WRITTEN QUESTION P-2069/99 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Rome central dairy: call for further information and action.
Date: 1999-11-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, agricultural cooperative, control of State aid, infringement of EU law

18.7.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 203 E/129

(2000/C 203 E/164)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2069/99

by Roberta Angelilli (NI) to the Commission

(5 November 1999)

Subject: Rome central dairy: call for further information and action

I have tabled several questions on the Rome central dairy to obtain information about the progress of the
procedures under way, specifically questions P-1747/96 (1), P-1071/97 (2), E-3408/97 (3), E-0547/98 (4),
E-1511/98 (5), E-2846/98 (6), and E-0567/99 (7).

The Italian Press (Il Messaggero on 11 and 12 October 1999) has recently reported that the Commission is
seeking further information about the latest developments.

Can the Commission therefore say:

(cid:129) why, in the time since 1996, the truth about the central dairy has not been brought sufficiently to

light and the Commission itself has failed to take the necessary steps?

(cid:129) why, in spite of my repeated requests, the answers which I have received to date have invariably been

much vaguer and briefer than the Italian press reports in my possession?

(cid:129) whether it does not believe that the investigations should be expedited, not least to limit the extent to
which the Rome central dairy may be distorting the market if the alleged infringements are occurring
in reality?

(cid:129) could it supply a comprehensive and detailed outline of the procedure in progress and give its general

view on the matter?

(1) OJ C 345, 15.11.1996, p. 102.
(2) OJ C 373, 9.12.1997, p. 60.
(3) OJ C 158, 25.5.1998, p. 103.
(4) OJ C 310, 9.10.1998, p. 84.
(5) OJ C 13, 18.1.1999, p. 39.
(6) OJ C 289, 11.10.1999, p. 9.
(7) OJ C 348, 3.12.1999, p. 102.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(26 November 1999)

On 30 March 1998 the Commission decided to open the examination procedure provided for in Article
88(2) (formerly Article 93(2)) of the EC Treaty in regard to aid granted by the Italian State (through the
Commune of Rome) for the operation and privatisation of the Centrale del Latte di Roma.

The procedure was opened for several reasons. First, the compensation for the enterprise(cid:146)s operating losses
appeared incompatible with the common market. Second, a compensation arrangement for (cid:145)public service(cid:146)
costs which seemed impossible in a market such as that
to common
organisation. Third, this public service financing might also constitute aid to milk producers in the Lazio
region. Fourth, it was possible that a State aid had been granted to the purchaser when the enterprise was
privatised.

for milk products subject

Following the Commission(cid:146)s decision the Italian authorities transmitted their comments by letters of 6 and
these replies led the Commission to write to Italy on
26 July 1988. A detailed examination of
21 September 1999 requesting further information in order to assess the conformity of certain aids with
the Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (1).

As regards the time taken by the Commission over its examination, Article 7(6) of Regulation (EC) No 659/
1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 93 of the EC Treaty (2)
states that the Commission shall as far as possible endeavour to adopt a decision within 18 months of
opening of the procedure. Given this regulatory provision, the complexity of the dossier and the need to
obtain additional information from the Italian authorities, the Commission considers that the time being
taken is not excessive.

C 203 E/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2000

The Commission regrets that it cannot as requested make a preliminary assessment of compatibility of the
measures with the common market. To do so would be to anticipate its final position.

(1) OJ C 283, 19.9.1997.
(2) OJ L 83, 27.3.1999.

(2000/C 203 E/165)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2080/99

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 November 1999)

Subject: Availability of official documents

Is the Commission prepared, in the interests of transparency and to lower the costs of businesses operating
in Europe, to make all Commission directives, European Union legislation and European Union treaties
available on the internet either free or at minimal cost, and, if not, can it explain why these documents
cannot be made available in this way?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 1999)

In answer to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s question, the Commission is indeed prepared to provide access to
Community legislation on the Internet, free of charge and in a user-friendly format, and has already done a
great deal of work in this connection.

The EUR-Lex site (http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/) has been open to the public since April 1998. It gives
access to the Official Journal (OJ) in the eleven Community languages on the day it is published. Initially
the site was opened up for a 20-day period, subsequently extended to 45 days owing to popular demand.
It also provides free access to Community legislation previously available only through the CELEX
database, for which a fee is charged. EUR-Lex users can also access recent judgments of the Court of
Justice free of charge.

The Commission plans to make further improvements in the near future: it aims to create better synergies
between existing Community-law information systems (such as EUR-Lex, EUDOR and CELEX), to make
them more user-friendly and to increase consistency. The first results, which will offer a single gateway for
the various systems, are expected in the first quarter of 2000.

In most cases, the information will be provided to the public at no charge, in so far as the resources
needed to develop and maintain the IT systems are made available. Under current plans, charges for the
above services and for access to old legislation no longer in force will be retained only for users making
complex searches for professional purposes.

(2000/C 203 E/166)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2081/99

by Concepci(cid:243) Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 November 1999)

Subject: Study on the impact of the Asian and Russian financial crisis on the fashion sector

On 15 January 1999 Parliament adopted a resolution on the economic and social impact of the global
financial crisis on European industry (B4-0024/1999) (1), urging the Commission to provide a detailed
report on the economic and social effects of increased competition on the various sectors of the European
economy, especially in terms of output and employment.