WRITTEN QUESTION E-2485/02

by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(6 September 2002)

Subject: Possible dumping by aquaculture enterprises

Representatives of the aquaculture industry in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal have drawn the Commission's attention to the dumping practised by Greek aquaculture enterprises, who are accused of selling their products at prices which do not reflect their real costs and thus jeopardising the survival and the production of other enterprises in the Community, especially in the case of sea-bass and John Dory.

The Association of Maríne Aquaculture Producers (Apromar, Spain), the French Maríne Aquaculture Society, the Portuguese Aquaculture Producers' Association and the Italian Aquaculture Association have all complained at the fact that Greece's aquaculture enterprises, which produce some 60 000 tonnes (or tenfold the total consumption level on the national market), export their surplus to the remaining Member States at artificially low prices.

Has the Commission investigated the matter?

What measures does it intend to adopt?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(7 October 2002)

The Commission is informed of the reducing average market prices of seabass and seabream in 2001 and is closely following this issue.

According to the data available from Globefish (Food and Agricultural Organisation), both species average prices fell gradually from January to November 2001, reaching very low minima during the period September-November 2001. However the prices of both species started recovering in December 2001 and this trend continued in 2002. The average price of seabass in July 2002 was approximately 20 % higher than in November 2001, the average price of seabream increased by approximately 35 % over the same period.

The Commission did not receive formal complaints with regard to the Greek producers' commercial behaviour, nor until now any evidence corroborated the allegations of irregular practices of these producers

The Commission (Directorate General Fisheries) met on 30 October 2001 a delegation of the European Federation of Aquaculture Producers on this issue. At this meeting it clearly appeared that the only possible actions are on the one hand to improve co-ordination of the producers (through, if necessary, the setting up of Producers Organisations), and possibly to launch marketing actions. These actions are to be taken by the producers themselves, but could benefit some financial assistance in the framework of the respective national financial instrument for fisheries guidance Structural Funds programmes.

The situation of the market for farmed sea bass and sea bream was also discussed at the meeting of the Management Committee for Fisheries Products on 9 April 2002 and at a special meeting between the Commission and the Member States most concerned on 16 May 2002. None of these meetings has given a clear view of whether there is a structural crisis or whether problems currently encountered are of a seasonal nature. In this respect, the Member States concerned committed to gather further information with a view to carry out a more in-depth analysis of the situation of the market for these species. A new meeting on this issue, in which will participate also representatives from the industry, is scheduled for autumn 2002.

The Commission is also examining the possibility of undertaking a study concerning the market situation of seabass and seabream.