WRITTEN QUESTION E-0630/00 by María Ayuso González (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Companies in receipt of export refunds.
Date: 2000-03-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European undertaking, aid recipient, export refund

13.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 46 E/21

(2001/C 46 E/024)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0630/00

by Mar(cid:237)a Ayuso GonzÆlez (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Companies in receipt of export refunds

(3 March 2000)

Export refunds have played an important role in stimulating agricultural exports and have been applied
for, and paid to, EU exporting companies, most of which are involved in processing and marketing.

Would the Commission state which companies have received export refunds exceeding 100 000 euros/ecus
per year and provide the following information: (a) the total amount received for each of the years from
1986 to 1999; (b) the country to which the companies belong or to which the amount was assigned; (c)
the crops or products exported; (d) whether the companies involved are engaged solely in marketing
(processing and/or export) or also in production (agricultural or livestock)?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 April 2000)

including export refunds,

The Commission would remind the Honourable Member that much of the work is delegated to the
Member States(cid:146) paying agencies, under the statutory provisions governing the treatment of Community
agricultural aid,
in the Community budget, and in particular the Guarantee
Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) (Council Regulation (EC) No
1258/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (1) and Commission
Regulation (EC) No 296/96 of 16 February 1996 (2) on data to be transmitted by the Member States and
the monthly booking of expenditure financed under the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural
Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), and laying down certain detailed rules of application for Council
Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999 of 17 May 1999 establishing common rules for direct support schemes
under the common agricultural policy (3)). Consequently, as applications for aid are managed by these
paying agencies (approved by the Member States in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No
1663/95 of 7 July 1995 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No
729/70 regarding the procedure for the clearance of the accounts of the EAGGF Guarantee Section (4)),
they have all the data concerning the recipients.

The Commission does not possess the information requested by the Honourable Member. For purposes of
control, the Member States notify the Commission of the accounting data specified in the Regulation; it
would be possible to process those data to reveal the identity of aid recipients, but Community provisions
on personal data protection, which are binding on Community institutions by virtue of Article 286 (ex-
article 213b) of the EC Treaty, would prevent the Commission from divulging this information.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.
(2) OJ L 39, 17.2.1996.
(3) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.
(4) OJ L 158, 8.7.1995.

(2001/C 46 E/025)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0631/00

by Mar(cid:237)a Ayuso GonzÆlez (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 March 2000)

Subject: Consequences of abolishing export refunds for certain sectors of agriculture

Does the Commission consider that abolishing export refunds (originally introduced to provide an outlet
for excess production by farmers and stockbreeders) will directly affect producers (farmers and stock-