WRITTEN QUESTION P-1197/01 by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission. Failure of the EU/Morocco fisheries agreement negotiations: extraordinary aid for fleet conversion.
Date: 2001-04-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Portugal, Spain, common fisheries policy, economic consequence, fishing agreement, fishing fleet, fishing industry, redevelopment aid, vocational retraining

C 261 E/230

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.9.2001

The Commission will continue to support the Euro Info Centre network. This is not a virtual network but
an actual network, established at local level as close as possible to businesses in order to respond to their
needs, offer them tailor-made assistance and communicate their concerns to the Commission so that it can
adapt its legislation and programmes accordingly.

(1) Progress report and future lines of the initiative to rationalise and streamline the existing Community business

support networks. Communication from Mr Liikanen, SEC(2001) 261.

(2001/C 261 E/262)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1159/01

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 April 2001)

Subject: Use of preservatives and additives in the production of cheeses of protected designation of origin

Will the Commission state whether the addition of preservatives and additives not expressly provided for
in product specifications is authorised in the production of cheeses of protected designation of origin?

Will the Commission also state whether the use of milk which does not comply with the criteria laid down
in Annex A, Section 4 of Directive 92/46/EEC (1) is authorised in the production of cheeses of protected
designation of origin, made from raw milk, which have matured for more than 60 days?

(1) OJ L 268, 14.9.1992, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(2 May 2001)

The Commission reassures the Honourable Member that only products that comply with all the horizontal
Community rules in force, in particular covering animal health, can be granted registration as protected
designations of origin (PDOs) under Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 of 14 July 1992 on the
protection of geographical
indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and food-
stuffs (1).

Furthermore, the specifications for certain PDOs may contain provisions that are more restrictive than
those laid down by the Community legislation. In such cases, those more restrictive provisions must be
complied with.

(1) OJ L 208, 24.7.1992.

(2001/C 261 E/263)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1197/01

by JosØ Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(4 April 2001)

Subject: Failure of the EU/Morocco fisheries agreement negotiations: extraordinary aid for fleet conversion

The recent failure of the European Union and Morocco to reach agreement on renewing the Fisheries
Agreement with Morocco has left many hundreds of Portuguese and Spanish fishermen unable to fish;
moreover, the entire fleet which traditionally fished in Moroccan waters has been tied up since the end of
1999.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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The economic and social impact of this situation is already severe, and has been particularly grave in
certain fishing communities. In Portugal, this affects Sesimbra and the Algarve coast especially.

The failure of the Commission(cid:146)s negotiations with Morocco means that it is now a matter of urgency that
this part of the fleet be restructured, and thus enabled to resume fishing in more distant waters. This
requires urgent, extraordinary financial support measures.

What measures has the Commission already taken, or does it intend to take, as a matter of urgency, with a
view to meeting the needs and wants of the fishermen and shipowners who have been directly and
seriously hit by the failure of the EU negotiations with Morocco?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(2 May 2001)

When the Fisheries Agreement with Morocco ended on 30 November 1999, some 400 Spanish and
Portuguese vessels were fishing under this Agreement.

Compensation for temporary cessation of activities, co-financed with the Financial Instrument for Fisheries
Guidance (FIFG) was granted to the affected fleet and fishermen from 1 December 1999 till 30 June 2000
as provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 (1).

As agreement was not reached, this aid was extended until 31 December 2000, under the condition that
fleet conversion plans be submitted by Spain and Portugal. These plans were approved by the Commission
on 30 November 2000.

There is currently a Commission proposal before the Council and the Parliament for extending the period
of compensation until the end of June 2001 (2).

The Commission is also exploring the possibility of allocating extra credits for helping the conversion of
the fleets affected, as requested by the European Council in Nice on 7 December 2000 (3).

It should be recalled that a wide range of socio-economic measures are already possible under the
provisions of Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 such as (i) early-retirement schemes for fishermen, and (ii)
non-renewable individual compensatory payments to fishermen to help them retrain or diversify their
activities outside maritime fisheries. With respect to the vessels the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 2792/
1999 include premiums for the permanent cessation of activities (either by scrapping or by permanent
transfer of the vessel to a third country, including in the framework of a joint enterprise, or permanent
reassignment of the vessel for purposes other than fishing); grants are also available for the modernisation
of vessels in order to allow them to turn to alternative fishing grounds and techniques, provided that such
alternative activities do not jeopardise fish stocks.

The Commission will assist the Member States concerned to ensure that the conversion of both fishermen
and vessels will be implemented in the best possible way.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 of 17 December 1999 laying down the detailed rules and arrangements

regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector (OJ L 337, 30.12.1999).

(2) COM(2001) 62 final.
(3) Document SN 400/00 ((cid:145)Presidency conclusions(cid:146)), item 59.