WRITTEN QUESTION E-1949/02

by Bernard Poignant (PSE) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: Beneficiaries of the EAGGF Guarantee section

The common agricultural policy (CAP) is the Community policy that accounts for the greatest part of the European budget. Expenditure in this area must therefore be as transparent as possible.

The expenditure in question is the aid granted under the income guarantee provided by the CAP.

In the interests of fairness, justice and clarity, the following information would go a long way towards restoring the confidence of the members of the public affected by this policy.

The Commission must be in a position to give precise answers to the following questions and to supply accurate tables:

- which Member State has the most beneficiaries?

- how much do the beneficiaries of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) receive in each of the 15 Member States of the Union?

- what percentage of gross agricultural product is represented by the production of the 100 main beneficiaries in each Member State?

- what percentage of the EAGGF Guarantee Section in each Member State is received by the 100 main beneficiaries?

- how many workers are employed by the 100 main beneficiaries?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 September 2002)

In the past it was not possible for the Commission for legal reasons to answer positively to the Honourable Member and to other Honourable Members who have addressed similar requests to the Commission. However, the Commission has adopted Commission Regulation (EC) No 419/2002 of 6 March 2002 amending Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999(1). The new Article 2 of this Regulation allows the Commission to use the accounting information to carry out its functions in the context of the clearance of account procedure and to monitor developments as well as to provide forecasts in the agricultural sector. The accounting information transmitted to the Commission remains, however, confidential and is communicated only for the purposes given in Article 2 of (EC) Regulation No 2390/1999.

In carrying out the new two actions, the Commission is obliged to respect the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data. Therefore it renders the information anonymous and processes it in aggregated form only.

In conclusion, the Commission will be soon in a position to provide statistical information on the amounts paid to farmers. Detailed statistical information will be shortly made available to the public which will in principle cover the request made by the Honourable Member. However, the requested information concerning the Gross Agriculture Product and the number of workers is not available at the level of individual beneficiaries who receive payments from the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Guarantee Section.

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 419/2002 of 6 March 2002 amending Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999 of 25 October 1999 laying down detailed rules of the application of Regulation (EC) No 1663/95 as regards the form and content of the accounting information that the Member States must hold at the disposal of the Commission for the purposes of the clearance of the EAGGF Guarantee Section accounts, OJ L 64, 7.3.2002.