WRITTEN QUESTION E-3030/01 by Francesco Musotto (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Protecting the Sicilian language.
Date: 2001-10-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, Sicily, application of EU law, cultural policy, linguistic group, national law

6.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 134 E/179

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 2001)

1.
The Commission wishes to point out that Member States are required to notify the official data on
quotas by 1 September of each year following the end of the reference period (1). The data on deliveries for
the 2001/02 quota year (1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002) will therefore not be known until 1 September
2002.

In practice, however, Member States voluntarily notify to the Commission the estimated trend of deliveries
to the industry. A table containing these data and giving an overview as at mid-November has been sent
direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

The Commission nevertheless considers that it is too soon to draw any conclusions because the current
estimates cover only April to August. Since the delivery data currently available to the Commission cover
less than half the 2001/02 marketing year (ending 31 March 2002), they do not enable a reliable estimate
to be made for the year as a whole.

2.
Based on the latest estimates from Eurostat, Member States’ notifications and the industry prior to
adoption of the amending letter for the 2002 financial year, the Commission forecasts that 25 000 tonnes
of butter and 13 000 tonnes of skimmed-milk powder (SMP) will be bought into intervention during the
financial year. Estimated public stocks at the end of the accounting period in mid-October 2002 are
32 000 tonnes of butter and 13 000 tonnes of SMP.

3.
The total cost for public stocks of butter is estimated at € 8 million (comprising intake, storage,
release and finance). Since most sales are expected to be to the internal market at the full intervention
price, no depreciation is anticipated. The cost of intervention for SMP in 2002 is put at less than
€ 1 million. There are currently no public stocks of SMP and intervention opens on 1 March 2002. For the
2002 financial year, the allocation for the milk and milk products chapter is estimated at € 1 912 million.
This includes export refunds, public and private intervention, and internal support measures.

4.
The risk of a significant production increase is slight, given the disincentive effect of the quota
system and the additional levy. It should be borne in mind, however, that in the event of such an increase
the levy provides scope for financing intervention measures to absorb additional milk production.

(1) Article 8 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 536/93 of 9 March 1993 laying down detailed rules on the

application of the additional levy on milk and milk products 8 OJ L 57, 10.3.1993.

(2002/C 134 E/183)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3030/01

by Francesco Musotto (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 October 2001)

Subject: Protecting the Sicilian language

Italian Senate Bill No 3366 of 26 November 1999, laying down rules governing the protection of the
languages and cultures of the Albanian, Catalan, German, Greek, Slovene and Croat communities and the
French, Provençal, Friulan, Ladino, Occitan and Sardinian speaking communities, became national Law
No 482 on 15 December 1999.

C 134 E/180

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2002

This law provides the movements for the conservation of Italy’s ‘traditional’ minority groups (i. e. those
that have seen themselves as such for many years) with the means to improve their situation. In particular,
ITL 2 billion per year is earmarked for national and local projects to study the languages and cultural
traditions of the members of recognised linguistic minorities, ITL 9,8 bn per year for public authorities
wishing to make it possible for the various communities to use the protected languages and ITL 8,7 bn per
year for expenditure incurred by local authorities in meeting the obligations deriving from the law.

As part of action to protect all linguistic minorities, would the Commission seek to ensure that the Sicilian
language is brought within the scope of Italian law in this area, given the importance of Sicily’s social and
cultural traditions and the fact that Sicilian communities are to be found all around the world?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(19 December 2001)

Any action by the Union to support the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Union is mainly governed
by article 151 (ex Article 128) of the EC Treaty which states that ‘The Community shall contribute to the
flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at
the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore.’ It contains the following limitation:
‘Action by the Community shall be aimed at encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if
necessary, supporting and supplementing their action.’

The Commission therefore has no remit to take action against a Member State to modify national
legislation governing the treatment of linguistic minorities except where such legislation could be said to
constitute an infringement of the basic principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law common to the Member States within the meaning of Article 6
of the Treaty on European Union.

The Commission has received no information whatsoever to suggest that Italian Senate Bill No 3366 of
26 November 1999 constitutes an infringement of this kind.

(2002/C 134 E/184)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3032/01

by Carlos Coelho (PPE-DE) to the Council

(5 November 2001)

Subject: Listing Council officials by nationality and professional category

Would the Council provide me with a list setting out the total number of officials working in the Council,
by nationality and professional category?

Reply

(14 February 2002)

The data requested by the Honourable Member are given in the attached table.

Listing by nationality of officials at the Council General Secretariat 8 situation at 13.11.2001

Officials

Temporary staff

Auxiliary staff

Country

Belgium

Denmark

Germany

A

23

16

36

L/A

53

57

54

B

52

6

22

C

254

64

89

D

48

1

Total

A

L/A

430

143

202

3

1

5

B

9

C

D

Total

A

L/A

B

C

D

Total

12

1

5

Grand
total

442

144

207

%

17,28

5,63

8,09