specific measures to help tobacco growers to switch to other crops or other economic activities that create employment and studies of the possibilities for tobacco growers to do so,’;

The common market organisation for raw tobacco does in fact provide for the grant of the Community premium for raw tobacco leaf to be subject to a certain number of conditions, in particular, the maintenance of quality standards and that the leaf tobacco be supplied to the primary processing enterprise on the basis of a cultivation contract.

(ab) gearing tobacco production towards varieties and cultivation methods less harmful for human health, better adapted to market conditions and promoting respect for the environment, in particular by creating and developing new varieties and appropriate cultivation and drying methods, analysing the impact of production on the environment and reducing its adverse effects; creating and developing alternative uses for raw tobacco; research into the possibilities of redirecting raw tobacco producers towards other crops or activities.

(ab) gearing tobacco production towards varieties and cultivation methods less harmful for human health, better adapted to market conditions and promoting respect for the environment, in particular by creating and developing new varieties and appropriate cultivation and drying methods, analysing the impact of production on the environment and reducing its adverse effects; creating and developing alternative uses for raw tobacco; research into the possibilities of redirecting raw tobacco producers towards other crops or activities.

(14) Tobacco growing is of historical importance on the islands. Economically speaking, tobacco preparation continues to be one of the chief industrial activities in the region. In social terms, tobacco cultivation is very labour intensive and carried out by small farms. Since the crop is not sufficiently profitable it is in danger of dying out. Tobacco is currently cultivated only on a small area on the island of La Palma, where it is used for the artisanal manufacture of cigars. Spain should therefore be authorised to continue to grant aid in addition to the Community aid so that this traditional crop can be maintained with a view to supporting the artisan ...[+++]al activity associated with it. In addition, to maintain the manufacture of tobacco products, imports into the Canary Islands of raw and semi-manufactured tobacco should continue to be exempt from customs duty, up to an annual limit of 20000 tonnes of stripped raw tobacco equivalent.

1. The Commission's report to the Council on the common organisation of the market (COM) in raw tobacco deals with a number of aspects such as the economic and social importance of tobacco production in Europe, an analysis of the quality of European tobacco, the COM's functioning after the 1992 reform and, most importantly, puts forward two alternative proposals for the future of the COM.