WRITTEN QUESTION No. 284/99 by Irini LAMBRAKI Quotas for the Katerini variety of tobacco
Date: 1999-02-17
Institutions: European Parliament, LAMBRAKI
Subjects: Apulia, Italy, common organisation of markets, guarantee threshold, production quota, tobacco

C 341/84

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.11.1999

(1999/C 341/115)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0284/99

by Irini Lambraki (PSE) to the Commission

(17 February 1999)

Subject: Quotas for the Katerini variety of tobacco

The Commission’s recent proposal for the guarantee thresholds for tobacco per Member State for the
1999-2001 harvests provides, for the first time, for a quota of the Katerini variety in Italy. The Commission’s
representative explained to Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture that this was in response to a request from
a private processing company which was conducting experiments in Italy with that particular variety.

Leaving aside the surprise at the Commission’s immediate response to this request, will the Commission
provide details about the above private processing company and its activities and all the data (location,
duration, results) relating to its experimental crop-growing?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(17 March 1999)

In its report to the Council and Parliament on the common organisation of the market in raw tobacco (1), the
Commission has stressed the need to boost the quotas for the best varieties to the detriment of those varieties
that are hard to dispose of and have unacceptably low market prices. The third paragraph of point b4 of
section V.A.3 of the Report proposes a reduction in the quota for group V (sun-cured tobacco) and transfer of
the quantities thus released to other groups such as VI and VII, subject to observance of budget neutrality.

The Commission is able to inform the Honourable Member that the proposal for a Council Regulation
amending Regulation (EEC) 2075/92 and fixing the premiums and guarantee thresholds for leaf tobacco by
variety group and Member State for the 1999, 2000 and 2001 harvests (2) applies this facet of the reform by
transferring group V quota to group VII in Italy. Introductory trials of group VII varieties started in the Apulia
production zone in 1997 and the results are being administered by the national bodies.

(1) COM(96) 554 final.
(2) OJ C 361, 24.11.1998.

(1999/C 341/116)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0296/99

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Processed cereal-based foods, and baby foods

(17 February 1999)

Has Greece notified the Commission of the necessary legislative, regulatory and administrative provisions it
has adopted to comply with Commission Directives 96/4 and 96/5/EC of 16 February 1996 and, if so, when?
What measures will the Commission take, should it find that those provisions have not been duly
implemented?

(1999/C 341/117)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0297/99

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(17 February 1999)

Subject: Special diet foods

The use of foods designed for low-calorie diets for weight reduction is widespread and, therefore, requires
particular attention in order to protect consumer health. Moreover, because of the nature and purpose of these