WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3012/97 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Exceeding milk quotas
Date: 1997-10-01
Institutions: European Parliament, MUSCARDINI
Subjects: Italy, agricultural levy, agricultural quota, closing of accounts, dairy production, milk, production quota, production surplus, quantitative restriction, self-sufficiency rate

C 134/58

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30. 4. 98

The Commission has approved over 120 agri-environment programmes throughout the Community. A report on
the application of the Regulation is in preparation.

(1)  OJ L 215, 30.7.1992.

(98/C 134/71)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3012/97

by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission

(1 October 1997)

Subject: Exceeding milk quotas

A number of Italian newspapers carried prominent reports on 30 August 1997 of statements made in a report
produced by the Italian Court of Auditors in October 1995 concerning the complex matter of milk quotas. It
would appear from this report that Italy has paid fines for exceeding its milk quotas which were not justified by
the amount actually produced.

1. 

Is the Commission aware of the contents of this document?

2.  Can the Commission confirm the claim that Italy paid LIT 2 207 billion in unwarranted fines for the period

1989-1993?

3.  Can the Commission confirm that Italy(cid:146)s milk production only meets 60% of national demand?

4. 

In the light of this information, what point has been reached in the dispute between Italy and the EU in the
milk sector?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(14 November 1997)

The Commission is not aware of the analysis by the Italian Court of Auditors to which the Honourable Member
refers.

It should be remembered that Italy did not apply the milk-quota scheme correctly before 1993-94. In particular,
individual  reference  quantities  were  not  allotted  and  the  data  on  deliveries  to  purchasers  came  not  from  the
purchasers(cid:146) statements but from national statistics or from the producers(cid:146) associations. The consequences of this
incorrect application of the scheme were drawn in the context of the clearance of accounts and quantified on the
basis  of  the  joint  conclusions  of  the  Council  and  the  Commission  of  21  October  1994.  Italy  must  pay  the
Community an additional levy of about LIT 3 461.5 billion (ECU 1 715.2 million) for the 1989 to 1993 financial
years. It has already paid 90.5% of this amount. Italy did not dispute the corrections imposed under the clearance
of accounts and the Commission has no information which might call into question the financial consequences
drawn.

The Commission does not have all the data needed to determine Italy(cid:146)s exact degree of self-sufficiency, such as
consumption and commercial trade in milk products or even accurate and reliable production figures. This being
said, quotas were fixed not with reference to the degree of self-sufficiency of each Member State but on the basis
of  existing  production  in  each  Member  State.  If  any  other  criterion  had  been  used,  particularly  the  national
population or consumption, either it would have been impossible to reach an agreement on the scheme, or the
overall quantity for the Community would have been fixed at far too high a level.

Since the information given above has never been questioned, there is no dispute on this matter between Italy and
the Commission.