WRITTEN QUESTION E-1035/01 by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission. Penalisation of cereal growers in Noto (Sicily).
Date: 2001-04-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Sicily, cereals, crop production, drought, production aid, suspension of aid

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/189

For the purposes of the tariff and statistical nomenclature and of the Common Customs Tariff, Annex I to
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2204/1999 (2) classifies wine of fresh grapes (CN code 2204) among
alcoholic beverages (CN codes 2203 to 2206 and 2208).

(1) OJ L 179, 14.7.1999.
(2) OJ L 278, 28.10.1999.

(2001/C 318 E/206)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1034/01

by Esko Sepp(cid:228)nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(3 April 2001)

Subject: Common security and defence policy

The structures of the EU(cid:146)s new security and defence policy (ESDP) are very complicated and the decision-
making process is unclear. It appears that the Member States are delegating political leadership to their
own special representative at the Council(cid:146)s secretariat. Has it been decided what will be the Commission(cid:146)s
role in the preparation of the ESDP, and how will decisions be made about the deployment of rapid
reaction troops when the time comes?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(11 May 2001)

The Commission is fully involved in the common foreign and security policy (CFSP), of which the security
and defence policy (ESDP) forms part, and it takes part in the deliberations in the context of the second
pillar of the Union, notably in the Political and Security Committee.

The Commission is very active in the prevention and management of civil crises but is not directly
involved in the development of military structures and capacities.

The arrangements for the deployment of rapid reaction troops are the responsibility of the Council so the
Commission feels that this question should be put direct to the Council.

(2001/C 318 E/207)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1035/01

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Penalisation of cereal growers in Noto (Sicily)

(3 April 2001)

In the 1998/1999 crop year the harvests of cereal growers in the commune of Noto (Sicily) were greatly
reduced as a result of a freak drought.

Having ascertained a shortfall in relation to the minimum requirements laid down in the Community
legislation governing additional aid for durum wheat, AIMA, the Italian State intervention agency, enforced
Article 9 of Regulation (EEC) No 3887/92 (1), which rules out the aid in question when the discrepancy
between the declared area normally under crops and the area actually determined is found to be greater
than 20 %. An area as large as 4 831 hectares consequently failed to qualify for additional aid for durum
wheat, which has therefore not been paid, severely penalising the cereal sector, the mainstay of Noto(cid:146)s
economy.

In a note dated 25 August 2000 the Commission inexplicably rejected the request from the Italian
Ministry for Agricultural Policies for the above-mentioned Article 9 to be waived.

C 318 E/190

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.11.2001

The Commission:

1. Why did it reject the waiver request, without, moreover, stating its reasons?

2. Given that

the poorer harvests were due entirely to a natural cause, does it not believe that
enforcement of Article 9 of Regulation (EEC) No 3887/92, in this particular case, was an excessively
harsh step to take?

3. Could it reconsider its attitude so as to avert the huge damage that the Noto cereal growers will

otherwise suffer?

(1) OJ L 391, 31.12.1992, p. 36.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2001)

1.
The Honourable Member is right in saying that the Commission rejected the Italian Ministry of
Agriculture(cid:146)s request for a waiver. The Commission did, however, state its reasons, referring to non-
compliance with the rules laying down minimum conditions for area payments, i.e. that the crop must be
maintained until at least the beginning of flowering.

2.
Under Article 11(2) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3887/92 of 23 December 1992 laying
down detailed rules for applying the integrated administration and control system for certain Community
aid schemes, cases of force majeure must be notified to the competent authority in writing, with relevant
evidence to the satisfaction of the authority, within ten working days of the date on which the farmer is in
a position to do so. In the absence of such notification, the competent authorities have no option but to
apply Article 9 of the above-mentioned Regulation for calculating the amount of aid.

3.

For the reasons given above, the Commission cannot reconsider its position.

(2001/C 318 E/208)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1036/01

by Maria Sanders-ten Holte (ELDR) and Jules Maaten (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: Payments arising from the Enschede firework disaster

(3 April 2001)

Serious problems have arisen in obtaining payments due on account of the Enschede firework disaster,
particularly those due to the entrepreneurs affected by it. These are people whose businesses have been
destroyed and who will not be able to start new businesses for some time, for example tradespeople,
because their whole district no longer exists.

A scheme has been introduced to enable businesses to survive ((cid:145)no one should be bankrupted by the
disaster(cid:146)) by paying compensation for four types of damage:

(cid:129) material damage

(cid:129) loss of earnings

(cid:129) erosion of assets following the cessation of business activity

(cid:129) guidance costs.

The maximum total compensation payable per business is € 100 000 for a maximum period of three years.