WRITTEN QUESTION P-0345/01 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Interference by food distribution companies in political processes.
Date: 2001-02-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: distributive trades, multinational enterprise, trade policy

20.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 364 E/7

(2001/C 364 E/008)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0345/01

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 February 2001)

Subject: Interference by food distribution companies in political processes

The extraordinary interference by the Swiss food chain Migros in the social developments taking place in
the fruit and vegetable-producing region of Almeria, Spain, has provoked a strong negative reaction on the
part of local businesses, which have received letters from the well-known Swiss firm threatening to break
off business relations unless conditions for immigrants are improved.

Such an unexpected response from a commercial firm to a debate which has already been resolved in the
farming region of Almeria, after a number of incidents linked to the assimilation of a particular group of
immigrants, risks setting a highly dangerous precedent for interference by commercial companies in
certain social and political conflicts which may arise in any of the Community(cid:146)s farming regions.

Does the Commission believe that it should take up a position with a view to preventing interference such
as that seen in the case of Migros, which has been acting under the influence of the European Civic Forum,
an organisation which seeks to favour the farming interests of the countries of eastern Europe?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2001)

It is clearly not for the Commission to interfere in the commercial decisions of private firms.

Such firms are of course free to apply social, environmental or other (cid:145)ethical(cid:146) considerations to their
Indeed, best business practice in this domain is
commercial decisions,
explicitly encouraged by the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, which were reviewed last year,
and endorsed by all OECD Members at Ministerial level. The Commission fully supports the promotion of
these Guidelines as a means of promoting corporate citizenship.

including purchasing policy.

The Honourable Member will also recall that the institutions are committed to ensuring the fair treatment
(cid:129) economically, socially and culturally (cid:129) of all third country nationals who reside legally on the territory
of Member States, as stated in the Conclusions of the Tampere European Council (October 1999).

(2001/C 364 E/009)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0410/01

by Karla Peijs (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 February 2001)

Subject: Ban on certification markings from private service undertakings

The so-called (cid:145)Blue Guide(cid:146) states, in explanation of the ban on third-party certification markings, that
voluntary markings must not as a general rule relate to aspects that already fall within the scope of the CE
marking.

Is the Commission aware that the effect of this blanket ban on third-party markings in areas to which the
CE marking applies is to turn the relationship between rules and exceptions established in the texts of
directives as regards authorisations and prohibitions into its opposite, and to jeopardise the survival of
European third-party certification agencies?

How can the Commission justify using a non-legally binding document (Blue Guide), on which the
European Parliament has had no say, to intervene against existing market structures with such far-reaching
consequences?