WRITTEN QUESTION E-2353/01 by Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission. China's entry into the WTO.
Date: 2001-08-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: China, World Trade Organisation, international negotiations

18.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 93 E/119

With regard to ACP producers with little experience of the European market, Article 3 of Commission
Regulation (EC) No 1609/1999 provides for the competitivity gap, and therefore the financial allocation,
to be determined not just by the difference between the reference price for third countries and the ACP
reference price, but by the reference quantity. Though the latter is 0 tonnes for Madagascar, 20 tonnes for
Cape Verde and 2 222 tonnes for Grenada, Article 6 of the same Regulation provides that where the
calculation of a country’s allocation results in an amount lower than €500 000 per year, a minimum
amount of €500 000 is automatically allocated. This rule, which has been applied to the three countries
concerned in the 1999, 2000 and 2001 budget years, constitutes special protection for producers with
little experience of the European market.

(2002/C 93 E/140)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2353/01

by Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 August 2001)

Subject: China’s entry into the WTO

Since 1995 the WTO has granted countries which have negotiated accession to that body the status of
developing countries in accordance with the terms agreed in the accession negotiations.

In the context of negotiations on WTO membership, the Commission recently reached an agreement on
the main points of divergence surrounding China’s accession to the WTO. Can the Commission say exactly
what status or terms have been granted to China in the context of negotiations on accession to the WTO?
Has the Commission taken account of the fact that China has some highly competitive industrial sectors
and that developing country status should depend on such factors?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(27 September 2001)

The World trade organization (WTO) does not grant the status of developing countries in the course of
accession negotiations. The status of developing country is in fact the result of a self-declaration by the
acceding country. However, while the WTO foresees special conditions for those members that have
declared themselves to be developing countries, such conditions do not automatically apply to acceding
candidates, whose accession terms result exclusively from the accession negotiations. China itself has
accepted, in some areas, explicitly not to apply provisions foreseen in the WTO for developing Members.

Each negotiation aims therefore at determining terms of accession that are specific to that country and
commensurate with its economic capacity and development. The same approach has been followed in the
case of China.

Its accession terms, now almost completely defined, have therefore been negotiated by the various WTO
members taking into consideration the different levels of development between the various Chinese
industrial as well as agricultural and services sectors. The Commission has clearly taken into consideration
in the course of the negotiations such different levels of development and insisted, where the Chinese
economy is competitive, on adequate commitments.

(2002/C 93 E/141)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2358/01

by Fernando Fernández Martín (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Inter-state problem involving time-sharing

(6 August 2001)

On 26 October 1994 Parliament and the Council adopted Directive 94/47/EC (1) on the protection of
purchasers in respect of certain aspects of contracts relating to the purchase of the right to use immovable
properties on a time-share basis.