WRITTEN QUESTION No. 734/98 by Paul LANNOYE to the Commission. Ban on 'organic farming' classification in the departments of Aude and Pyrénées Orientales (France) (SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWER)
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, LANNOYE
Subjects: Community certification, France, insecticide, marketing, organic farming, plant disease, plant health treatment, quality label, vineyard, viticulture

22.2.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 50/3

(1999/C 50/003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0651/98

by Gerardo FernÆndez-Albor (PPE) to the Commission

(10 March 1998)

Subject: Winter tourism for the elderly

In its reply to my Question E-3544/97 (1) the Commission said that, with regard to a possible winter holiday
programme for the elderly, it could, alongside other initiatives, consider Community involvement so as to allow
the Spanish winter holidays programme for the elderly to be extended to the other Member States.

This response has aroused the greatest interest on the part of organizations representing the elderly in various
countries and I should like to provide them with satisfactory answers on this subject.

Does the Commission(cid:146)s reply to my written question indicate that it believes that a prior study should be carried
out (cid:145)in the context of exchanges of experience and cooperation involving the Commission, the Member States
and the industry(cid:146) so that it can then put forward proposals for specific action in this area?

(1) OJ C 158, 25.5.1998, p. 148.

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(21 April 1998)

As already stated in the Commission(cid:146)s answer to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s Written Question E-3544/97, the
Commission considers that the winter holiday programme for the elderly in Spain and other similar initiatives
could be usefully explored in the context of exchanges of experience and co-operation involving the
Commission, Member States and the tourism industry.

While the Commission does not intend undertaking a preliminary study on exchange of experience and co-
operation with Member States and the tourism industry on this topic, it points out that the advisory committee on
tourism does provide an appropriate forum to national authorities to raise these issues and that the Commission
will also take up any available opportunity for drawing attention to this initiative.

(1999/C 50/004)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0734/98

by Paul Lannoye (V) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Ban on (cid:145)organic farming(cid:146) classification in the departments of Aude and PyrØnØes Orientales (France)

Since 1994, a series of measures taken by the French Ministry of Agriculture and certain prefectures oblige all
wine growers in the departments of Aude and PyrØnØes Orientales to protect all vines against the Flavescence
DorØe virus with synthetic chemical insecticides. This obligation also applies to wine growers using organic
means of production.

Certain (cid:145)organic(cid:146) wine growers, having no outbreak of Flavescence DorØe in their vineyards, refused to apply
such preventive treatment.

As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture decided to forbid the (cid:145)Ecocert(cid:146) control body from certifying these wine
growers(cid:146) vines as (cid:145)organic farming(cid:146), even though the vineyards in question fully meet, according to the checks
carried out by (cid:145)Ecocert(cid:146), the provisions of Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 (1) on organic production. These wine
growers have been forced to cease making any reference to organic production.

This withdrawal of the (cid:145)organic farming(cid:146) label appears to be in flat contradiction to the provisions of Article 9(2)
and 12 of Regulation (EEC) 2092/91.

What steps does the Commission intend to take to allow these wine growers to recover their right to the (cid:145)organic
farming(cid:146) classification?

(1) OJ L 198, 22.7.1991, p. 1.