WRITTEN QUESTION E-2310/99 by Carmen Fraga Estévez (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Exports of tuna fillets to the EU.
Date: 1999-12-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: ACP countries, Andean Community countries, EU market, Thailand, cannery, fishing industry, import (EU), international trade, private sector, tariff quota

8.8.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 225 E/95

(2000/C 225 E/094)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2309/99

by Carmen Fraga EstØvez (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Imports of products under tariff heading 1604.14.00

(13 December 1999)

The Thai authorities have asked to be allowed to export 8 000 tonnes of tuna fillets to the European Union
through the opening up of a separate quota for the products included under tariff heading 1604.14.00.
The Community tuna fillet market may, however, be considered to be adequately supplied from
Community internal production and imports from the Andean Pact and ACP countries covered by the
GSP. If necessary the quotas for those sources may be increased, for which reason there is no need to seek
supplies from other countries. Furthermore, tariff heading 1604.14.00 includes tinned tuna, hence any
opening up of the quota as requested by Thailand would seriously affect Community producers of tinned
tuna and tuna fillets and also the industries of the Andean Pact and ACP countries.

In the light of above, would the Commission say what its intentions are with regard to the request
submitted by Thailand?

When is the Commission going to submit the study which it promised the Council it would carry out into
the actual figures for Community tuna fillet production and actual supply requirements?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(14 January 2000)

The request by the Thai authorities to which the Honourable Member refers was sent, according to the
information received by the Commission, to a trade association representing the European fish industry.
The Commission could under no circumstances take an initiative on the basis of a document which was
not addressed to it.

In addition to that, the Commission, when drawing up its proposals on the opening and management of
autonomous tariff quotas, only considers requests which are sent to it by the Member States.

As mentioned by the Honourable Member, the Commission has committed itself to carrying out a study
on the supply of tuna fillets to the Community market in the short and medium term. The commitment
entered into by the Commission specified that this study has to be completed before the end of 1999.

The Commission will forward the study to the Council within the deadline set.

(2000/C 225 E/095)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2310/99

by Carmen Fraga EstØvez (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 December 1999)

Subject: Exports of tuna fillets to the EU

The Thai authorities have recently asked the European Union to open a new quota to allow 8 000 tonnes
of products to be imported under tariff heading 1604.14.00 (tinned tuna and tuna fillets). The Community
tuna fillet market may, however, be considered to be adequately supplied from Community internal
production and imports from the Andean Pact and ACP countries covered by the GSP. If necessary the
quotas for those sources may be increased, for which reason there is no need to seek supplies from other
countries. As has been demonstrated in recent months, both Community industries and, if necessary, the
industries of GSP countries can supply tuna fillets to Community processors at international market prices,
for which reason it is very difficult to understand why there should be any need to open a new quota for
products from Thailand.

In the light of the above, would the Commission supply:

(cid:129) a list of Thai companies which have exported tuna fillets to the EU under the last two quotas opened;

C 225 E/96

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.8.2000

(cid:129) the amounts exported by each of those companies to the European Union;

(cid:129) a list of Community companies which buy tuna imported from Thailand, indicating the Member State

in which they are based?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(21 January 2000)

The Commission is not able to provide the information asked for by the Honourable Member, since it
involves the commercial activities of private businesses. Such data are not forwarded to the Commission
by the customs administrations in the Member States.

The Commission is sending a list of the establishments in Thailand authorised to export fishery products to
the Community directly to the Honourable Member and Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

(2000/C 225 E/096)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2315/99

by Pat Gallagher (UEN) to the Commission

(29 November 1999)

Subject: Financial aid to Mali and, in particular, to the Itema company

Will the European Commission inform the European Parliament as to the exact amount of financial aid
that has been given to the Government of Mali under any of the EU-backed development aid programmes
and the LomØ Conventions over the past five years and, more specifically, whether any of these monies
were given directly or indirectly to a company called Itema in which the Malian Government is a
substantial holder?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(21 December 1999)

The attached table provides a breakdown of European development fund (EDF) and Community budget
funding to Mali since 1986. None of these funds were given either indirectly or directly to Itema.

1. National Indicative Programme

137

158

189

LomØ III
(1986-1990)

LomØ IV
(1991-1996)

LomØ IV(a)
(1997-2001)

2. Other EDF resources FED

(cid:129) Structural Adjustment Facility (SAF)
(cid:129) Stabex
(cid:129) Refugees
(cid:129) Risk capital (EIB)
(cid:129) Sysmin

3.

Community Budget Resources

(cid:129) Food aid security
(cid:129) (NGOs)
(cid:129) Democracy & Human Rights
(cid:129) Decentralised cooperation
(cid:129) Tropical forests
(cid:129) Fight against AIDS
(cid:129) ECHO

20,3

14,8

9,7
6,7

61,45
0,9
0,7
21,9

7,75
9,1
0,279
0,73
0,80

1,0

29,4 (1)

10
15

0,25
2,65
0,233
0,28

0,07
7,6

4.

TOTAL (1 + 2 + 3)

188,5

262,6

254,4

(1) A new SAF programme of an amount of € 37 million is under approval