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(2004/C 88 E/0394)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2161/03

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(30 June 2003)

Subject:   Support for accession and ACP countries

The Commission will be aware that several accession countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic) urgently need to upgrade agri-food establishments in order to meet EU standards on animal, public and plant health, and that there is a threat of closure to firms which cannot meet the required food safety standards. Would the Commission confirm, with figures, that much-needed assistance is being given to help these countries in their efforts to meet EU standards?

Furthermore, would the Commission offer a clear indication, with figures, of how this compares to the resources being made available to ACP countries which face even more of a challenge at this time if they are to benefit from greater access to EU markets?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(5 September 2003)

EU assistance to Candidate Countries

The Commission is well aware that the Accession Countries need to upgrade agri-food establishments in order to meet Union standards on animal, public and plant health. The pre-accession instruments, and in particular the Sapard Programme, have as one of their key objectives to help address these concerns. The Sapard programme provides annually EUR 560 million to the ten beneficiary countries, including Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. On average, 48 % of this amount is allocated to the measures concerning investments in agricultural holdings (22 %) and investments in processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products (26 %). In the individual programmes, emphasis is put on investments in upgrading the enterprises in these sectors to meet Union standards.

These issues are addressed in more detail in the Sapard Annual Report 2000, Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions (1), in particular pages 23-25, and in Annex 4 thereof.

In addition, Phare funds can be used in full complementarity with Sapard for the purpose of improving structures for quality, veterinary and plant health controls, for food quality and for consumer protection, including Border Inspection Posts. The bulk of investments in the public sector, aimed at ensuring compliance with the ‘acquis’, is expected to be supported by Phare and not Sapard, as the latter only supports smaller actions (less than EUR 2 million) at local level. A table listing the amounts in euros spent in Phare-projects in the area of food safety and upgrading of agri-food establishments is in Annex 1 and is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.

Community assistance to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States

The Commission's co-operation programmes with the ACP States take into account the problems related to the upgrading of agri-food establishments for the export industry of ACP States to the European market. Furthermore, they also relate in a wider perspective with all the problems linked to agriculture exports into the Community market from ACP States, like sanitation legislation, organisation of the producers and export/importers, etc.

The possibility for the European Development Fund (EDF) to fund quickly responsive projects is nevertheless limited by the fact that ACP/EU Co-operation Programmes are discussed and agreed upon with the beneficiary country/region on a partnership basis and enter into the Cotonou Partnership programmation cycle.

In the field of plant protection for agriculture export crops, the Commission has worked in close collaboration with its partner countries/regions in three main directions (see details in Annex 2, sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat).

In the field of animal sanitation the main areas of the Commission's interventions have been in the fishery products' sanitation and in combating cattle diseases (see details in Annex 3, sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat).

The Commission, in response to the new ‘Food and Feed Controls’ Regulation (currently before the Council and Parliament under the co-decision procedure), is launching a feasibility study to assess the impact of the new Regulation and to define the ways to support the ACP States in the most cost-effective and sustainable way. Moreover, the forthcoming mid-term reviews of the ACP State and regional strategies will provide an opportunity to assess whether more resources should be devoted to meeting Union standards of plant and animal health, within the available resources of the EDF.

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(1)  COM(2001) 341 final.

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