11. 8. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 220/ 1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2507/88 of 4 August 1988 on the implementation of storage programmes and early warning systems THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof, : Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (3), ‘ Whereas the Community should endeavour to encourage developing countries to strengthen their food security ; Whereas the food security can be strengthened through storage programmes and early warning systems; Whereas the Community should contribute financial support for efforts in this area; Whereas the measures to be taken in order to implement these operations should be specified ; Whereas a decision-making procedure should be laid down to that effect; : . Whereas the Treaty does not provide the necessary powers to that end, other than those contained in Article 235, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 The Community may contribute to the implementation of early warning systems concerning the food situation in developing countries. It may also contribute to the implementation of storage programmes in those countries in order to support food aid operations in accordance with the regulations concerning Community food-aid policy. and food-aid management, and . with those concerning the substitute measures or corresponding operations undertaken by the Member States, interna- () OJ No C 91, 8. 4. 1988, P8 (9 Opinion delivered on 8 July 1988 (not yet delivered in the O?ﬁcial Journal). . tional bodies and non-governmental organizations respec- tively. It should be ensured that the operations are integrated with other Community aid instruments, including the use of counterpart funds resulting from the sale of food aid, - and that they are in line with the Community’s development policy. Such operations shall be aimed at strengthening the recipient countries’ food security. They must contribute to the improvement of living conditions for the poorest sections of the population in those countries and must, wherever possible, accord with those countries’ development objectives and in particular with their food policy. The Community’s contribution to these operations, which should in general be on a small scale, shall take the form of financial and technical assistance in ‘accordance with the criteria and procedures laid down in this Regulation. Article 2 Community support for storage programmes and early warning systems may be granted, on request, for operations on behalf of developing countries eligible for food aid from the Community and from its Member States, to international organizations, and to non-govern- mental organizations which meet the following criteria : (a) their legal status is characteristic of this type of organi- zation ; ' (b) their headquarters is in a Member State of the Community or, in exceptional cases, in a non-member country ; (c) they demonstrate their capacity to carry out properly the type of operations. referred to in this Regulation. Article 3 Community aid may contribute to the financing, for a limited period, of the following operations : — early warning systems for collecting data on harvest and stock trends in order to improve information on the food situation in the countries in question ; — small-scale operations to improve storage systems, in particular those of individual farmers at village or local