WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3871/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Competitiveness of European industry
Date: 1997-12-05
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: EU industrial policy, EU programme, competitiveness, innovation, regional development, research project

C 187/74

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

16. 6. 98

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(7 January 1998)

The GATT agreements provide for an export quota with Community refunds of 145 000 tonnes, to be reduced to
115 000 tonnes in 2000. Under the rules, the Commission is responsible for managing the quota and ensuring that
the Uruguay Round agreement is properly implemented.

The Commission does not agree with the Honourable Member that these restrictions are causing a loss of market
share. Indeed, only exports with refunds are restricted. The most recent data show that despite this quota, the
level of refund necessary to export has fallen from ECU 40/100 kg at the beginning of the 1996/97 marketing
year to ECU 18.50/100 kg at the end of the current marketing year. This shows that markets in non-member
countries will pay a price which does not require large refunds.

The  Community  helps  to  open  up  new  markets  through  the  promotion  policy  of  the  International  Olive  Oil
Council, which is mainly financed by the Community(cid:146)s promotion fund.

(98/C 187/117)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3871/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(5 December 1997)

Subject: Competitiveness of European industry

With reference to the Commission Communication benchmarking › implementation of an instrument available
to economic actors and public authorities (COM(97) 153 final), in measuring the competitiveness of the general
reference framework, will the Commission take account of the regional dimension, which makes it possible to
identify more effectively factors influencing competitiveness in various sectors, such as support for innovation,
human resources development, and dissemination and use of information technologies?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(30 January 1998)

The Commission believes that benchmarking of framework conditions can take place at a number of different
levels, including at Community, national and regional level. At the same time, it must be recognised that many
policy areas affecting competitiveness, in particular as regards the regional dimension, are the responsibility of
Member States.

It is for this reason that Member States are playing the lead role, with the close co-operation of the Commission,
in  the  implementation  of  the  pilot  projects  in  the  areas  of  financing  of  innovation,  development  of  human
resources and diffusion and utilisation of information technologies.

In  the  case  of  economic  and  social  cohesion,  it  is  already  the  case  that  regional  development  programmes
co-financed  by  the  Community  in  principle  contain  quantified  targets  based  on  analysis  of  inter-regional
differences in economic performance and competitiveness. The effectiveness of the programmes ex post is then
assessed against the quantified targets established initially.

(98/C 187/118)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3884/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) and Spalato Bellere· (NI) to the Commission

(5 December 1997)

Subject: Motor vehicles intended for the transport of dangerous goods

The Commission has submitted a proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive relating to motor
vehicles  and  their  trailers  with  regard  to  the  transport  of  dangerous  goods  by  road  and  amending  Directive
70/156/EEC in respect of the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (COM(96) 555 final › 96/0267
COD) (1).