WRITTEN QUESTION E-3452/02

by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(6 December 2002)

Subject: The Andalusia region's GIS

Under Community law, one of the requirements of the olive-oil production-aid monitoring scheme is that a Geographical Information System (GIS) should be in operation. From 1 November 2003 the above aid scheme will apply only to olive trees registered under an approved GIS. On 14 October 2002 the Spanish authorities submitted the Andalusia region's GIS to the Commission for approval. The relevant document has been sent for processing to the Andalusian Government, which is being bombarded with appeals concerning discrepancies vis-à-vis the data submitted by the Spanish Agriculture Ministry. It is currently estimated that approximately 30 000 olive producers have lodged appeals and that a further 11 000 have had their appeals rejected on the grounds that they were submitted too late. In the meantime, and pending settlement of their appeals, farmers are unable to receive advance payments on the next season's crop.

Is the Commission aware of this state of affairs? If so, does it consider approval of such a controversial GIS to be feasible? Can it say what stage has been reached in the processing of that GIS?

Does the Commission consider that the Spanish Government should be asked to draw up a new GIS once the outstanding cases are settled?

Is the Commission aware that, in view of the large number of appeals, approving the GIS as submitted would be tantamount to excluding many Andalusian olive trees from the census? This would lead to unofficial olive oil production which could prevent the relevant Community rules from being applied, with a consequent risk to consumers.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(21 January 2003)

The GIS requirements for olive cultivation are described in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2366/1998(1), which sets criteria determining when the GIS can be considered complete. When a Member State considers that the criteria have been met it will inform the Commission. According to the Regulation it has to produce a final report and send it to the Commission.

The Spanish authorities have sent the Commission an announcement but not so far produced a final report as required by the Regulation. In its absence the Commission cannot consider that the GIS for the Autonomous Community of Andalusia is finalised.

The GIS data may clash with the information provided by producers. It is normal procedure for these differences to be resolved by means of a verification procedure. However, the percentage of outstanding cases has to decrease to an acceptable level as defined in the Regulation.

Producers were well informed of this verification procedure by the unions and the local government of Andalucia. It started in July 2001 and the deadline for submitting objections was several times extended to enable producers to correct their data.

As this process of checking outstanding cases continues the GIS will be updated as appropriate. It will not be necessary to draw up a new GIS.

The Commission intends to start evaluating the GIS in Andalucia as soon as the final report is received. Only then it will have an impression of its overall quality and completeness.

The Commission does not think that the difficulties to which the Honourable Member refers entail any risk to product quality, a matter to which it naturally attaches greater importance.

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2366/98 of 30 October 1998 laying down detailed rules for application of the system of production aid for olive oil for the 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01 marketing years, OJ L 293, 31.10.1998.