(2004/C78E/0491) WRITTENQUESTIONE-3128/03
byJaimeValdivielsodeCué(PPE-DE)totheCommission
(23October2003)
Subject:Trade
Somedraftconclusionsweredrawnupinpreparationfornegotiationsontheagriculturechapteratthe
failedWTOtalksinCancúnthatwouldinvolvecuttingbacksubsidiesunderthecommonagriculturalpolicy,whichhasjustbeenreformed.
DoestheEuropeanUnionintendtoacceptthesenewconditionseventhoughnoagreementwasreached
onthismatterinCancún?
WhatistheEuropeanUnion’smarginformanoeuvreonagricultureforthenextmultilateralnegotiations,
withoutithavingtointroducefreshreformstotheCAP?
AnswergivenbyMrFischleronbehalfoftheCommission
(25November2003)
DuetothecourseofeventsinCancun,MinistersdidnothavetheopportunitytodiscusstheAgricultural
partofthedraftMinisterialDeclarationsubmittedbyMrDerbez.ThischaptercontainedsomeproposalsofgreatconcerntotheCommission,notablyinthepillarsofdomesticsupportandexportcompetition.HadthediscussionstartedinCancun,theCommissionwouldhavesoughtthenecessarychangestothetext.
TheCommissionhasbaseditspositiononthedecisionsontheCommonAgriculturalPolicy(CAP)reform
takeninLuxembourgin2003.ThedepthandwidthoftheCAPreformwillenabletheCommissiontocontinue working on this basis in the future so as to maintain the consistency of the World TradeOrganisation(WTO)negotiationswiththeCommunity’sdomesticframework.
(2004/C78E/0492) WRITTENQUESTIONE-3131/03
byJoséRibeiroeCastro(UEN)totheCommission
(23October2003)
Subject:‘Sorraia’horses
Araceofhorseswellonitswaytoextinction,theIberianhorse,popularlyknownasthe‘Sorraia’horse,is
seenbyspecialistsaspossiblytheoriginalprimitivehorsenativetotheIberianPeninsula.
TheirreasonsarethatitisfaithfullydepictedincavepaintingsintheSpanishLaPiletacaveandthe
PortugueseEscouralcave.ItisbelievedthatthistypeofhorsewasusedforRomancavalry,andthatitwastakentotheAmericasduringthecolonialperiod,givingrisetothemajorityofthetypesofhorsenow
foundthere.ItisapparentlyalsothesourceofthenationalracesofhorsetobefoundinSpain/dashthe
Andalusianhorse/dashandPortugal/dashtheLusitanianhorse.
Portugalishometothelargestpopulationofthese‘Sorraia’horses,estimatedtonumberfewerthanone
hundredin2002.
Forthesereasons,andothers,the‘Sorraia’horserepresentsauniquegeneticheritage,inviewofitsrarity
andprimitivecharacter.27.3.2004EN C78E/467 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
TheCommission:
/dash isitpreparedtosupportmeasurestopreservethe‘Sorraia’horse;
/dash whatinformationdoesithaveontheoriginsandgeneticheritageofthishorse;/dash is it prepared to cooperate with local authorities and institutions which are already developing
programmestoprotectthisanimal;
/dash whatavenuesareopentothosewhoraisethesehorsesinordertoobtainCommunityaid?
AnswergivenbyMrFischleronbehalfoftheCommission
(2December2003)
Overtheperiod1994-1999theCommunitysupportedtheconservationofbiologicalandgeneticdiversity
inagriculturebymeansofRegulation(EC)No1467/94(
1),whichlaunchedaCommunityprogrammefor
theconservation,characterisation,collectionandutilisationofgeneticresourcesinagriculture.ItaddedvaluetotheactiontakenintheindividualMemberStatesbypromotingtransnationalcooperation.AnynaturalorlegalpersonwhowasanationalofaMemberStateandestablishedintheCommunitycouldparticipate.TheRegulationenabled21projectstobefunded,includingfouronanimalgeneticresources.NoprojectfortheconservationoftheSorraiahorsewasproposed.
Over the sameperiodthe Communitysupportedtherearing ofanimalsoflocalbreedsindanger of
extinction under Regulation (EEC) No2078/92(
2) (Article 2).Thirty-five animalsofthe Sorraia breed
benefitedfromaidinPortugal.
Since2000theCommunityhasbeensupportingmeasurestoprotectendangeredbreedsunderRegulation
(EC)No1257/1999(3)(ChapterVI)anditsimplementingRegulation,Regulation(EC)No445/2002(4)
(Article14).
ThatArticleprovidesthatCommunitysupportmaycovertherearingof‘farmanimalsoflocalbreeds
indigenoustotheareaandindangerofbeinglosttofarming’.ThebreedsmustmeetthecriteriaforthethresholdsunderwhichabreedisconsideredtobeindangerofbeinglosttofarminglaiddowninAnnexItoRegulation(EC)No445/2002.IftheMemberStateschoosetoincludesuchmeasuresintheirruraldevelopmentplans(RDPs),aidisgrantedtofarmerswhoenterintoagri-environmentalcommitmentsforaminimumperiodoffiveyears.Also,Regulation(EC)No445/2002appliestofarmanimalsregisteredinthestud-booksofapprovedorganisations.ThePortugueseauthoritieshaveinformedtheCommissionthatthe‘AssociaçãoInternacionaldeCriadoresdoCavaloIbéricodeTipoPrimitivo/dashSorraia(AICS)’hasbeen
approvedunderCommissionDecision92/353/EEC(
5)fortheestablishmentofastud-bookforSorraia
horses.
