WRITTEN QUESTION E-3679/00 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Export aid for milk surpluses.
Date: 2000-11-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: butter, export aid, extra-EU trade, powdered milk

C 174 E/112

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

Member States are allowed to conclude bilateral agreements with other Member States if they consider that
the latter(cid:146)s qualifications fulfil the national requirements. This is the case with the Convention of 12 April
1957.

It is also incumbent upon Member States to decide whether to compel interested parties with an equivalent
qualification (cid:129) European Baccalaureate or other (cid:129) to undergo the same selection procedures as holders of
national qualifications with a view to admitting them to particular study areas or educational establish-
ments.

With regard to the rules applicable to persons holding a Portuguese secondary school leaving certificate,
the Commission must point out that this is a purely internal matter that does not come under Community
law.

It would also like to point out that, under the Statute of the European Schools, the Board of Governors is
responsible for applying the Convention that created the European Schools and for representing them
legally. However, so that this matter can be dealt with more quickly, the Commission will be contacting
the Board of Governors with regard to the amendment to the law mentioned in the Honourable Member(cid:146)s
question, so that the Board can seek information from the Portuguese authorities. The Commission was
not informed about this amendment.

(2001/C 174 E/115)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3679/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 November 2000)

Subject: Export aid for milk surpluses

The recent aid or refunds payable in respect of milk powder and/or butter exports to non-member
countries may have distorted the markets in southern Europe because milk will have found its way to
other countries which export dairy products.

Can the Commission say which Member States have been receiving the above aid and what amounts have
been granted? What is the nature of the products concerned, what quantities are involved, and to what
uses have they been put?

Can the Commission also say how long the aid will continue to be paid and what amounts will be
granted? What specific measures and operations will be eligible, and, assuming that the aid is to remain in
existence, what purposes will they ultimately serve?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(12 January 2001)

Provisional figures on export refund expenditure for skimmed milk powder and butter for the budget year
2000 are indicated on the table which is sent direct
to the Honourable Member and Parliament(cid:146)s
Secretariat. The table also indicates the quantities of both products exported in the period January-
September 2000.

In providing these data, the Commission should like to underline that the payment of an export subsidy in
a particular Member State cannot be considered as an indication of the origin of the goods exported nor of
the domicile of the operator exporting them. Since export licenses may be used in any Member State and
goods may be moved freely to any part of the Community, exporters may request payment of the export
refund in the country where the goods are put on board a ship.

As regards skimmed milk powder, the main export destinations for the 304 800 tonnes (t) indicated below
were Algeria (50 379 t), Mexico (50 013 t), Indonesia (25 151 t), the Philippines (24 688 t) and Thailand
(17 263 t). In the case of butter/butteroil, the main export destinations of the 115 100 t indicated below
were Russia (18 520 t), Saudi Arabia (11 865 t), Egypt (7 762 t) and Morocco (6 812 t).

19.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174 E/113

Export refunds for milk and milk products are an important instrument of the common organisation of
the milk and milk products market. The refund amounts for different dairy products are fixed on the basis
of the price difference between the Community and world markets and taking account of the Community(cid:146)s
World trade organisation (WTO) commitments on export subsidies.

Consequently, future developments on export subsidies and exported volumes of milk and milk products
will depend on the outcome of the new round of WTO trade negotiations, on the Community(cid:146)s relative
price level as well as on the Community(cid:146)s exportable surplus.

Finally, the Commission believes there is no ground for assuming that exports of skimmed milk powder
and butter to third countries may have distorted the dairy markets in southern Europe recently. To take
butter as an example, on a total quantity of 44 078 t of surplus butter purchased into public intervention
in the Community in the year 2000, 12 982 t were purchased in Spain, 3 762 t in Portugal and 2 350 t in
Italy. It seems, therefore, that market support measures are relevant for the Community as a whole.

(2001/C 174 E/116)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3681/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 November 2000)

Subject: Milk quotas and EU enlargement

In view of the impact that enlargement of the EU will have on the CAP and the European dairy sector in
particular, can the Commission say what accession terms have been laid down, as far as milk is concerned,
for the various applicant countries?

How does it think that enlargement will affect the European dairy sector in its current form?

How does it think that enlargement will affect the existing European milk quota system?

How is it proposed to proceed as regards milk quotas for the different applicant countries?

How might those new quotas affect the present Member States?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(22 January 2001)

In the Common position of the Community on the agricultural chapter agreed in June 2000, the
Community underlined a number of key principles governing the negotiations with the candidate
countries. First, they must demonstrate, sufficiently ahead of accession, that they possess the administrative
capacity for effective implementation and enforcement of the (cid:145)acquis(cid:146) including the necessary mechanisms
in place needed for the management of the various common market organisations. Second, they should
achieve full compliance by the time of accession with regard to Community requirements for food safety
and consumer protection. Third, transitional measures must be exceptional, limited in time and scope, and
accompanied by a plan with clearly defined stages for the application of the (cid:145)acquis(cid:146). Fourth, the acceptance
of the (cid:145)acquis(cid:146) entails the obligation to apply Community prices for agricultural products upon accession.

Recent medium term forecasts suggest that milk production levels in the candidate countries will increase
very slightly over the next seven years, but that exportable surpluses will remain broadly constant. In this
respect, enlargement may add slightly to existing market balance problems for the European dairy sector
but should not create new difficulties.