WRITTEN QUESTION E-3889/00 by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Council. Integrated policy against crime.
Date: 2000-12-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: fight against crime, judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU, organised crime

C 174 E/174

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

2. Under the Blair House agreements, the restriction on Community production of oilseeds for food use
to an area of 4 934 000 ha will expire in 2002, when specific aid will disappear to be replaced by
compensatory aid for all arable crops under Agenda 2000. The critical year will therefore be 2001,
when a derogation on grounds of force majeure will have to be negotiated with our partners so as to
increase the surface areas with the existing level of aid.

3. With regard to dried fodder, lucerne is a perfectly healthy source of protein and the MGQ and aid per

tonne for artificially dried fodder can be substantially increased.

4. The Union must find ways of making oilseed crops for bio-fuels more attractive; in addition to its
benefits as regards the greenhouse effect, every tonne of bio-fuel produced also produces two tonnes
of oil meals (sunflower or rape seed).

5. With regard to environmental measures, encouragement should be given for diversifying crop rotation
under a system more accessible than the current agri-environmental measure, so as to curb the trend
towards single-crop cereal farming in some regions.

6.

Finally, the Community must introduce a safety net for European oilseed and protein crop producers,
in the form of a price guarantee similar to that enjoyed by American soya bean producers.

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3886/00 and P-4076/00
given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(22 January 2001)

In line with the commitment it made on the occasion of the Agriculture Council of 4 December 2000 on
bovine spongiform encephalopathy and at
the
Commission is investigating in depth the supply and demand situation for oil and protein plants. It will
examine the suggestions of all interested parties.

the Nice European Council,

the express request of

The Commission will notify its conclusions to Parliament and the Council as soon as they are ready. As
requested by the Council and the European Council all figures put forward will be in line with the Berlin
agreements and the Community(cid:146)s international commitments.

(2001/C 174 E/184)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3889/00

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Council

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Integrated policy against crime

The Council will be aware that individual criminal organisations are increasingly involved in a variety of
crimes, including drugs trafficking, illegal immigration and fraud affecting the interests of the European
Communities.

Does the Council not take the view that the European Union needs an integrated policy to combat this
trend, rather than one policy to combat fraud against the European Community and another to combat
other serious types of crime?

If so, does the Council not believe that it would be consistent for Eurojust to be created at the same time
as 15 new magistrates(cid:146) posts are created to perform similar functions for OLAF?

19.6.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174 E/175

Bearing in mind the concept of the European institutions laid down in the Treaties of Maastricht and
Amsterdam and the legal consequences flowing from those Treaties, does the Council not believe that, in
order to avoid duplication of effort, greater clarification is needed as regards competences under the first
and third pillars with respect to application of the law and the fight against crime (OLAF, Eurojust and
Europol)?

Reply

(12 March 2001)

The Council, knowing that criminal organisations engage in illegal activities in several areas, introduced an
integrated policy to combat this phenomenon on the basis of the Treaty of Amsterdam by adopting the
1997 action plan of 28 April 1997 to combat organised crime (now replaced by the new millennium
Strategy on organised crime). The subject continued to occupy the attention of Heads of State and of
Government at the European Council in Tampere where the decision to create Eurojust was taken, with
emphasis on the need to coordinate the work of this unit with that of Europol and European Judicial
Network. The Nice European Council also took stock of the situation, establishing objectives for action to
combat money laundering, trafficking in human beings and the control of illegal immigration, and decided
to incorporate Eurojust in the Treaty on European Union.

With regard to OLAF/Eurojust relations, previous initiatives as well as those under discussion provide for
coordination between Eurojust and the Commission (OLAF), with particular reference to the protection of
financial interests, it being a permanent concern of the Council to avoid duplication of effort and to ensure
the best possible coordination between protagonists with the same aim, i.e. to create an area of freedom,
security and justice. The creation of new posts at OLAF is the responsibility of the Director of OLAF.

The potential problems following from a division of responsibility between the first and third pillars, are,
as the Honourable Member rightly says, a consequence of the Treaties of Maastricht and of Amsterdam.

(2001/C 174 E/185)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3890/00

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 December 2000)

Subject: Financial aid to Latin America

The Commissioner recently stated in an article published in the Spanish press that European financial aid
to Latin America totalled € 2 420 million over the period 1995-1999.

Given the region(cid:146)s importance for the European Union and the low level of implementation of the budget
lines concerned, can the Commission provide the following information:

1. A breakdown by year of the € 2 420 million for the period 1995-1999;

2. A list of the budget lines involved;

3.

Figures per annum for the payments made from those € 2 420 million?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(23 February 2001)

The Commission is sending direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat a table
containing the information requested.