WRITTEN QUESTION P-1800/00 by Marit Paulsen (ELDR) to the Commission. Exports of live animals.
Date: 2000-05-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: export, export refund, live animal, protection of animals, transport of animals, veterinary inspection

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/95

The signals being sent by Russia are extremely worrying and contrary to both the consolidation of
democracy in Russia and the stability of Europe in its broadest sense.

Can the Commission therefore say whether and to what extent it is monitoring the situation? What other
information does it have at its disposal concerning press freedom and democratic guarantees in Russia and
is this information reassuring or does it give further cause for concern? What steps has it taken or does it
intend to take to tackle this situation in the context of its bilateral relations with Russia?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(18 July 2000)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written????? E-1778/00 by
Mr Ford (1).

(1) See p. 92.

(2001/C 81 E/114)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1800/00

by Marit Paulsen (ELDR) to the Commission

(31 May 2000)

Subject: Exports of live animals

Council Regulation (EC) No. 1254/1999 (1), which entered into force on 1 January 2000, stipulates that
(cid:145)the payment of the refund for exports of live animals shall be subject to compliance with the provisions
established in Community legislation concerning animal welfare and,
in particular, the protection of
animals during transport(cid:146) (Article 33(9)).

According to Council Directive (EC) 91/628 (2) (amended by Council Directive 95/29 (3)), Member States
shall ensure that transporters do (cid:145)not transport any animal, or cause any animal to be transported, in a way
which is likely to cause injury or undue suffering to that animal(cid:146), that animals shall not be tied by the
horns, or by nose rings and that, during transport, animals shall not be lifted by the head, horns, legs, tail
or fleece.

Despite the rules, European TV stations have once again exposed just such unlawful conduct where
animals are subjected to unimaginably cruel, appalling and totally disgraceful treatment. This cannot be
allowed to continue.

What does the Commission do to verify and enforce compliance with the animal welfare provisions of
Regulation 1254/99?

How many export refunds have been withdrawn on grounds of breaches of those provisions?

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 21.
(2) OJ L 340, 11.12.1991, p. 17.
(3) OJ L 148, 30.6.1995, p. 52.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(14 July 2000)

Ill-treatment of animals during transport in breach of Council Directive 91/628/EEC of 19 November 1991
on the protection of animals during transport and amending Directives 90/425/EEC and 91/496/EEC can
occur both when animals are transported within the Community and when they are imported from or
exported outside it.

C 81 E/96

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

Under the rules on export refunds on bovine animals (Article 33(9) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/
1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal and Article 1 of
Commission Regulation (EC) No 615/98) failure to comply with the provisions on the protection of live
animals being transported debars
from the refund. Commission Regulation (EC) No 615/98 of
18 March 1998 lays down specific detailed rules of application for the export refund arrangements as
regards the welfare of live bovine animals during transport (1).

Articles 2 and 3 of
that Regulation require systematic checking of all animals exported from the
Community and targeted checking when animals are unloaded in third countries. Only if its provisions
have been respected can export refunds be paid.

The Commission has no information on the refund amounts refused or recovered owing to non-
compliance with the abovementioned provisions. It will ask the Member States for figures for the period
since 1 September 1998, when the new rules of application introduced by Regulation (EC) No 615/98
came into force. These figures will then be notified to the Honourable Member.

(1) OJ L 82, 19.3.1998.

(2001/C 81 E/115)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1819/00

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(8 June 2000)

Subject: Funding in accordance with Regulation (EEC) No 3904/92

In its answer to Written Question E-0154/00 (1) the Commission states that 17 % of the assistance it
granted to Italy to finance projects in the context of the above-mentioned Regulation was allocated to
Liguria and amounted to ITL 2 707 million. It also specifies that 97 % of the funding was intended
to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises.

Since the Commission did not answer the first two questions asked in that Written Question, can it now
say:

1.

to whom the funding was assigned and for what projects;

2. whether it also benefited businesses in the Ventimiglia area, since it is the one worst hit by the

disappearance of customs activities?

(1) OJ L 394, 31.12.1999, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(19 September 2000)

According to the implementation report concerning Council Regulation (EEC) No 3904/92 of 17 December
1992 on measures to adapt the profession of customs agent to the internal market (1) which has been
transmitted to the Commission by the Ministero del Lavoro e della Previdenza Sociale, the following