WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3452/97 by Edith MÜLLER to the Commission. Ecological agriculture in Asturias
Date: 1997-10-31
Institutions: European Parliament, MUELLER EDITH
Subjects: Principality of Asturias, agricultural product, application of EU law, autonomous community, complaint to the Commission, exchange of information, food inspection, national implementing measure, organic farming, supervisory power

C 158/116

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 5. 98

(98/C 158/150)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3445/97

by Jean-Antoine Giansily (UPE) to the Commission

(27 October 1997)

Subject: Utilization of appropriations for (cid:145)Information Outlets(cid:146)

Article B3-301 (cid:145)Information Outlets(cid:146) of the European Union budget contains a substantial appropriation intended
to cover, amongst other things, (cid:145)the financing of the International Federation of Europe Houses(cid:146) for an amount of
up to ECU 1 700 000 during the 1997 financial year.

Can the Commission state whether it has allocated, and is allocating, appropriations from this budget line to the
Europe House in Paris (at 35, rue des Francs Bourgeois › Paris) and, if so, will it indicate the amounts received
by the Europe House in Paris during the 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 financial years?

Furthermore, it is stipulated in the remarks accompanying this budget article that (cid:145)a Commission communication
summarizing the reports of the main beneficiaries of this measure (in financial terms) on the impact of their work
of informing and raising the awareness of the public about European issues will be submitted to the budgetary
authority.(cid:146)

In this connection, has the Commission received any specific reports on its activities from the Europe House in
Paris and does it consider these reports to be in line with the Community interest of the operations thus financed,
such as the information recently supplied to the public about the change- over to the single currency?

Finally, is the Commission in a position to disclose the contents of these reports by the abovementioned body?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(1 December 1997)

The Europe House in Paris receives no subsidies under heading B3-301 (cid:145)Information outlets(cid:146) because it is not a
member of the International Federation of Europe Houses.

It is therefore not required to report to the Commission on its activities.

(98/C 158/151)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3452/97

by Edith Mu¤ ller (V) to the Commission

(31 October 1997)

Subject: Ecological agriculture in Asturias

›  Regulation  (EEC)  No  2092/92 (1)  of  24  June  1991  on  organic  production  of  agricultural  products  and
indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs lays down a time-limit of nine months
for the Member States to set up monitoring and authorization schemes for organic farming.

›  One  and  half  years  after  the  deadline  set  by  the  EU,  on  22  October  1993,  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture,
Fisheries  and  Food  published  Royal  Decree  1852/1993,  which  stipulates  (Article  5)  that  it  is  for  the
competent  bodies  of  the  Autonomous  Communities  to  appoint  a  competent  authority  and  monitoring
authorities and, where appropriate, to authorize and supervise private monitoring bodies.

›  Only three years later (Decree 67/96 published on 13 November 1996), the Agriculture Department of the
Principality  of  Asturias  laid  down  the  relevant  provisions  relating  to  Regulation  (EEC)  No  2092/91  and
Royal  Decree  1852/1993,  appointing  the  Agriculture  Department  as  the  competent  authority  in  the
Principality of Asturias and setting up the Council of Organic Production of Agricultural Products of the
Principality  of  Asturias,  with  a  wide  range  of  powers  including  those  relating  to  the  promotion  and
marketing  of  organic  farming  products  and  instruments  relating  to  monitoring,  support,  production  and
assessment in the area of organic farming.