Intheagri-environmentalmeasure‘Maintainingnativebreeds’intheRDPformainlandPortugal(RURIS),
thePortugueseauthoritiesincludedprovisionsfortheprotectionoftheSorraiabreed.Therefore,since2000,breedersofthisendangeredbreedqualifyforaidundertheprogrammeiftheymeetthetermsandconditionslaiddowninit.ApplicationsforeightSorraiafemalesweresubmittedin2001and2002andtheyarealreadyreceivingfunding.
Inaddition,anewCommunityprogrammefortheconservation,characterisation,collectionandutilisation
ofgeneticresourcesinagriculturewillsoonbeavailable,coveringtheperiod2003-2006.TheCommissionproposalhasalmostbeenfinalised.OnceithasbeenadoptedbytheCouncil,interestedparties(nationalandregionalauthorities,institutionsandprivateindividuals)willbeabletorespondtocallsforproposalsfor measures launched by the Commission. Projects qualifying for Community part-financing will beselectedbyindependentexperts.C78E/468 EN27.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
TheCommissionhasinformationontheoriginsandgeneticheritageoftheSorraiahorsewhichispublicly
accessibleintheFAOdatabaseonfarmanimalgeneticresources(http://dad.fao.org)andontheAICSwebsite(www.aicsorraia.fc.ul.pt),amongothersources.
(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1467/94 of 20June 1994 on the conservation, characterisation, collection and
utilisationofgeneticresourcesinagriculture,OJL159,28.6.1994.
(2) CouncilRegulation(EEC)No2078/92of30June1992onagriculturalproductionmethodscompatiblewiththe
requirementsoftheprotectionoftheenvironmentandthemaintenanceofthecountryside,OJL215,30.7.1992.
(3) CouncilRegulation(EC)No1257/1999of17May1999onsupportforruraldevelopmentfromtheEuropean
AgriculturalGuidanceandGuaranteeFund(EAGGF)andamendingandrepealingcertainRegulations,OJL160,26.6.1999.
(
4) CommissionRegulation(EC)No445/2002of26February2002layingdowndetailedrulesfortheapplicationof
CouncilRegulation(EC)No1257/1999,OJL74,15.3.2002.
(5) CommissionDecision92/353/EECof11June1992layingdownthecriteriafortheapprovalorrecognitionof
organisationsandassociationswhichmaintainorestablishstud-booksforregisteredequidae,OJL192,11.7.1992.
(2004/C78E/0493) WRITTENQUESTIONP-3135/03
byPatriciaMcKenna(Verts/ALE)totheCommission
(17October2003)
Subject:Disposaloftoxicships
CommissionerWallströmwillbeawareofthecurrentmovementofanumberofcontaminatedUSnavy
shipsladenwithtoxicwastefromtheUStotheUKfordisposal.TheseageingshipswillbetowedacrosstheAtlanticatgreatrisktoEuropeanwatersespeciallytothecoastalareasofBritain,France,Belgiumandthe Netherlands. Inview ofthese factsIwouldaskthe Commissionwhether these shipmentsare inkeepingwiththelegislativepackagesdrawnupinlightofthe‘Erika’IandIIand‘Prestige’disastersandwhat,ifany,measurescanbetakentopreventMemberStatesbecomingadumpinggroundfortoxicwasteofthissort?
AnswergivenbyMrsWallströmonbehalfoftheCommission
(14November2003)
AccordingtotheinformationavailabletotheCommission,themeasuresalreadyadoptedbytheUnionin
thewakeofthe‘Erika’and‘Prestige’accidentsdonotapplytoshipmentsofend-oflifeships.
However,thecommitmentmadeinJohannesburgtoprotectourvulnerablemarineenvironmentandthe
experience learned fromthe ‘Erika’, ‘Prestige’ andTricolor disastersshouldleadustoaprecautionaryapproach.
CouncilRegulation(EEC)No259/93of1February1993onthesupervisionandcontrolofshipmentsof
wastewithin,intoandoutoftheEuropeanCommunityappliestoallshipmentsofwaste,andthusalsototheseend-oflifeships.AccordingtoinformationsubmittedtotheCommission,theend-oflifeshipsareintendedtoberecoveredintheUnitedKingdom.AccordingtotheRegulation,thecountriesinvolvedinsuchashipment,i.e.thecountriesofdispatch,destinationandtransit,allhavetoconsenttotheshipment.Itthusfollowsthatallthecompetentauthoritiesinvolvedcanopposetheshipment.
Apre-conditiontoreceiveaconsentfromthecompetentauthorities,inparticularthatofdestination,is
thatthetreatmentfacilityisauthorisedandhasadequatetechnicalcapacitytotreatthewasteinquestionunderconditionspresentingnodangertohumanhealthandtotheenvironment.TheCommissionhasreceivedacomplaintinthisregardandisinvestigatingthecomplaintasamatterofurgencywiththe27.3.2004EN C78E/469 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion