WRITTEN QUESTION E-4074/00 by Nicole Thomas-Mauro (UEN) and Dominique Souchet (UEN) to the Council. Increasing production of feed proteins in response to the recent ban on use of animal meal.
Date: 2001-01-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU production, animal nutrition, cereal substitute, import (EU), supply, vegetable protein

21.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 235 E/57

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(21 February 2001)

(a) and (b). The Commission has carried out checks to establish the extent of any working relationships
between Mr Riedinger and the departments which between 1995 and 1999 were under Mrs Cresson(cid:146)s
authority.

So far these checks have shown that:

1. A contract concerned with a feasibility pilot study on the creation of a European Institute of
Comparative Law was concluded between the Directorate-General for Research and Mr Riedinger
at the beginning of 1996. An amount of € 11 000 was committed in July 1995 but the file shows
that this study was not carried out and that no payment was made.

2. A contract concerned with a feasibility study on the networking of the forward study centres of
Central Europe and the Community was prepared by the Joint Research Centre. However,
according to the information available to the Commission at this stage, this contract was never
signed and, consequently, the amount of € 84 200 committed on 1 June 1995 was not paid. The
commitment was cancelled in 1999.

3. A contract for € 10 500 was concluded in 1996 between the former DG XXII and a lawyers(cid:146)
office to cover travelling and subsistence expenses arising from accompanying Mrs Cresson to
South Africa and to pay for the drafting of a report by Mr Riedinger on the legal framework for
sending young European doctors to South Africa as part of European voluntary service. The files
show that this contract was not honoured and gave rise to no payment.

4. An administrative inquiry to elucidate the circumstances in which these contracts were concluded

is in hand and the OLAF has been informed.

(c) and (d). Until

the conclusions of

this inquiry are available,

the Commission considers that

the

questions under (c) and (d) are premature.

(2001/C 235 E/062)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4074/00

by Nicole Thomas-Mauro (UEN) and Dominique Souchet (UEN) to the Council

(10 January 2001)

Subject: Increasing production of feed proteins in response to the recent ban on use of animal meal

The ban on animal meal in farm animal feed will increase the Community(cid:146)s demand for vegetable protein.
It is necessary to meet that demand without increasing either our dependence on imports or our exposure
to GMOs.

Does the Council
vegetable protein along the following lines:

intend to implement an emergency plan for increasing Community production of

1. As regards protein crops such as peas,

field beans and lupins, which are not subject

to any

international restrictions, raising payments per hectare would be the key factor.

2. As regards the Blair House agreements,

(cid:145)food(cid:146) oilseeds to
4 934 000 ha will end in 2002 with the removal of specific aid, which is to be replaced, in accordance
with Agenda 2000, by compensatory aid common to all arable crops. The critical year will therefore
be 2001, for which a derogation for reasons of (cid:145)force majeur(cid:146) will have to be negotiated with our
partners in order to allow areas to be increased on the basis of the current level of aid.

limits on Community production of

3. As regards dehydrated fodder, given that alfalfa is an entirely wholesome source of protein we can
substantially increase the maximum guaranteed quantity and aid per tonne for artificially dried fodder.

C 235 E/58

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.8.2001

4. The Union needs to find ways of making the growing of oil crops for biofuel purposes more
attractive. Apart from its impact on the greenhouse gas effect, each tonne of biofuel produced gives
as a by-product two tonnes of oilcake (sunflower or rape).

5. As part of environmental measures and in order to curb the trend towards single cereal crop farming
in some regions, incentives for diversified rotation, more open than the current agri-environmental
measure for sunflowers, should be introduced.

6.

Finally, the Community must provide a safety net for European producers of oilseeds and protein
crops in the form of a price guarantee comparable to that granted to American soya producers.

Reply

(7 May 2001)

The Council is aware of the very great importance of increasing production of feed proteins both in order
to respond to the recent suspension of the use of animal meal and ensure the regular supply of
feedingstuffs for farm animals and in order to limit recourse to imports and exposure to genetically
modified organisms.

In its conclusions of December 2000 on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) the Council took note
of the statements by the Commission concerning the production of protein-rich plants and called upon it
speedily to analyse the issue in greater detail and to draw conclusions for the policy currently being
pursued in this sector and for set-aside, including any appropriate proposals.

The Council will not fail to give the highest priority to the examination of those proposals as soon as it
receives them

(2001/C 235 E/063)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4078/00

by Ioannis Souladakis (PSE) to the Commission

(10 January 2001)

Subject: EU aid to enhance the safety of nuclear reactors

their
As part of EU economic aid to the countries of Eastern Europe to enhance the safety of
technologically obsolete nuclear reactors, the Commission has decided to make available funds for this
purpose to Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia which are candidate countries for accession to the EU.

What stage have the procedures relating to this economic aid reached? What is the take-up rate of funds
by the countries concerned? On the basis of the funds taken up so far, how does the Commission judge
the effectiveness of these funds in enhancing the safety of the nuclear reactors in the candidate countries?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(8 March 2001)

Under the PHARE financial instrument, the Commission launched (cid:145)Special Programmes to Support the
Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and Consequential Measures in the Energy Sector(cid:146)
established for Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia in 1999 (for Lithuania and Slovakia) and in 2000 (for
Bulgaria), respectively,
in response to the closure commitments undertaken by the three candidate
countries with regard to the Kozloduy 1-4, Ignalina 1-2 and Bohunice V1 NPPs.

The bulk of this financial assistance is being provided via international decommissioning support grant
funds with the European Bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) taking a role of the Fund
Manager. The three funds were established in June 2000. The first meetings of the Assemblies of
Contributors of the three funds will be convened early 2001, beginning with the Kozloduy and Ignalina