WRITTEN QUESTION P-0576/00 by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Community promotion of the cider industry within the European Union.
Date: 2000-02-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: cider, common commercial policy, sales promotion

C 374 E/110

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.12.2000

(2000/C 374 E/127)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0575/00

by Carlos Ripoll y Mart(cid:237)nez de Bedoya (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(23 February 2000)

Subject: Structural Funds

On the basis of the Commission(cid:146)s estimates and in accordance with the relevant criteria, how much are the
Balearic Islands due to receive form the Structural Funds in the 2000-2006 period, and what will the
breakdown of the amount be?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(21 March 2000)

On 22 December 1999 the Commission took a decision of principle on the list of the areas of Spain
eligible under Objective 2 during the 2000-2006 programming period. Following consultation of the three
committees at the end of January, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June
1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (1), the Commission will shortly take a final
decision on this list. The Balearic Islands will appear in part on this list and will therefore benefit from
Objective 2 appropriations.

On 1 July 1999 the Commission adopted the indicative distribution among the Member States concerned
of
the commitment appropriations for Objective 2 for the 2000-2006 programming period. The
appropriations allocated to Spain comprised EUR 2 553 million for the eligible areas and EUR 98 million
for the Objective 2 areas receiving transitional support. Immediately it has taken a final decision on the list
of areas eligible under Objective 2, the Commission will send the Spanish authorities a proposal for the
distribution among the regions concerned of the appropriations available under this Objective using the
method it employed to distribute the Objective 2 appropriations among the Member States.

However, it should be stressed that this proposal is indicative in nature. Final distribution will be decided
by mutual agreement between the Member State and the Commission, when the various single program-
ming documents concerned are adopted. It is therefore impossible at this stage to assess the amount which
the Balearic Islands will receive under Objective 2.

This is also true of the other structural assistance which the Balearic Islands could receive, Objective 3, the
Financial
Instrument for Fisheries Guidance and the Interreg, Urban, Equal and Leader Community
Initiatives.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2000/C 374 E/128)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0576/00

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(23 February 2000)

Subject: Community promotion of the cider industry within the European Union

Cider has become the hallmark of various Community regions, especially the Spanish region of Asturias,
which is widely recognised as a leader in the production of cider, the marketing and consumption of
which are expanding beyond the Spanish domestic market to reach every part of Europe and North
America.

However, even such a universal beverage as cider currently needs a boost to its potential sales and
consumption levels, particularly within the EU market, for which reason producers would like to know
whether they could be granted Commission aid for the purpose of developing programmes which would
encourage consumers to choose cider over other more harmful beverages.

Could the Commission say whether it could devise programmes to increase sales and consumption of cider
within the EU market, along the lines of the various campaigns which it has organised in order to increase
the consumption of other agricultural products such as olive oil, wine and oranges?

28.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/111

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(15 March 2000)

As the Honourable Member states, the Community helps finance promotional programmes for certain
agricultural products originating in its territory. At present these include olive oil, milk and milk products,
quality beef and veal, apples and citrus fruits, nuts, table olives, raisins, grape juice, quality products from
the outermost regions, live flowers and plants and fibre flax. The legal basis for the Community part-
financing of these programmes is provided by the Council Regulation on each individual product.

In order to extend the possibility of supporting such promotional programmes for agricultural products,
the Commission intends soon to submit to the Council a draft regulation to harmonise and simplify the
system for promoting agricultural products in the Community. To that end, the list of products included in
this system will not be a closed one, and any product will then be able to seek to be the subject of a
promotional campaign part-financed by the Community.

(2000/C 374 E/129)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0580/00

by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: European sustainable transport policy

Can traditional EU institutional allies, especially the Parliament and the Commission, themeselves maintain
a sense of unity in disseminating notions of a (cid:145)European Interest(cid:146) to a wider audience?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(15 June 2000)

The Commission regrets that it does not have sufficient information to be able to answer the question.

(2000/C 374 E/130)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0581/00

by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: European sustainable transport policy

To what extent have traditional conflicting relations between national and local levels of governments, in
EU Member States, created difficulties for T-TEN project development?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(10 April 2000)

In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, Member States are responsible for the implementation of
the network within their own territory. The respective roles of national, regional and local government in
infrastructure project development vary between Member States, but in each case negotiations between the
different national actors take place within the Member State concerned, without direct involvement from
the Commission.