WRITTEN QUESTION E-2702/00 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Agricultural support and accession of Turkey.
Date: 2000-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Türkiye, accession to the European Union, aid to agriculture, costing, support policy

18.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/153

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(4 October 2000)

The Commission sees no reason to reconsider its answer to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s Written
1.
Question E-557/00 on the basis of the statistical data reported by the Honourable Member and given in a
Parliamentary answer in the House of Commons. Whilst accepting the need for improvements to its
disciplinary system (cid:129) and, consequently, pursuing such improvements through the Reform Strategy (cid:129) the
Commission continues to take the view that the overall effectiveness of a disciplinary regime is best
measured by the degree to which it helps to prevent indiscipline, rather than by the numbers of employees
dismissed.

2.
To the extent that (cid:145)malpractice, inefficiency and delays(cid:146) exist within the Commission, they are often
the result of unsatisfactory rules and systems rather than the individual actions of the Commission(cid:146)s
employees. This is largely the case, for example, with the payment delays to which the Honourable
Member makes specific reference.
In such circumstances, disciplinary proceedings against individuals
would not provide a solution. Change in the system is necessary and that, too, is being actively pursued.

The Commission is not in possession of detailed information on the numbers of civil servants
3.
dismissed by Member States annually, and it is thus not in a position to respond to the Honourable
Member(cid:146)s question.

The Commission does not assume that Community civil servants are intrinsically more or less likely
4.
to succumb to bad practices than any other people. It does recognise, however, that it would not be
reasonable or wise to introduce a system of dismissals that is determined by whatever average may or may
not exist in any other organisation or institutions.

(2001/C 113 E/159)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2702/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Agricultural support and accession of Turkey

1. What is the Commission(cid:146)s estimate of the extra annual cost of support if existing EU farm support
policies were extended to Turkey on its accession to the EU:

(a) assuming no change in its current agricultural production;

(b) projecting a change in its agricultural production based on changes in price incentives as support and

structural policies were brought into line with existing EU policies?

2. What is the estimated annual cost respectively for both Guarantee and Structural Funds in each case?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(29 September 2000)

To estimate the extra annual cost of agricultural support resulting from Turkey(cid:146)s accession to the
Community it would be necessary to know with a reasonable degree of certainty the date, terms and the
conditions of Turkey(cid:146)s accession to the Community. These aspects will have to be defined in accession
negotiations with Turkey, which have not yet been opened. Consequently, any cost estimate made on the
basis of assumptions indicated by the Honourable Member would necessarily be of an entirely hypothetical
and speculative nature. At the present stage of the pre-accession process the Commission is, therefore, not
in a position to answer the questions asked by the Honourable Member.