WRITTEN QUESTION P-0105/02

by Ian Hudghton (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(21 January 2002)

Subject: EU-Norway salmon agreement

Following recent reports that Norwegian salmon exporters have been using duplicate invoices to circumvent the minimum price of salmon stipulated under the EU-Norway salmon agreement, and concerns that some EU importers have cooperated in the deceit, can the Commission provide assurances that proper monitoring provisions are in place to ensure that the agreement's provisions are adhered to? Can the Commission further guarantee that, if necessary, further safeguards are put in place to prevent the dumping of subsidised salmon on the EU market by Norwegian salmon exporters?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-3607/01 and P-0105/02given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(14 March 2002)

The Commission is aware that there are indications of downward price pressure in the Community market for Atlantic salmon. This pressure has occurred despite the existence of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of Norwegian Atlantic salmon. These measures currently take the form of price undertakings for the vast majority of the Norwegian exports, the remaining Norwegian exports being subject to duties. The companies from whom price undertakings have been accepted are obliged to submit to the Commission regular quarterly reports of all their sales transactions to the Community. These reports are then carefully verified by the Commission and the companies are also subjected to routine on spot investigations.

The Commission has received a variety of data indicating that there are significant disturbances on the market, apparently resulting from different causes. Amongst this data is information provided by the Danish authorities indicating possible fraud giving rise to violations of the undertakings.

Consequently, the Commission has recently taken a number of initiatives regarding imports of farmed Atlantic salmon originating in Norway:

(i) stepping up the monitoring of the existing undertakings with a view to identifying possible violations in relation with the recent events in the market. To this end several verification missions are taking place in Norway from December 2001 to February 2002; should violations of undertakings be found for individual companies, their undertakings may be withdrawn and be replaced by duties. The Commission is also in close contact with the Danish customs authorities in the context of monitoring the undertakings;

(ii) taking steps for opening an interim review of the existing anti-dumping and countervailing measures on imports of farmed atlantic salmon originating in Norway. This review will examine both the level of protection and the form of the measures, including undertakings. Member States have already been consulted on this initiative, which was preceded by a number of consultations with the Norwegian authorities in the framework of the Salmon Agreement signed in 1997 between the Commission and the Norwegian Government.

As regards the market for rainbow trout, the Commission has not, as yet, received any evidence concerning the compensation described in the question. No complaint from Community producers of rainbow trout has been received so far concerning low priced, possibly dumped, imports of rainbow trout of Norwegian origin. However, the Commission will seek to establish whether export prices are affected by compensatory agreements both in monitoring whether price undertakings have been respected and in reviewing the level of dumping in the context of the proposed interim review.