WRITTEN QUESTION E-3853/00 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Council. Enlargement and fisheries.
Date: 2000-12-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: accession negotiations, common fisheries policy

C 174 E/166

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

In view of the above, would the Council answer the following questions?

(a) Does the Council endorse the above report?

(b) At the Ecofin meeting, did the Commission express any disagreement with the report?

(c)

Is it true that the Commission was not represented on the working party which approved the report?

(d) Does the Council not consider that contradictory statements and proposals such as these undermine

the credibility of the European Institutions?

Reply

(12 March 2001)

On 7 November 2000, the Council examined the first progress report by the Economic Policy

1.
Committee (EPC) on the impact of ageing populations.

This report states that, on the assumption of a continuation of the present demographic and macro-
economic tendencies, in the majority of Member States the effects of ageing over a time projection until
2050 is expected to add roughly 3 to 5 % of GDP to pension expenditure.

The EPC identifies several possible ways in order to control this foreseeable rise in public expenditure for
pensions namely:

(cid:129) increases in retirement age, especially in early retirement schemes,

(cid:129) increases in labour participation rates, especially amongst women,

(cid:129) measures designed to increase continued participation in the workforce of workers over 50 years of

age,

(cid:129) further reduction of public debt so that budgetary surpluses and decreases in interest payments on

public debt would balance expected increases in pension expenditure,

(cid:129) measures conducive to higher economic growth than presently.

The Council and the Commission representative recognised the relevancy of this first report of the EPC, in
which both the Community and Member States are represented, and of its main findings.

The Council asked the EPC to continue its work on the issue and to extend the scope of its work to
taxation aspects of pensions and increased health expenditure from public funding caused by ageing
populations.

The Council will periodically review the issue in the light of the further work of the EPC.

2.
As for the early retirement scheme proposed by the Commission in the framework of its reorganisa-
tion and restructuring, the Council will examine this proposal on its own merits when it will be formally
submitted by the Commission.

(2001/C 174 E/174)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3853/00

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

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Enlargement and fisheries

After two years of negotiations with the applicant countries in the Luxembourg Group (Poland, Hungary,
the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus) and the start of negotiations with the Helsinki Group

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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(Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Malta) on 28 March this year, the European Parliament
has adopted a new resolution (R5-0417/2000 (1) of 4 October 2000) on the enlargement of the European
Union, setting out the EP(cid:146)s requests with regard to the accession procedure and the negotiations being held
on the subject. In its contribution to the resolution Parliament(cid:146)s Committee on Fisheries made a number of
demands concerning fisheries.

Could the Council
indicate the approximate timetable for the fisheries debate in the context of the
accession negotiations with both the Luxembourg Group and the Helsinki Group and, if appropriate, the
stage reached in the negotiations and the progress made so far?

Can the Council say whether the fisheries negotiations will take account of the concerns of the Committee
on Fisheries, in particular the urgent need to remedy the considerable shortcomings in the administration
of fisheries in most of the applicant countries as regards environmental and health standards, as well as
inspection and control measures, the need for reliable information on the structure of the fisheries sector
in the applicant countries, the abolition of distortions such as (cid:145)flags of convenience(cid:146), and the administrative
structures needed to provide detailed and reliable information on the fisheries sector and ensure full
compliance with the acquis?

(1)

(cid:145)Texts adopted(cid:146) of 4 October 2000, p. 1.

Reply

(8 March 2001)

In the context of the individual intergovernmental Accession Conferences with Cyprus, Hungary, Estonia,
the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia, it has been agreed that, at this stage, the Fisheries chapter does
not require further negotiation. Nonetheless, the EU will continue to closely monitor each candidate(cid:146)s
progress in the adoption and implementation of
further
negotiations in this chapter are necessary on the basis of additional information to be provided by these
countries. In the case of Romania, Lithuania and Bulgaria, the Fisheries chapter has not yet been opened
for negotiation.

the acquis. For Poland, Malta and Latvia,

As for all the chapters of the acquis under negotiation, the accession negotiations are carried out on the
basis of the acquis in force. This includes inspection and control measures, as well as health and veterinary
standards, and fleet registration. New acquis adopted before the conclusion of the negotiations will be
taken into account as appropriate. It should also be noted that the Union attaches particular importance to
the capacity of the candidate countries to implement the Common Fisheries Policy.

Finally, it is recalled that the (cid:145)road map(cid:146) for the accession negotiations proposed by the Commission, and
welcomed by the Council in its conclusions of 4 December 2000, provides for the Union to define, where
appropriate, EU common positions on Fisheries during the second half of 2001, including on requests for
transitional measures and other outstanding substantive issues, with a view to the provisional closure of
this chapter once the conditions are met.

(2001/C 174 E/175)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3855/00

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

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Enlargement and regional policy: economic, social and territorial cohesion of the outer maritime

regions of the EU cohesion.

In this context the European Parliament adopted a resolution in October this year (R5-0417/2000 (1)) on
the enlargement of the European Union, setting out the EP(cid:146)s requests with regard to the accession
procedure and the negotiations being held on the subject. In paragraph 102 of the resolution the EP
points out (cid:145)that the European Union must respond appropriately to an enlargement which will increase