the Community Tobacco Fund.

Not a penny of EU taxpayers' money should go on the Community Tobacco Fund.

Community Tobacco Fund (debate)

So too was the amendment in the report which would reduce the Commission proposals for higher premia for the Community Tobacco Fund.

The deduction from coupled aid granted to farmers has always been the sole source of financing of the Community Tobacco Fund.

I welcome the Berlato report on the possibility of extending the financing of the Community Tobacco Fund until 2012.

To this end, the rapporteur tabled Amendment No 23, in order to regain the original spirit of commitment towards the Community Tobacco Fund.

I also wish to thank the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development for the report on the Community Tobacco Fund.

The proposal for the Community Tobacco Fund is in keeping with the imminent reform of the regulation, which aims to shrink tobacco farming until it no longer exists.

Another amendment to which I cannot agree is Amendment No 69, the effect of which would be the premature abolition of the contribution to the Community Tobacco Fund.

It is important to underline the fact that the financing earmarked for the Community Tobacco Fund will be used to cover all initiatives and education and awareness-raising campaigns on the damage caused by smoking.

The Community Tobacco Fund financed by the transfer of a certain amount of tobacco aid for the years 2006 and 2007 promotes initiatives to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of smoking.

We want to use the Community Tobacco Fund in the coming years for precisely this purpose, so that we are able to try out options and genuine alternatives and see what works and what does not.

We also oppose the plan to increase farmers' contribution to the Community Tobacco Fund, given that this Fund - which has an annual budget of EUR 20 million - has been substantially under-utilised.

Yet the Commission proposal, that the report was allegedly drawn up in response to, is about extending the financing of the Community Tobacco Fund, which as we know is used to warn of the dangers of smoking tobacco.

However, the Community Tobacco Fund, which presently takes up 5% of tobacco aid, serves to finance research on countering the effects of smoking, propaganda campaigns and the training of tobacco producers with a view to conversion to other production.

The continued financing of the Community Tobacco Fund for the next two years is most appropriate, but it is questionable that the reasons for its existence will disappear after that period, since we know people smoke and will go on smoking.

There are two points to the second question which is that of the Community Tobacco Fund. The first point is the level of the deduction to be introduced as of 2004; the second is the tasks given to researchers who are funded in this way.

Both Polish and European tobacco producers expect the adoption of the report to result in the extended operation of the Community Tobacco Fund, which is essential for public health, and in maintenance of the tobacco production sector for Europe's 100 000 tobacco growers.

Among other things, this proposal provides for a restructuring of the Community Tobacco Fund in order to finance studies in the Member States on the opportunities for conversion of tobacco production to other crops outside the tobacco sector, and on the initial experiences of this conversion.

I would also like to point out that perhaps there is a fundamental misconception here: this report is not concerned with and takes no decision on prolonging aid payments to tobacco producers; it is merely a question of voting on a report which advocates prolonging the financing of the Community Tobacco Fund.