WRITTEN QUESTION E-2730/00 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Commodity prices.
Date: 2000-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: agricultural statistics, common price policy, foodstuff, statistics, world market price

18.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/159

(2001/C 113 E/166)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2729/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Commodity prices

Will the Commission indicate the average rise in world commodity prices (taking as a basis the five most
significant commodities produced in the EU) if there were to be a gradual alignment of EU farm prices
with world market prices?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(5 October 2000)

The gradual alignment of Community farm prices with world prices and its impact on world market prices
were a long-debated issue in the 1980(cid:146)s, when the gap between Community internal agricultural prices and
world market prices was relatively high for several products. At that time, several analyses were published
showing that, in general, the effect of a unilateral alignment of Community prices on world market prices,
other things being equal, would generate a significant fall in the Community agricultural production and a
sharp increase in world market price levels. The implementation of a series of reforms by the Community
during the 1990(cid:146)s, implying a strong fall in the Community support prices for several products (cereals,
beef and dairy products) has considerably reduced this gap and will continue to reduce it over the next few
years.

An estimation of the impact on world market prices of the alignment of Community internal agricultural
prices towards world market prices would necessitate the use of a complex modelling framework covering
a whole range of aspects (including supply and demand as well as domestic and trade policy instruments
for the key producing and trading regions). At present, this framework is not available within the
Commission.

(2001/C 113 E/167)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2730/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Commodity prices

What is the Commission(cid:146)s estimate of the percentage difference between the prices of the five most
significant farm products within the EU at the end of each year for the last five years and the prices for the
same commodities quoted on world markets?

Please indicate the price in euros per unit for each farm product, plus the percentage difference, and also
indicate an average percentage difference based on the weights of the production of each product in the
total.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(11 October 2000)

Comparing internal prices and world market prices is very difficult owing to methodological
issues
(notably the evaluation of the most appropriate reference border price). Therefore results from such an
exercise should be considered with great caution. The table below gives an estimate of the average annual
percentage difference between Community internal prices and the equivalent world market prices. This
estimate is derived from producer and reference border prices extracted from the Organisation for

C 113 E/160

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

economic cooperation and development (OECD) PSE (producer support estimate) data base (a data base
established by the OECD Secretariat on the basis of a commonly agreed methodology with OECD
countries). Commodities covered include common wheat, refined sugar, beef and veal, pig meat and
milk. The most recent data available concern the 1995-1998 period.

Community internal prices for some agricultural commodities in €/t
(% difference with the world price equivalent) (1)

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

Common wheat
Beef and veal
Pig meat
Refined sugar
Milk

Total (%)

137,4
3 630,0
1 223,2
296,5
294,3

49
52
25
98
128

79

135,9
3 481,0
1 303,7
292,5
301,3

13
48
11
81
111

60

136,4
3 355,9
1 445,1
285,0
303,8

125,5
3 386,6
1 471,1
280,0
301,8

(cid:141) 10
48
(cid:141) 1
95
95

50

(cid:141) 4
86
1
100
94

61

115,9
3 417,6
1 093,6
251,7
301,7

21
112
12
136
132

90

Source: OECD (PSE data base); calculation DG AGRI.
(1) Calculated as: (internal price (cid:141) world price) / world price.
(2) Difference with world price (%).

(2001/C 113 E/168)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2731/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Council

(3 August 2000)

Subject: Asylum seekers

Will the Council please indicate the number of people claiming asylum in each Member State in each of
the last five years and the proportion that have so far been granted asylum in each case?

Will the Council please state what proportion of asylum seekers in each year over the last five years come
from countries with actual or recent histories of civil conflict?

Reply

(16 November 2000)

With regard to statistics relating to asylum matters, the Council would refer the Honorable Member to the
regular bulletins published by Eurostat and also to the excellent statistics published by UNHCR and
available on its Internet site at (cid:145)www.unhcr.ch(cid:146).

(2001/C 113 E/169)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2733/00

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Establishment of a pan-European air traffic control system

Recent media reports indicate that unannounced spot checks carried out at the Malpensa and Linate
Airports in Milan have shown that air traffic controllers there have been acting in a most irresponsible
fashion by clocking on for their shift but not actually carrying out their duties in front of the radar screens.
Italian air space is already deemed to be disproportionately dangerous since traffic there has increased by
18 % within one year and the subsequent accident risks have increased by 140 %. In recent years, air space
in many EU countries has become more unsafe.