WRITTEN QUESTION E-3247/00 by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Negotiations with Cape Verde for a new fisheries agreement.
Date: 2000-10-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cabo Verde, fishing agreement, negotiation of an agreement (EU)

C 151 E/112

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.5.2001

619/EEC (third life assurance Directive) (1) lays down co-ordinated rules for the calculation of the minimum
amount of technical provisions, including mathematical provisions that an insurance undertaking must set
up to meet its contractual obligations. Directive 92/96/EEC also sets out the list of eligible assets from
among which Member States allow insurance undertakings to invest in order to cover their technical
provisions. From a legal viewpoint, the assets representing technical provisions are owned by the insurance
undertaking.

The Honourable Member refers to the distribution by a life assurance undertaking of the assets covering
the technical provisions which are in excess of the amount which must be set up according to the rules
used to calculate such provisions. It falls to the insurance undertaking, under the supervision of its national
supervisory authority, to determine the amount of such excess as well as the criteria for distribution.

According to information held by the Commission, the British insurance supervisor (Financial Services
Authority) has always considered that any distribution of such assets should be made in such a way that
policyholders would be entitled to obtain 90 % of the assets to be distributed and the remaining 10 %
would be left for shareholders. Some insurance undertakings recently made special offers to policyholders
regarding the distribution of a portion of such (cid:145)orphan assets(cid:146). National courts are being called upon to
analyse such offers and an important test case is to be heard by the High Court in December 2000. This
will clarify the situation.

The Commission has no evidence of misuse of (cid:145)orphan funds(cid:146) held by insurance undertakings. The
Commission considers that it falls to national authorities to verify whether the distribution of assets held
by insurance undertakings in excess of investments covering the minimum required level of technical
provisions complies with the terms of insurance contracts concluded by the insurance undertakings and
other legislative measures or prudential standards set up in the Member States. Should evidence of specific
commercial practices emerge that conflicted with national requirements, the national authorities would be
required to take appropriate measures.

(1) OJ L 360, 9.12.1992.

(2001/C 151 E/125)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3247/00

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(20 October 2000)

Subject: Negotiations with Cape Verde for a new fisheries agreement

The Community fisheries sector is concerned at the fact that the existing EU-Cape Verde agreement
expired on 6 September 2000, while no negotiating timetable has yet been set for its renewal.

What contacts has the Commission entered into with the Cape Verde authorities for the renewal of this
agreement? Have the Commission and the Cape Verde government agreed on a negotiating timetable?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 2000)

The Commission thanks the Honourable Members for their interest in the renewal of the protocol to the
EU-Cape Verde Fisheries Agreement and is pleased to inform them of the following.

The Commission is aware of the importance of renewing the protocol before its expires and, following a
series of preliminary contacts, took part in three successive rounds of talks in Brussels on 19/20 July 2000,
in Praia on 23-25 August 2000 and in Brussels on 6/7 November 2000.

22.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 151 E/113

Although significant progress was made in the talks, in particular concerning fishing opportunities and
financial compensation, the agreement was not concluded. This was because the Commission,
in full
agreement with the Member States concerned (particularly Spain), was not in a position to agree to the
Cape Verde demand that a provision be inserted obliging surface longliners to land their catches at the
port of Mindelo.

The Commission is making every effort to ensure that this agreement is concluded as soon as possible.
However, Cape Verde has not yet been in a position to set a new date for talks.

(2001/C 151 E/126)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3249/00

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 October 2000)

Subject: EU aids for olive oil marketing

At a recent seminar on (cid:145)The production and marketing of olive oil (cid:129) present situation and prospects(cid:146) held
at a summer school in Baeza (JaØn province), the town which is the centre of Spain(cid:146)s olive oil industry, the
view was expressed by both the technical adviser for relations with the EU of the National Olive Oil
Agency and an expert on EU policy from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture that the EU aids to the olive
oil sector will not be reduced: rather, their nature will change.

These experts considered that the nature of the aids will change in the sense that funding will go not only
to production but also to other activities such as marketing.

Since marketing is the Achilles heel of the olive oil sector, can the Commission confirm that the reform of
aid to the sector will in fact cover other activities such as marketing?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 2000)

The common organisation of the market for the olive oil sector in its present form, as provided for in
Regulation No 136/66/EEC of the Council of 22 September 1966 on the establishment of a common
organisation of the market in oils and fats (1), expires on 31 October 2001.

To allow new arrangements to be introduced from 1 November 2001, the Commission intends to submit
a proposal to the Council and Parliament in good time. The Commission is currently examining the
information collected on the basis of studies carried out and from other available sources.

Pending this proposal, the Commission cannot comment on the assumptions made by the two Spanish
experts.

(1) OJ B 172, 30.9.1966.

(2001/C 151 E/127)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3250/00

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 October 2000)

Subject: The EU(cid:146)s cork policy

Following the end of the cork harvesting season which, every year, involves numerous workers in the
sector, such as woodcutters, gatherers, cleavers, transporters and weighers in the municipalities of Ronda
and Cortes de la Frontera (Malaga province, Spain), all those involved are concerned about their future in
the face of the possible emergence of a new material to replace cork.