WRITTEN QUESTION E-2160/01 by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Increased productivity for Spanish olive groves.
Date: 2001-07-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, consumer policy, increase in production, olive, producer price, supply and demand

C 93 E/72

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

(2002/C 93 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2160/01

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Increased productivity for Spanish olive groves

(19 July 2001)

Almost 50 % of Spanish olive groves are unprofitable. According to official figures, more than one million
hectares have yields of below 1500 kilos of olives, equivalent to 320 kilos of oil.

At the current price of 270 pesetas per kilo and with aid of only 150 pesetas because of penalties imposed
by the EU for exceeding the allotted quotas, total income per kilo is not enough to cover production costs.

What could the EU do to promote measures to rationalise olive oil production in Spain so as to generate
productivity increases in the sector and reduce the clear disparity between production costs per hectare of
olive grove and the revenue obtained from olive-growing, which is leading to the unprofitability
mentioned above?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(17 September 2001)

The substantial production increase in the Community over recent years has not been matched by a
corresponding rise in consumption. The resultant
imbalance between supply and demand on the
Community olive oil market is causing production prices to fall. Although promotion campaigns within
the Community and outside have been successful in considerably raising demand over recent years, this
has been insufficient to absorb the substantial olive oil production increase in the producer countries.
Spain has contributed towards that increase thanks to its olive groves’ high productivity and to new
planting.

In order to restore the balance between supply and demand and to prevent a continued fall in production
prices, the Commission must try to boost demand while doing all it can to discourage new planting.

(2002/C 93 E/090)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2162/01

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

(19 July 2001)

Subject: Cross-border tourist guides

In some Community regions with few resources and very small populations because of the lack of
opportunities to earn a living, jobs have been created for cross-border environmental tourist guides, who
provide professional services for tourists visiting natural sites which straddle the territory of various
Member States.

At present, various residents associations and local authorities are seeking to promote the creation of a
vocational training course for outdoor sports instructors and environmental tourist guides.

Given that the local people concerned are unwilling to drop their demands for a training course to be
made available and the government remains blind to the problem, will the Commission say whether there
is a Community programme that could contribute to the development of a training course for cross-border
tourist guides in Community regions which straddle the territory of various Member States?