WRITTEN QUESTION P-1263/00 by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Chinese accession to the WTO.
Date: 2000-04-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: China, Community budget, World Trade Organisation, accession to the European Union

C 53 E/114

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

As regards the specific example of the medical product Xenical produced by Roche Laboratories: where
this is a medical product whose marketing authorisation has been granted via the centralised procedure,
i.e. by the Commission, after receiving the opinion of the Scientific Committee advising the European
Agency for the Evaluation of Medical Product, the Commission will examine the problem raised with the
holder of
the marketing authorisation and with the Dutch authorities responsible for supervising
advertising on their national territory. The holder of the marketing authorisation is, indeed, responsible
for the advertising applying to those medical products for which he has obtained the marketing permit.

If it should emerge that there has been an infringement of Directive 92/28/EEC, the Commission will take
the action needed.

(1) Council Directive 92/28/EEC of 13 March 1992 on the advertising of medicinal products for human use (OJ L 113,

30.4.1992).

(2001/C 53 E/144)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1260/00

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE)
and Marie Isler BØguin (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(19 April 2000)

Subject: Expulsion of bears from the French Pyrenees

In late March 2000 the French parliament decided that brown bears in the (French) Pyrenees should be
forced to move home. In 1996 a number of brown bears from Slovenia were specially imported to
strengthen and inject new life into the population of brown bears in the Pyrenees which faced extinction.

Does the Commission agree that capturing these brown bears and forcibly removing them to Slovenia or
to zoos is a infringement of the habitats directive?

If so, what action does the Commission intend to take to induce the French authorities to abandon the
forcible relocation of bears?

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(9 June 2000)

The Honourable Member refers to an amendment adopted at first reading by the French National
Assembly. To date, the Commission has not been informed of any final decision by the French authorities
to capture bears reintroduced to the central Pyrenees or their cubs.

If France does decide to capture the bears,
it must abide by the provisions of Article 16 of Council
Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and
flora (1) (cid:129) the Habitats Directive. The Commission has not been informed of any decision by Slovenia to
accept bears relocated from the Pyrenees.

The Commission hopes that the LIFE-Nature project under way in the Pyrenees will be able to continue
with bears reintroduced to or born in these mountains, where until recently they occurred naturally.

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.

(2001/C 53 E/145)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1263/00

by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 April 2000)

Subject: Chinese accession to the WTO

Could the Commission state what, on the basis of its present negotiating position, will be the likely
budgetary implications in terms of customs tariff revenues and agricultural levies on the one hand, and
including projections for agricultural export refunds and any other relevant impacts on
expenditure,

20.2.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 53 E/115

budgetary expenditure on the other, both in terms of the volumes involved and as a proportion of annual
budgetary appropriations designated for the financing of the Community(cid:146)s external operations, of Chinese
accession to the World Trade Organisation?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(11 May 2000)

The Community already treats China as a World Trade Organisation (WTO) member in so far as it is
subject to most favoured nation tariff rates on exports to the Community. Moreover, China(cid:146)s accession to
the WTO will not alter the Community(cid:146)s own market access commitments, including tariff rates, in the
WTO. China(cid:146)s accession to the WTO is a negotiation on China(cid:146)s future commitments, not those of present
WTO members. Levels of customs tariff revenues will therefore be a function of the level of imports.
Assuming that China(cid:146)s WTO accession will boost their exports to the Community, an increase in duty
revenue can be expected in the longer term.

China will reduce the agricultural tariff rates for import of products from all WTO members, including the
Community. This will improve the market access possibilities for Community products but will not alter
the Community(cid:146)s export commitments undertaken in the Uruguay Round. Consequently, the Community(cid:146)s
budgetary expenditure will have to stay within the committed limits.

(2001/C 53 E/146)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1266/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: Microcredit as a means of poverty reduction

(19 April 2000)

What funds has the Commission committed in the last three years to the expansion of microcredit as a
means of poverty reduction (which was endorsed in principle in the Commission(cid:146)s April 1998 (cid:145)Micro-
finance and Poverty Reduction(cid:146) report), and in what other ways is the Commission supporting poverty
elimination under its development and cooperation policy?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(19 May 2000)

Over the last three years, the Commission has committed approximately € 200 million to microcredit
schemes, through different instruments (non-governmental organisation (NGO) co-financing, rural devel-
opment projects, food security, Stabex, support to micro-enterprises).

Poverty reduction constitutes the overarching goal of European development co-operation. In this context,
Community policy reflects the international consensus but
takes the approach further, recognising
inequality as a constraint on growth and poverty reduction, suggesting a return to a policy of growth
with distribution, and emphasising the political aspects of development strategy.

At the macro-economic level, structural adjustment programmes of the (cid:145)new generation(cid:146) include social
indicators (health and education) for the allocation of part of the funds, in order to stimulate the countries
concerned to achieve better results in these sectors.