WRITTEN QUESTION No. 164/98 by Anita POLLACK to the Commission. Consumers and timber products
Date: 1998-02-02
Institutions: European Parliament, POLLACK
Subjects: Community certification, consumer information, forest conservation, forestry policy, public awareness campaign, wood industry, wood product

9. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 310/31

The quantity for which aid is granted to producers whose average olive oil production per marketing year is less
than 500 kg is calculated as a lump sum on the basis of the number of trees and of the average yield in that
production area over the previous four marketing years.

(in Tonnes)

Marketing year

Greece

Spain

France

Italy

Portugal

Community

87/88
88/89
89/90
90/91
91/92
92/93
93/94
94/95
95/96
96/97 (1)
97/98

321 718
319 231
316 372
170 869
430 147
314 432
323 161
389 904
445 000
409 000
430 000

770 000
408 000
573 000
700 000
610 000
636 000
588 000
583 000
375 000
964 000
840 000

4 088
1 200
2 825
2 310
3 400
1 840
2 407
2 440
2 450
2 400
2 000

742 500
390 000
585 000
148 000
650 000
410 000
550 000
458 664
625 000
445 000
650 000

38 000
24 570
35 100
20 000
34 992
17 075
27 486
29 220
34 000
39 000
60 000

1 876 306
1 143 001
1 512 297
1 041 179
1 728 539
1 379 347
1 491 054
1 463 228
1 481 450
1 859 400
1 982 000

(1)  The data for the marketing year 1996/1997 are provisional.

(98/C 310/36)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0164/98

by Anita Pollack (PSE) to the Commission

(2 February 1998)

Subject: Consumers and timber products

Is the Commission committed to systems of forest certification, which enables consumers to make an informed
choice about the purchase of environmentally friendly timber products?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(24 March 1998)

The Commission is not committed to any system of forest certification as a general policy element, but continues
to stimulate and host formal and informal discussions on the issue through various fora, as well as to monitor the
use  of  and  results  from  forest  certification  initiatives  and  other  mechanisms  to  promote  sustainable  forest
management  in  the  forest  products  markets.  Additionally  the  Commission  has  supported,  often  through
co-financing, a number of projects and other initiatives carried out in the specific context of the Regulation (EC)
No 3062/95 on operations to promote tropical forests (1), Article 4(c), as well as under the forest protocol of the
Lome· Convention.

The  Commission  is  aware  of  an  increasing  and  legitimate  public  demand  for  more  assurance  on  sustainable
forest  management.  Globally,  certification  can  be  considered  as  one  tool  among  others  which  can  help  to
improve  the  management  of  forests  in  those  regions  of  the  world  where  deforestation  and  large  scale  forest
degradation due to inappropriate logging practices occur. In Europe forest certification is not likely to have any
significant  impact  on  forest  management  as  this  is  already  characterised  by  a  high  degree  of  sustainability.
Its potential benefits, if any, will here be limited to possible market advantages and a better public information on
the  environmental  advantages  of  wood  and  wood-based  products  when  compared  to  non-renewable  raw
materials.

(1)  OJ L 327, 30.12 1995.