WRITTEN QUESTION E-1198/00 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Imports of Venezuelan and Peruvian preserved sardines into the EU.
Date: 2000-04-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Peru, Venezuela, application of EU law, competence of the Member States, fish, import (EU), marketing standard

20.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 89 E/15

(2001/C 89 E/013)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1198/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 April 2000)

Subject: Imports of Venezuelan and Peruvian preserved sardines into the EU

Article 2 of Council Regulation 2136/89 of 21 June 1989 (1) laying down common marketing standards
for preserved sardines stipulates that the only products which may be marketed as preserved sardines and
receive the trade description provided for in Article 7 are those which, inter alia, meet the requirement of
having been prepared exclusively from the species (cid:145)Sardina Pilchardus Walbaum(cid:146).

The species which fulfil this requirement are those falling under the CN codes:

(cid:129) 0302.61.10 ((cid:145)Sardina Pilchardus(cid:146), fresh or chilled)

(cid:129) 0303.71.10 ((cid:145)Sardina Pilchardus(cid:146), frozen).

Only from these species can preserved sardines be obtained which may be described as such and classified
as products falling under the CN codes 1604.13.11.20 and 1604.13.19.20.

Can the Commission state what monitoring action is being taken to ensure that the Community legislation
concerned is being complied with in full?

Can the Commission state what results have been achieved in the monitoring of respect
Community legislation in the case of imports of preserved sardines from Venezuela and Peru?

for this

(1) OJ L 212, 22.7.1989, p. 79.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 June 2000)

Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 of 12 October 1993 establishing a control system applicable to the
common fisheries policy (1) requires the Member States to monitor all fisheries activities on their territory,
including marketing, in order to ensure compliance with all the rules in force. The implementation and
supervision of Regulation (EEC) No 2136/89 are therefore matters for which the Member States are
responsible.

Following a complaint by a Member State in July 1999 and information received from certain private
organisations, the Commission notified the matter to the importing Member State (Germany), asking it to
ensure strict compliance with the Regulation. A number of practices not in conformity with Community
legislation were corrected as a result. However, since the situation did not appear to be entirely
satisfactory, the Commission then initiated infringement proceedings against the importing Member State.
These are still in progress.

Like the proceedings, the complaint concerns the import of pilchards from Peru and sardinellas from
Venezuela under the designation (cid:145)sardines(cid:146). It should be noted that the Community imports only small
quantities of preserved sardines from these two countries. In 1999, no imports under codes 1604 13 11
20, 1604 13 19 20 and 1604 20 50 10 were recorded for Venezuela. In the case of Peru, 70 tonnes were
imported by the Member State against which infringement proceedings were initiated.

(1) OJ L 261, 20.10.1993.