WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1124/98 by Marjo MATIKAINEN-KALLSTRÖM to the Commission. The illogicality of the Community's school milk subsidy programme
Date: 1998-04-08
Institutions: European Parliament, MATIKAINEN-KALLSTROEM
Subjects: aid system, child, consumer behaviour, educational institution, free service, milk fat, public health, sales promotion, skimmed milk, whole milk

19. 11. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 354/67

(98/C 354/109)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1124/98

by Marjo Matikainen-Kallstro¤m (PPE) to the Commission

(8 April 1998)

Subject: The illogicality of the Community(cid:146)s school milk subsidy programme

The reply given by Commissioner Franz Fischler (E-0124/98FI) to my written question completely missed the
key point of my argument. As the reply stresses that the level of subsidy depends on the milk content of products
and that less support is provided for semi-skimmed milk than for whole milk, the only possible conclusion is that
the  programme  favours  ›  and  encourages  consumers  to  give  preference  to  ›  high-fat  milk  products  at  the
expense of low-fat products.

The reply also stresses that the support is intended to reduce the retail price differential between high-fat and
low-fat milk products, so that one can only deduce that the Commission does not wish to take account in its
subsidy policy of the unhealthy effects of consuming too much fat.

How will the Commission in future correct the principles underlying the school milk subsidy programme so as to
cease basing the programme on the precept (cid:145)the more fat, the more deserving of support(cid:146), which makes no sense
from the point of view of public health?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(18 May 1998)

The Commission does not share the Honourable Member(cid:146)s conclusion that the differing amounts of aid granted
in respect of products covered by the school-milk distribution programme encourage the consumer to favour
high-fat milk products. On the contrary, it takes the view that the amounts of aid are already set on the basis of
objective criteria which should not influence the consumer(cid:146)s choice of product. Moreover, only the individual
consumer is in a position to judge whether › in the light of his/her specific circumstances › a product contains
too much fat or not.

In view of the above, the Commission does not at present envisage proposing changes to the criteria for granting
this aid.

(98/C 354/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1129/98

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE) to the Commission

(8 April 1998)

Subject: Greek customs authorities impeding transit of goods in Greek ports

According  to  my  information,  the  Greek  customs  authorities  are  unlawfully  refusing  to  allow  shipping
companies  operating  regular  services  between  Community  ports  to  effect  customs  clearance  on  goods  being
loaded or unloaded in the Greek ports of Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Heraklion under the simplified procedure for
Community transit pursuant to Article 448 of the European Union Customs Code (Regulation EC 2454/93) (1).
On the pretext that the docks in the three ports are 100% (cid:145)free zones(cid:146), the customs authorities are compelling
shippers  and  consignees  of  goods  passing  through  the  above  three  ports  to  comply  with  the  15  customs
procedures applying in Greece to so-called (cid:145)free zones(cid:146), which entails greater costs and loss of time.

Is  the  Commission  aware  of  this  situation  and,  if  so,  what  measures  will  it  take  to  put  an  end  to  this  absurd
practice which is obviously serving sectional interests?

(1)  OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1.