WRITTEN QUESTION E-1695/00 by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Legal aid to sue Paul van Buitenen.
Date: 2000-05-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, European official, defamation, legal action

C 81 E/72

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

The Commission feels it ought to point out that the Community standard for cucumbers, as set out in
Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1677/88 of 15 June 1988 laying down quality standards for cucum-
bers (1) and itself based on internationally accepted standards, does not contain any rules on minimum or
maximum curvature for Class II cucumbers. Cucumbers of all shapes, straight or curved, may be marketed
in this class.

(1) OJ L 150, 16.6.1988.

(2001/C 81 E/086)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1690/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: Cost of the (cid:145)drink milk(cid:146) campaign

Can the Commission provide details of the budgeted costs for the (cid:145)trendy girls drink milk(cid:146) campaign, which
was launched in November 1999 to increase milk consumption in the Member States?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(14 July 2000)

The Community did not finance the campaign with the title (cid:145)trendy girls drink milk(cid:146).

Complete information concerning promotional campaigns for milk and milk products funded by the
Community can be found on the following Commission web-site address:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg06/prom/index_en.htm

(2001/C 81 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1695/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: Legal aid to sue Paul van Buitenen

Has the Commission, or has the Commission not, offered free legal aid (with a possible view to suing) to
EU staff who feel that they have been slandered or discredited by Paul van Buitenen in his book?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(20 July 2000)

Under Article 24 Staff Regulations, (cid:145)the Communities shall assist any official, in particular in proceedings
against any person perpetrating threats, insulting or defamatory acts or utterances, ((cid:133)) by reason of his
position or duties(cid:146).

Based on this provision, the Commission can (cid:129) after due consideration (cid:129) be obliged to offer assistance to
members of Community staff who have been slandered or discredited. The assistance granted can consist
of the reimbursement of the legal fees due to a lawyer for suing the author of the defamation.

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/73

In relation to Mr. van Buitenen(cid:146)s book, assistance under Article 24 has, to date, been requested only once.
It was granted after consideration of the fact that a pseudonym used in the book was identical to the name
of an official. In this case, Mr van Buitenen officially presented his apologies to the official concerned.

(2001/C 81 E/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1696/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Classification of strawberries and the Swedish climate

(29 May 2000)

Has the Commission adjusted the classification of strawberries to take account of the Swedish climate?
Swedish strawberries are smaller but sweeter than the strawberries grown further south in Europe because
of the climate. Since Sweden(cid:146)s entry into the EU, part of the country(cid:146)s strawberry crop has had to be set
aside and turned into purØe as they do not, in terms of size, fall within the four classes into which
strawberries have been divided. Has the Commission taken account of
this Scandinavian aspect of
strawberry production in the relevant legislation?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(10 July 2000)

One of the purposes of marketing standards is to withdraw from the market products which consumers
would find of unsatisfactory quality. One of the instruments used is the establishment of minimum sizes,
which permits the withdrawal of fruit which is insufficiently developed or mature. The minimum size for
strawberries, based on recognised international standards, was set at 22 millimetres (mm).

It appears that fruit of two varieties (Primella and Gariguette) could be of satisfactory quality even though
smaller than 22 mm. Accordingly, the Commission has decided to reduce the minimum size for these two
varieties to 18 mm.

The Commission has no information on other varieties of strawberries, cultivated in Sweden or elsewhere
in the Community, whose fruit reaches a satisfactory level of development or maturity despite being
smaller than 22 mm.

(2001/C 81 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1697/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: Future of drugs observatory EMCDDA

The drugs observatory EMCDDA in Lisbon has now been operating since 1993. It still does not produce
any comparable statistics for the drugs situation and drug-abuse trends in the Member States. Should the
EMCDDA project not be considered a failure and the observatory abandoned since the Member States are
best equipped to deal with these issues at national level?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(26 July 2000)

The European monitoring centre for drugs and drug addiction (EMCDDA) became operational
in the
beginning of 1995. According to the founding Regulation the main task of the Centre is to (cid:145)provide the
Community and its Member States with objective, reliable and comparable information at European level