WRITTEN QUESTION No. 969/98 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Greek companies in the FYROM
Date: 1998-03-30
Institutions: ALAVANOS, European Parliament
Subjects: Greece, Macedonia, direct investment, foreign investment, industrial cooperation, processing industry, restriction on competition, tobacco, trade licence

9. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 310/151

(98/C 310/208)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0964/98

by David Thomas (PSE) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: SRM BAN

Does the Commission consider that the proposed regionalization of the rules relating to SRMs are compatible
with the basic principles of a single market set out, inter alia, in Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaties? To what extent
would  such  rules  provide  effective  consumer  protection,  given  the  impossibility  of  monitoring  the  proposed
measures?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(22 April 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the reply it gave to his oral question H-0282/98 during
question time at Parliament(cid:146)s March II 1998 part-session (1).

(1)  Debates of the Parliament (March 1998).

(98/C 310/209)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0969/98

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(30 March 1998)

Subject: Greek companies in the FYROM

The  Greek  company  (cid:145)Leaf  Tobacco  A.  Mihailidis  SA(cid:146)  has  set  up  a  tobacco  factory  in  the  Former  Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) which employs 278 permanent and 151 seasonal workers and has invested
significant amounts of money ($5 million) after concluding an agreement with the Government. In July 1997 the
minister  responsible  defied  existing  legislation  and  granted  partial  authorization  to  the  company  in  question
which undertook to buy tobacco only from the south-western part of the country.

What does the Commission intend to do to investigate these allegations and ensure that existing legislation in the
country is implemented?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(22 April 1998)

Economic  relations  between  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  and  Greece  have  improved
substantially since late 1995. The Commission is aware of problems with which several Greek investors in the
former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  are  currently  confronted  including  the  case  mentioned  by  the
Honourable Member.

The  Commission  is  not  in  a  position  to  check  whether,  in  this  particular  case,  the  granting  of  a  regional
purchasing licence for tobacco by the authorities of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is in conformity
with  relevant  national  legislation.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Commission  has  mentioned  this  case  on  several
occasions including at the first meeting of the cooperation council under the cooperation agreement between the
Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia which took place in Skopje on 20/21 March 1998.

The authorities of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were reminded of the importance of creating the
appropriate framework conditions for crucially needed foreign direct investment in the country and to promote
industrial cooperation with the Community in accordance with Articles 4 and 6 of the cooperation agreement.
The Commission was assured by these authorities that a solution to this particular case could be reached in order
to allow the purchase of tobacco by tobacco processors in all prefectures.