WRITTEN QUESTION P-4106/00 by Pietro-Paolo Mennea (ELDR) to the Commission. State of affairs of farming in Apulia.
Date: 2000-12-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Apulia, agricultural situation, competence of the Member States, derogation from EU law, oil crop, olive oil, production aid, regulation of agricultural production, vineyard, viticulture

C 318 E/20

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.11.2001

(2001/C 318 E/020)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4097/00

by Albert Maat (PPE-DE) and Marianne Thyssen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 January 2001)

Subject: Implementation of common organisation of the market in flax and hemp fibre

Implementation of the new market organisation for flax and hemp grown for fibre (Regulation (EC)
No 1672/2000 (1)) is having a drastic effect on the original flax-growing regions in the Netherlands,
Belgium and northern France. In particular, compulsory set-aside is seriously affecting the output of flax-
growing arable farms.

Now that, as a result of the ban on meat-and-bone meal, the European Union is not growing enough
vegetable protein products, will the Commission offer flax-growers the chance of using set-aside land to
cultivate plant crops containing protein?

(1) OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 16.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(20 February 2001)

In accordance with the commitment it gave at the Council meeting on agriculture of 4 December 2000
concerning bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and at the explicit request of the Nice European
Council, the Commission is carrying out a thorough analysis of supply and demand for oleaginous and
protein plants. Suggestions from all parties concerned will be considered in the course of that analysis.

The problems mentioned by the Honourable Members cannot be seen in isolation from the whole question
of arable crops.

The Commission will apprise Parliament and the Council of its conclusions as soon as they have been
finalised. As the Council and the European Council requested, those conclusions will cover all hypothetical
cases, in compliance with the Berlin Agreements and the Community(cid:146)s international commitments.

(2001/C 318 E/021)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-4106/00

by Pietro-Paolo Mennea (ELDR) to the Commission

(20 December 2000)

Subject: State of affairs of farming in Apulia

In demonstrations lasting several days during the first half of November, in the city of Barletta and in
villages in the Ofanto valley, farmers from Barletta mounted a strong protest against the steep increase in
fuel prices, the extremely high fines imposed for planting vines which are held to be illegal, and the 35 %
cut in aid for olive oil. The city and residents of Barletta suffered serious damage when the town hall was
occupied, the main internal roads in the city itself were blocked and a tilting train was forcibly held at the
city railway station; as a result of these protests three city guards who had intervened to curb the
demonstration were wounded.

Therefore, will the Commission say whether farmers within Objective 1 regions may benefit from:

(cid:129) the abolition of fines imposed for vines which are held to be illegal or, alternatively, the imposition of

a token fine, as is already the case in Spain;

(cid:129) non-implementation of the revised 35 % cut in aid to olive oil, or, if the revised cut is confirmed,

a reduction below 35 %;

(cid:129) a reduction in the cost of fuel used for agricultural purposes.

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/21

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(28 May 2001)

The Council has laid down the only conditions under which unlawful vine planting can be regularised in
Article 2(3) to (7) of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the
market in wine (1). The Member States are responsible for adopting any statutory measures to ensure that
that Article is enforced. Where administrative penalties apply, i.e. in cases covered by Article 2(3)(a) and (c)
of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, the Council leaves it up to the Member State concerned to impose
(cid:145)an appropriate administrative penalty(cid:146).

As regards production aid for olive oil, the Commission has applied the provisions of Community
legislation. Since estimated olive-oil production for 1999/2000 exceeds the national guaranteed quantity,
the aid must be adjusted proportionally. Apulia is the foremost olive-oil producing region and its
producers may accordingly be assumed to have benefited from the Region(cid:146)s high olive-oil production.

The Commission does not intend introducing any derogation from the Regulation in force, particularly as
fixing the aid is the responsibility of the Council.

Apart from the standard rules governing the Single Market, the EC Treaty makes no provision for
Community competence for the costs of inputs in agriculture. It is therefore not in any position to
propose a measure to the Council to reduce the cost of fuel.

(1) OJ L 179, 14.7.1999.

(2001/C 318 E/022)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4117/00

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

(11 January 2001)

Subject: The hydrogen revolution and the future of automobile transport

Carlo Rubbia, Nobel prize winner for physics, claims that the energy crisis needs to be tackled by stepping
up research and development, describing innovation itself as the best of all renewable energies.

The Italian physicist believes that the next fifteen to twenty years will see a massive change, in which an
entire civilisation based on oil will be replaced by one running on hydrogen, a change comparable to the
way typewriters have been replaced by computers.

In the light of these major pronouncements from an outstanding physicist, what is the Commission(cid:146)s
position with regard to research into the use of hydrogen for automobile transport in the future? Does
research directly funded by the EU exist? What are the prospects for an all-embracing Community policy
in the medium and long terms?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(29 March 2001)

The Commission considers that the use of hydrogen as an automotive fuel should offer environmental
benefits as well as contribute to improving the security of energy supplies. In particular, fuel cells directly
fuelled by hydrogen hold great promise as very efficient, zero emission (at point of use) energy converters.
The actual degree of benefit will, however, depend on how the hydrogen is produced, distributed, stored
and used. The benefits of hydrogen must also be weighed against other renewable fuels for transport. The
adverse impacts of transport can additionally be tackled through a better modal split. The Commission
intends to address these issues in a coherent manner, reflecting current policy initiatives in the areas of
transport and mobility, air quality and the environment, and global climate change.