WRITTEN QUESTION P-0199/00 by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission. Unfair competition in prices on Danish export markets due to EU subsidy for feta cheese products.
Date: 2000-01-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Denmark, cows’ milk cheese, discriminatory price, export refund, milk product

28.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/33

(2000/C 374 E/039)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0199/00

by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission

(31 January 2000)

Subject: Unfair competition in prices on Danish export markets due to EU subsidy for feta cheese products

Is the Commission aware that its subsidy policy towards feta cheese is giving an unfair price advantage to
producers of ultra-filtrated feta at
thereby seriously
distorting competition? Does it not accept that the subsidy rate for (cid:145)Combi White(cid:146) which corresponds to
the quantity of skim milk used should be reconsidered, a development which would also reward innovative
companies? Finally, will the Commissions state what has become of the proposal put forward about three
years ago aimed at introducing minimum prices as a condition for obtaining restitution, a requirement
which would ensure that the subsidy would not distort competition?

the expense of equal and competing products,

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 March 2000)

Export refunds are fixed at the same amount for Feta cheese made from cow(cid:146)s milk irrespectively of the
production process used.

Refunds are fixed for each cheese according to the fat and the moisture content and the Commission takes
into account the market situation for each individual product and the respect of the ceilings fixed by the
World trade organisation (WTO) agreement.

The Commission is not acquainted with a product called (cid:145)Combi White(cid:146). Some information indicates that it
would be a brand name of a product made with vegetable fat and protein. Such a product is not a dairy
product and is to be treated, for export refunds purposes, as a product outside Annex I competing with
cow(cid:146)s milk Feta. The amount of the refunds for the non Annex I products are calculated on basis of the
recipe for each product. The export refunds for the dairy products, when used as components of non
Annex I products, skimmed milk powder and butter, are currently 4,5 % lower than for the same dairy
products exported in natural state. This difference is necessary at the moment for budgetary reasons.

There is a minimum free-at-frontier price, € 230/100 kg, to be respected for cheeses falling under
combined nomenclature (CN) code 0406 in order to benefit from a refund. This minimum price was set
at this level in 1996 to limit the export of cheeses from the Community applying the WTO restrictions on
export of cheeses with subsidies.

Within the framework of traditional trade practices Feta made from cow(cid:146)s milk, falling under CN-code
heading 0406 9033 9919, is currently exempted from the requirement to meet the minimum price.

(2000/C 374 E/040)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0200/00

by Reinhard Rack (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 January 2000)

Subject: Posts at the European Commission reserved for Austrian nationals (cid:129) Grade A2 (to be specified as

such)

Late in 1999, the European Commission organised a competition with a view to the filling of three posts
of director reserved for Austrian nationals. At the end of the subsequent selection procedure, only one of
the three posts was actually filled. In the procedure for the filling of the post of director in the Directorate
for Citizenship and Youth in the Directorate-General for Education and Culture, the Advisory Committee
on Appointments put forward to the appointing authority the names of two candidates who duly fulfilled
all the requirements for the relevant posts. Nevertheless, the Commission subsequently decided not to take
the procedure for the filling of the post any further. In the third selection procedure, the Advisory
Committee on Appointments failed to come up with any proposal whatsoever.