WRITTEN QUESTION E-2868/00 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Payment of the surtax or fine in respect of milk production.
Date: 2000-09-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, agricultural quota, agricultural surplus, common agricultural policy, dairy production, farmers' income, price of agricultural produce, regulation of agricultural production

C 136 E/116

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.5.2001

NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) areas Ourense and Pontevedran Galicia and Alto-
Tras-Os-Montes, Cavado and Minho-Lima in North are eligible under strand A (cross-frontier cooperation)
of Interreg III. Both regions are eligible in their entirety, as forming part of the (cid:145)Atlantic(cid:146) and (cid:145)South-West
European(cid:146) cooperation zones, for the purposes of strands B (transnational cooperation) and C (interregional
cooperation) of the Initiative.

For 2000-2006 the indicative Interreg III allocations are € 900 000 000 to Spain and € 394 000 000 to
Portugal. The national authorities have not yet officially notified the Commission of their breakdown of
these amounts by region, strand and cooperation zone. At present therefore the Interreg III assistance for
Galicia and North cannot be precisely quantified.

The Commission can nonetheless confirm that it assesses very positively the working methods of and
results achieved by this Euro-region, which took the lead in a number of cooperative projects during the
last programming period (1994-1999) for the Community Structural Funds. The Galicia/North Working
Community already enjoys a vigorous institutional life and a tradition of cooperation that should form one
of the bases for planning the future cross-frontier programme. The Commission will pay particular
attention during the present period to cross-frontier projects that strengthen the social and economic
links already established between the two regions.

(2001/C 136 E/132)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2868/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(14 September 2000)

Subject: Payment of the surtax or fine in respect of milk production

There is great concern in rural milieux in Galicia over the Commission(cid:146)s intention to impose a surtax or
fine in respect of milk production for 1999-2000. These plans could affect 20 000 agricultural households
and could involve the highest fines ever levied, according to the Galician farmers(cid:146) union (the Sindicato
Labrego Galego).
In view of the unacceptable passivity of the Galician regional government, whose
competences include agriculture, this union, along with the other farmers(cid:146) unions and, indeed, Galician
society as a whole, believes that it is totally unfair to impose such a fine on households who are at this
time making a historic effort to modernise their activity while being obliged to sell their milk at the lowest
prices in Europe, with the dairy industries taking advantage of the farmers(cid:146) need to find outlets for what
they produce in excess of the minimal quotas allocated to Galicia. Since Galician agriculture is a special
case in Europe, even though the Union has to date never considered it to be such, does the Commission
intend, at last, to take the necessary action to raise the milk quotas to a sufficient level, thus enabling
Galicia(cid:146)s agricultural households to survive and complete the modernisation of their activity which they
have so visibly embarked on at great sacrifice?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(25 October 2000)

The Honourable Member is wrong in ascribing to the Commission an intention to impose a fine on milk
producers. Under Council Regulation (EEC) No 3950/92 establishing an additional levy in the milk and
milk products sector (1) an (cid:145)additional levy(cid:146) is automatically due from all producers in excess when the
deliveries of a particular year exceed the national reference quantity ((cid:145)quota(cid:146)). Since 1992 the levy rate has
been 115 % of the milk target price. The amount of the levy depends solely on the quantity in surplus and
not on the Commission. According to the Agriculture Ministry(cid:146)s annual statement the national quota was
exceeded in Spain in 1999/2000, but by less than in 1995/96.

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/117

The Council has been setting quotas since 1984 and under Agenda 2000 has adjusted them for the period
to 2008 in line with the Community(cid:146)s internal consumption, its international commitments and historic
data for each Member State. Hence Member States(cid:146) modernisation of the sector can be undertaken only
within the limit of the national quota set. Reallocation to certain producers of individual quotas freed by
others is permitted.

The Council has over time substantially increased the reference quantities assigned to Spain. For the period
1986-2008 the rise has been 29 %. This contrasts with the European average of a 2 % fall for that period.
The Galician production situation was an important factor leading to this difference. Quota distribution
between regions and producers is decided by each Member State, using objective criteria. In Spain the
regions have been involved in this.

Regional production surpluses explain the comparatively low prices paid to Galician producers. To
increase the available quantity for the region without prior commercial rationalisation by the industry
would merely worsen the situation. To achieve a modern and profitable industry it would be helpful,
rather than increasing quotas, to include it in a rural development plan as provided for in Council
Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on support
from the European Agricultural
Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and repealing certain Regulations (2).

for rural development

(1) OJ L 405, 31.12.1992.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2001/C 136 E/133)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2869/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(14 September 2000)

Subject: Fishing in Latin American southern Pacific waters outside the 200-mile zone

What is the Commission(cid:146)s position on the announcement by Mr Heinz Moller, Foreign Minister of Ecuador
and member of the Permanent Committee of the South Pacific formed by Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and
Peru, to the effect that those countries intend to impose more restrictive conditions for fishing outside the
200-mile zone applying to them, given that this will affect the Community(cid:146)s interests and, in particular,
the vessels of the Galician fleet which fish for scabbardfish in those waters?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(18 October 2000)

The Commission has been recently informed of the adoption of the so-called (cid:145)Galapagos Agreement(cid:146)
negotiated by Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The text of the agreement has been made available to
the Commission, and is currently subject to an analysis in detail.

At this time, a first analysis of the text already reveals a number of provisions which would be contrary to
the Community(cid:146)s interpretation of the Law of the Sea and, from that point of view, the text of the
agreement would seem very difficult to accept for the Community.

In addition,
the agreement as drafted will overlap with the existing Inter-American Tropical Tuna
Commission (IATTC), an organisation that has been managing tropical tuna in the Eastern Pacific for
50 years. For the Commission, this duplication of instruments is not justifiable, since IATTC is already
a fully-fledged organisation where the management of all highly migratory fish stocks in the Eastern Pacific
can be adequately covered.