thefieldofexternalbordersandthatwouldalsocovertheinitialinvestmentrequiredforthedevelopment
of a visa information system. The Commission indicates, at the same time, that an amount ofEUR140millionwouldprobablybemoreadequatebasedonreasonableestimatesthatwouldalsotakeintoaccountanintegratedreturnprogramme.InthisrespecttherecentEuropeanCouncilinThessalonikisupportedthisapproachinvitingtheCommissiontopursuethisline.
TheCommissionconsidersthatco-operationwiththirdcountiesintheareaofmigrationwillrequire
increased attention in the coming years and has presented its approach in the Communication onintegrating migration issues in the Union’s relations with third countries that was presented on
3December 2002. Besides intensifying the dialogue with the main countries of origin and transit,
concrete co-operation to prevent and combat illegal migration will be required. The proposal for aRegulationestablishingaprogrammeforfinancialandtechnicalassistancetothirdcountriesintheareaofmigrationthatwaspublishedon11June2003(
2)andsenttotheCouncilandtheParliamentaimsto
providethefinancialmeansforsuchco-operation.OncethisRegulationwillbeadopted,theCommunitywilldisposeofaspecificfinancialinstrumenttoassistthirdcountriesintheireffortsinbettermanagingmigratoryflowsinalltheirdimensions.ThisCommunityprogramwillfinanceactionswhichjoininacoherent way national and other bilateral or regional Community co-operation and is intended inparticular forthird countries actively engaged in the preparation orimplementationofa readmissionagreementinitialled,signedorconcludedwiththeCommunity.
TheReadmissionAgreementsconcludedwiththirdcountriesareanessentialcomplementtotheadoption
ofeffective lawsandefficient practices forthe expulsionandreturn ofillegal immigrants. The 1999
TampereEuropeanCouncilconfirmedthattheAmsterdamTreatyconferredpowersontheCommunityinthefieldofreadmission(cf.Article 63(3)(b)oftheECTreaty). TheCouncilwas,therefore, invitedtoconcludereadmissionagreementsortoincludereadmissionstandardclausesinotheragreementsbetweentheCommunityandrelevantthirdcountriesorgroupsofcountries.SofartheCommunityhassignedareadmissionagreementwithHongKonginNovember2002whichisexpectedtoenterintoforceinthesecondhalfof2003.TwootherAgreementswithSriLankaandMacaohavebeeninitialledinMay2002andOctober2002respectively. Inaddition,theCouncilalsoauthorisedthe CommissiontonegotiateCommunity readmission agreements with Morocco, Russia, Pakistan (September 2000), Ukraine (June2002),Albania,Algeria,ChinaandTurkey(November2002).
(1) Communicationonthedevelopmentofacommonpolicyonillegalimmigration,smugglingandtraffickingof
humanbeings,externalbordersandthereturnofillegalresidents/dashCOM(2003)323.
(2) COM(2003)355final.
(2004/C58E/149) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2115/03
byIldaFigueiredo(GUE/NGL)totheCommission
(25June2003)
Subject:Rightsoftenantfarmers
Inordertobeeligibleforearlyretirement,farmersinPortugalmustensurethattheirfarmistransferredto
anotherfarmer,designatedthetransferee,whomeetstheconditionslaiddownintheregulationapprovedbydecreeNo99/2001of16January2001.
Tenant farmers, however, are required to cancel the rural lease contract in addition to the above
obligation,whichpreventsthefarmfrombeingtransferredtotheirchildren.
Thissituationisextremelyunfairtothesefarmers,whoarediscriminatedagainstbycomparisonwith
farmerswhoownthelandtheyworkandmaytransfertheirfarmtotheirchildren.
CantheCommissionsaywhethertheruraldevelopmentregulation,oranyotherCommunityregulation,
preventstenantfarmersfromtransferringthelandleasecontracttotheirchildren,sothattheparentscanbeeligibleforearlyretirement?6.3.2004EN C58E/133 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
AnswergivenbyMrFischleronbehalfoftheCommission
(1August2003)
Article11ofCouncilRegulation(EC)No1257/1999onsupportforruraldevelopmentfromtheEuropean
AgriculturalGuidanceandGuaranteeFund(EAGGF)andamendingandrepealingcertainRegulations(1)
providesthat,tobeeligibleforearlyretirement,thetransferorofafarmmuststopallcommercialfarmingactivitycompletely.Thetransfereeofthefarmmustsucceedthetransferorastheheadoftheagriculturalholdingortakeoverallorpartofthelandreleased.
The procedure for transferring rural tenancies is the responsibility of the Member States and is not
governedbytheruraldevelopmentRegulationnorbyanyotherCommunityRegulation.
ItistruethatthenationallegislationtowhichtheHonourableMemberrefers(PortariaNo99/2001of
16January2001)requirestheruralleasetobecancelled,butitgivestheownerofthelandtheoptionofsigninganewleasewiththeoriginaltenant’sdescendants.
(1) OJL160,26.6.1999.
(2004/C58E/150) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2128/03
byBartStaes(Verts/ALE)totheCommission
(25June2003)
Subject:Beveragewhichreducesbloodalcohollevels/dashBOBinformationcampaigns
In its communication IP/02/1762, the Commission states that it is spending EUR1,1 million on
campaignsagainstdrinkinganddrivinginsevenEUMemberStates.Itacknowledgesthat,ofthe40000peoplekilledonEurope’sroadseachyear,onethirdarevictimsofdrinkinganddriving.Inordertodosomethingaboutthis,theCommissionissubsidisingthe‘Euro-BOB’campaigninanumberofEUMemberStates.
AbeveragehasrecentlycomeontothemarketwhichiscalledOutox,producedbyLifestyleDrinksNV,
andwhich,itisclaimed,canveryquicklyreducethelevelofalcoholinthebloodandwillalsorenderthenextday’shangoverlesssevere.Theimpressionisgiven,attheveryleast,thatdriverscandrinkalcoholtoexcessandyet,afterdrinkingOutox,againbecome‘sober’enoughtodriveavehicle.FlemishresearchersconsideritverydoubtfulthatOutoxcanhavethiseffect.
IstheCommissionawareoftheexistenceofOutox,andhasithadanycheckscarriedoutastowhether
thisbeveragereallydoesreducebloodalcohollevels?
InthelightoftheBOBcampaigns,doestheCommissionconsideritappropriatetoplacebeveragesonthe
marketwhichreducebloodalcohollevels?Ifnot,whatwillitdotoprotectconsumers/drivers?
AretheBOBcampaignsinvariousMemberStateshavingthedesiredeffectofreducingthenumberof
peoplekilledorinjuredontheroadsspecificallyasaresultofalcoholconsumption?
WhatadditionaleffortswilltheCommissionmaketofurtherreducethenumberofpeoplekilledorinjured
ontheroadsduetoexcessiveconsumptionofalcohol?
AnswergivenbyMsdePalacioonbehalfoftheCommission
(9September2003)
TheCommissiondoesnothaveanyinformationonthedrinkmentionedbytheHonourableMember.In
anyevent,itistheresponsibilityoftheMemberStateinwhichtheproductisbeingadvertisedtochecktheaccuracyoftheinformationprovidedbythesupplier.Thisisespeciallyimportantinthiscase,asalcohol-relatedroadaccidentsareaseriouspublichealthproblemrequiringspecialattentionfromtheauthoritiesbecauseofthesufferingtheycause.C58E/134 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion