do-me/EUR-LEX huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 520/98 by Thomas MEGAHY to the Commission. Financial support for growers of addictive drugs
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, MEGAHY
Subjects: production aid, tobacco, toxic substance

C 304/124

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

2. 10. 98

The launch of the 8th EDF requires ratification by at least two thirds of the ACP states (i.e. 47 countries) and all
the  Community  Member  States  of  the  agreement  signed  in  Mauritius  on  4  November  1995  to  review  and
supplement the fourth Lome· Convention half way through its lifetime.

From the information in the Commission(cid:146)s possession on 1 March, 56 ACP countries and 13 Member States had
ratified the agreement.

The Commission does recognise that purely domestic factors are to blame for the delays in some Member States,
but has nevertheless attempted to point out at every stage of their constitutional ratification procedures what the
consequences  of  such  delays  will  be.  Although  it  cannot  at  this  point  say  exactly  when  ratification  will  be
completed, it has every expectation that its approaches to the Member States, which are in some cases already
paying off, will shortly help to ease the log-jam referred to by the Honourable Member.

(98/C 304/186)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0519/98

by Ilona Graenitz (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Duty-free shops

The turnover of European duty-free shops amounts to about ATS 60 bn p.a. Intra-Community traffic accounts for
more than two thirds of turnover. When the exemption from excise duty ceases, it is feared that, despite the long
transitional periods, 300 to 500 jobs in Austria alone will be at risk.

Does the Commission have a study of the impact of the abolition of duty-free sales on the labour market?

If not, does the Commission intend to have a study of this kind carried out?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(6 April 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question P-272/98 by Mrs Danielle
Darras (1).

(1)  See page 67.

(98/C 304/187)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0520/98

by Thomas Megahy (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Financial support for growers of addictive drugs

Given the Commission(cid:146)s decision to continue to support tobacco production to the tune of a billion ecus a year,
can cultivators of relatively harmless substances such as heroine (which takes a tiny fraction of the lives lost
every year to tobacco) expect similar subventions? Alternatively, has the Commission considered spending our
money on something more beneficial?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 March 1998)

No.
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)
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, LANNOYE
Subjects: France, Midi-Pyrenées, eco-label, insecticide, organic farming, plant disease, viticulture

C 310/120

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

9. 10. 98

(98/C 310/159)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0732/98

by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: EU funds for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland since January 1995

What  projects  and  Funds  have  provided  Community  resources  for  Rhineland-Palatinate  and  Saarland  since
January 1995? Who were the beneficiaries and what sums were involved:-

1. 

for  job  promotion  and  combating  long-term  unemployment?  From  the  European  Regional  Development
Fund? The European Social Fund. The EAGGF and other EU funds?

2. 

to promote research and development? In the universities and colleges? In the private sector?

3. 

to promote relations and trade with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe?

4. 

from the youth programmes?

5. 

from the education and training programmes?

6. 

for women(cid:146)s projects?

7. 

for cultural projects?

What is the EU(cid:146)s assessment of the success of the measures?

How many jobs was it possible to create and for which occupational groups?

Are these jobs temporary or long term?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(25 May 1998)

Because of the length of the answer, which includes a number of tables, the Commission is sending it direct to the
Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

(98/C 310/160)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0734/98

by Paul Lannoye (V) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Ban on (cid:146)organic farming(cid:146) classification in the departments of Aude and Pyre·ne·es 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 Pyre·ne·es Orientales to protect all vines against the Flavescence
Dore·e  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 Dore·e 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) No 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) No 2092/91.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 491/98 by Anna KARAMANOU to the Commission. Floods in northern Greece
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, KARAMANOU
Subjects: Aegean Islands, EAGGF Guidance Section, EU aid, Structural Funds, flood, natural disaster

C 304/118

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

2. 10. 98

What is the Council(cid:146)s present assessment of the decision(cid:146)s impact on employment?

How can the Council justify the destruction of thousands of jobs on purely ideological grounds?

Will the Council create replacement jobs for the people who have been deprived of them by this ideologically
motivated decision?

If so, when and where will these jobs be created?

How will the creation of these jobs be funded?

If not, how can such decisions be reconciled with the numerous statements by all manner of Councils that they
will do everything in their power to create jobs?

(1)  OJ C 102, 3.4.1998, p. 85.

Answer

(18 May 1998)

The Council has nothing to add to the reply given to Written Question No E-2666/97 by the Honourable Member.

(98/C 304/177)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0491/98

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Floods in northern Greece

The  bad  weather  of  5  February  1998  was  especially  harsh  in  the  islands  of  the  northern  Aegean,  eastern
Macedonia and Thrace, drowning one person on Thasos and causing widespread damage to the road and rail
network,  farms,  and  hundreds  of  homes,  shops  and  offices  which  were  flooded  by  the  torrential  and
unprecedented rainfall This devastation comes on top of the events of 2 February 1998 when three people lost
their lives on Lesbos.

Will  the  Commission  examine  the  possibility  of  providing  Community  resources  to  make  good  the  damage
caused by this natural disaster?.

(98/C 304/178)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0740/98

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: Flooding on the island of Lesbos

In view of the widespread destruction caused by the recent heavy rainfall on Lesbos (January 1998), will the
Commission say how many › and which › drainage and flood prevention schemes it has funded on the island
since  Greece(cid:146)s  accession  to  the  European  Union,  how  much  funding  has  been  provided,  how  many  of  these
schemes have been completed so far and how much work remains to be done on those that are still uncompleted?

Will the Commission also say whether it intends to provide financial assistance if the relevant Greek authorities
submit  applications  for  structural  aid  so  as  to  meet  the  cost  of  urgently-needed  infrastructure  investments,
principally flood prevention schemes, but also sewage networks in various villages on Lesbos?
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 759/98 by Christa RANDZIO-PLATH to the Commission. Information on the disbursement of EU funds for Hamburg from 1995 to date (SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWER)
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, RANDZIO-PLATH
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, Germany, employment policy, environmental protection, metropolis, research and development, social policy, teaching, trading operation

9. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 310/123

Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission

(29 April 1998)

The Commission does not possess the information requested by the Honourable Member since the fact as to
whether or not an investment is of national origin is not one of the criteria for appraising the compatibility of state
aid  with  the  common  market.  Such  information  is  not  provided  by  Member  States  when  notifying  plans  for
granting aid or in their annual reports on the application of aid approved by the Commission. By the same token,
the  Commission  does  not  have  at  its  disposal  national  statistics  showing  the  differences  referred  to  by  the
Honourable Member.

(98/C 310/165)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0753/98

by Joan Colom i Naval (PSE) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: Outstanding appropriations (RAL) in various Community programmes

Could the Commission indicate the amount of appropriations outstanding (RAL) on 31 December 1997, stating
whether the appropriations were committed in 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993 or earlier, for the programmes or
budgetary headings shown below?

1.  Framework research programme,

2.  PHARE,

3.  TACIS,

4.  MEDA,

5.  B7-30 (cid:150) Cooperation with the Asian developing countries, and

6.  B7-31 (cid:150) Cooperation with the Latin American developing countries.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(26 May 1998)

The Commission is sending direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat a table containing
the information requested.

(98/C 310/166)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0759/98

by Christa Randzio-Plath (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Information on the disbursement of EU funds for Hamburg from 1995 to date

What amount of EU appropriations, from which programmes and funds, has been disbursed for the benefit of
Hamburg since 1995?

1. 

to promote employment in Hamburg

a) 

from the European Regional Development Fund

b)  from the European Social Fund

c) 

from the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund (EAGGF) and other EU resources

d)  special initiatives to promote women(cid:146)s interests.

2. 

3. 

to combat long-term unemployment

to promote R&D projects

a) 

for the University of Hamburg

b)  for the Hamburg Technische Hochschule (Technical Higher Education Institute)
Information from the Commission - Information on the assessment of full-function joint ventures pursuant to the competition rules of the European Community
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: competition law, economic concentration, joint venture, merger control

C  66/38

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

2.3.98

Information  on  the  assessment  of  full-function  joint  ventures  pursuant  to  the  competition  rules
of  the  European  Community

(98/C  66/06)

(Text  with  EEA  relevance)

of 

the 

competitive 

By  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1310/97  of  30  June
1997,  which  amended  Regulation  (EEC)  No  4064/89  on
the  control  of  concentrations  between  undertakings (1),
all  full-function  joint  ventures  which  have  a  Community
dimension  and  have  as  their  object  or  effect  the
coordination 
of
undertakings  that  remain  independent  were  included  in
the  scope  of  the  latter  Regulation.  Consequently,  such
joint  ventures  will  no  longer  fall  under  the  provisions  of
Council  Regulations  No  17 (2),  (EEC)  No  1017/68 (3),
(EEC) No 4056/86 (4) and (EEC) No 3975/87 (5). Hence,
the  regulations  that  the  Commission  adopted  for  the
implementation  of  those  Council  Regulations,  namely
Regulations  (EC)  No  3385/94 (6),  No  99/63/EEC (7),
(EEC)  No  1629/69 (8),  (EEC)  No  1630/69 (9),  (EEC)  No
4260/88 (10)  and 
in

(EEC)  No  4261/88 (11),  and 

behaviour 

particular  their  provisions  concerning  communications,
complaints,  applications  and  notifications,  also  cease  to
be  applicable  to  these  joint  ventures.  Forms  A/B,  I,  II  et
III, MAR as well as AER will be adapted to the new legal
situation.

There  is  no  change  in  the  provisions  applicable  to  joint
ventures  other  than  those  described  above,  namely  those
full-function 
joint  ventures  which  do  not  have  a
Community  dimension  within  the  meaning  of  the
amended  Regulation  (EEC)  No  4046/89  and  which  have
as  their  object  or  effect  the  coordination  of  the
competitive  behaviour  of  undertakings  that  remain
independent,  as  well  as  non-full-function  joint  ventures.

(1)  OJ  L  180,  9.7.1997,  p.  1.
(2)  OJ  13,  20.2.1962,  p.  204/62  (Special  Edition  1959-62,

p.  87).

(3)  OJ  L  175,  23.7.1968,  p.  1  (Special  Edition.  1968  I,

p.  302).

(4)  OJ  L  378,  31.12.1986,  p.  4.
(5)  OJ  L  374,  31.12.1987,  p.  1.
(6)  OJ  L  377,  31.12.1994,  p.  28.
(7)  OJ  127,  20.8.1963,  p.  2268/63  (Special  Edition  1963-64,

p.  47).

(8)  OJ  L  209,  21.8.1969,  p.  1  (Special  Edition  1969  II,

p.  371).

(9)  OJ  L  209,  21.8.1969,  p.  11  (Special  Edition  1969  II,

p.  381).

(10) OJ  L  376,  31.12.1988,  p.  1.
(11) OJ  L  376,  31.12.1988,  p.  10.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 519/98 by Ilona GRAENITZ to the Commission. Duty-free shops
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, GRAENITZ
Subjects: Austria, European civil service, aircraft, airport, duty-free sale, ferryboat, intra-EU trade, job cuts, single market, transitional period (EU)

C 304/124

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

2. 10. 98

The launch of the 8th EDF requires ratification by at least two thirds of the ACP states (i.e. 47 countries) and all
the  Community  Member  States  of  the  agreement  signed  in  Mauritius  on  4  November  1995  to  review  and
supplement the fourth Lome· Convention half way through its lifetime.

From the information in the Commission(cid:146)s possession on 1 March, 56 ACP countries and 13 Member States had
ratified the agreement.

The Commission does recognise that purely domestic factors are to blame for the delays in some Member States,
but has nevertheless attempted to point out at every stage of their constitutional ratification procedures what the
consequences  of  such  delays  will  be.  Although  it  cannot  at  this  point  say  exactly  when  ratification  will  be
completed, it has every expectation that its approaches to the Member States, which are in some cases already
paying off, will shortly help to ease the log-jam referred to by the Honourable Member.

(98/C 304/186)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0519/98

by Ilona Graenitz (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Duty-free shops

The turnover of European duty-free shops amounts to about ATS 60 bn p.a. Intra-Community traffic accounts for
more than two thirds of turnover. When the exemption from excise duty ceases, it is feared that, despite the long
transitional periods, 300 to 500 jobs in Austria alone will be at risk.

Does the Commission have a study of the impact of the abolition of duty-free sales on the labour market?

If not, does the Commission intend to have a study of this kind carried out?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(6 April 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question P-272/98 by Mrs Danielle
Darras (1).

(1)  See page 67.

(98/C 304/187)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0520/98

by Thomas Megahy (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Financial support for growers of addictive drugs

Given the Commission(cid:146)s decision to continue to support tobacco production to the tune of a billion ecus a year,
can cultivators of relatively harmless substances such as heroine (which takes a tiny fraction of the lives lost
every year to tobacco) expect similar subventions? Alternatively, has the Commission considered spending our
money on something more beneficial?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 March 1998)

No.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 522/98 by Shaun SPIERS to the Commission. Welfare of animals at slaughter
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, SPIERS
Subjects: European Commission, animal welfare, proposal (EU), protection of animals, report, slaughter of animals, transport of animals

2. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 304/125

(98/C 304/188)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0522/98

by Shaun Spiers (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Welfare of animals at slaughter

When does the Commission intend to bring forward proposals on improving the welfare of animals at slaughter?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(16 March 1998)

Article 13 of Directive 93/119/EC on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing (1) requires the
Commission to submit to the Council a report drawn up on the basis of an opinion from the scientific veterinary
committee together with appropriate proposals concerning the use, in particular, of free bullet pistols, gases or
combinations thereof for stunning or killing and other scientific recognized procedure for stunning or killing. It is
the intention of the Commission to present the report together with appropriate proposals to the Council in the
near future.

(1)  OJ L 340, 31.12.1993.

(98/C 304/189)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0523/98

by Susan Waddington (PSE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: The use of agricultural intervention stocks › fruit and vegetables

Following press claims that millions of kilograms of vegetables and fruit surpluses are being wasted, rather than
being  consumed  by  schools  across  the  Union,  what  measures  are  the  Commission  taking  to  publicise  the
availability of fruit and vegetable surpluses to schools?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(2 April 1998)

Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 (1) provides for fruit withdrawn from the market to be distributed free to
schools.  The  free  distribution  of  fruit  and  vegetables  for  other  purposes  is  also  possible,  to  charities  and
institutions such as hospitals and prisons, for example.

To  publicise  that  initiative  Member  States  are  to  inform  and  help  to  establish  contacts  between  producer
organisations and the schools or other institutions likely to help in the free distribution of the products.

However,  high  transport  costs  and  the  nature  of  the  products  require  that  such  distribution  be  local.  The
Community,  wishing  to  support  the  distribution  of  withdrawn  products,  will  take  over  some  of  the  costs,  in
particular  the  cost  of  transport  between  the  withdrawal  location  and  the  delivery  point,  and  also  sorting  and
packaging costs (in the case of citrus fruits and apples).

For the 1997/98 marketing year one-off aid is also available for the preparation of withdrawn products to allow
producer organisations to deliver them to schools and institutions.

Producer organisations withdrawing products must first make such products available for free distribution before
they can be sent for biodegradation.

(1)  OJ L 297, 28.10.1996.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 492/98 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Community subsidies for illegal crops
Date: 1998-03-02
Institutions: European Parliament, KAKLAMANIS
Subjects: EU aid, EU control, aid to agriculture, aromatic plant, hemp, narcotic, seed, use of aid

2. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 304/119

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0491/98 and E-0740/98
given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 1998)

The  Commission  would  refer  the  Honourable  Members  to  the  answer  to  written  question  E-440/98  by
Mr Alavanos (1).

(1)  See page 105.

(98/C 304/179)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0492/98

by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Community subsidies for illegal crops

According to reports in the European press, the Commission would appear to be particularly disconcerted by the
suspicion that part of the subsidies for growers of medicinal and aromatic plants is being channelled into funding
crops such as marijuana. The same reports state that the inadequacy of national government checks is creating
misgivings about the use of the subsidies.

The issue has far-reaching ethical implications as it appears that European citizens(cid:146) money is being channelled
into subsidizing illegal crops while the EU is doing its utmost to protect our young people from drug use.

What information does the Commission have about Community-funded subsidization of cannabis growing in the
EU and what measures will it take to ensure the proper use of resources from the Community budget?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(26 March 1998)

The Community regulations on the conditions for granting aid for hemp lay down strict requirements on various
points. In particular they restrict aid granted for certified seeds to those varieties with a tetrahydrocannabinol
content not exceeding 0.3%. To that end, there is a Community list of varieties meeting that criterion, which can
be verified by a Community method of quantitative chemical analysis. In addition, the official labels of the seeds
used must be handed in and the crop must be harvested after seed formation has occurred.

The  Commission  is  also  considering  making  the  conditions  for  granting  aid  even  stricter  than  at  present,  in
particular through a system of compulsory contracts between growers and the processing industry.

The Commission has no information concerning areas under hemp qualifying for Community aid and actually
producing hemp to be used as drugs. Nevertheless, the Commission is concerned about the problem of controls.
Should  this  prove  impossible  to  solve,  it  reserves  the  right  to  propose  that  the  aid  scheme  for  hemp  be
discontinued.