WRITTEN QUESTION E-3027/01 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Data on the present 2001-2002 milk marketing year.
Date: 2001-10-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, Eurostat, dairy production, intervention policy, milk, milk product, production quota, statistics

C 134 E/178

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2002

A letter of 20 August 2001 from Per Villum Petersen to the Commission, and the papers annexed thereto,
provide background information on this case.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(21 December 2001)

In response to the complaint to which the Honourable Member refers, the Commission is conducting an
legislation has been
investigation in order to assess whether the relevant Community environmental
complied with. This
relating to
infringements of Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992, on the conservation of natural habitats and of
wild fauna and flora (1) and Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985, on the assessment of the effects of
certain public and private projects on the environment (2), as amended by Directive 97/11/EC of
3 March 1997 (3).

investigation concerns the allegations made by the complainant

The Commission’s investigation has not yet been completed and no decision has therefore been made to
open infringement proceedings in this case. It is therefore premature for the Commission to take any
stance on the specific questions asked by the Honourable Member regarding the existence of infringements
of Community law in this case. The complainant has already been informed by the Commission of its
handling of the case and he will be continuously informed of the actions taken by the Commission.

In accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general
provisions on the Structural Funds (4), the choice of the individual projects co-financed inside each regional
programme is of the Member States’ entire responsibility under the terms of decentralisation. Nevertheless,
all
to an ex-ante
evaluation, which includes in particular the estimated impact on the environment.

the regional programmes are subject, before their approval by the Commission,

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.
(2) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(3) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(4) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 134 E/182)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3027/01

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 October 2001)

Subject: Data on the present 2001-2002 milk marketing year

1. What figures have been supplied by the various Member States in respect of the milk yields already
recorded and the corresponding projections to the end of
the present 2001-2002 marketing year,
indicating the possible overshoots of the reference quantities for each country?

2. What forecasts does the Commission have at its disposal
product quantities (skimmed powdered milk and butter) for 2002?

in respect of traditional

intervention

3. What is the estimated budgeting allocation for this heading? What unit price estimates were these
allocations based on?

Is the Commission planning to take any further action in the event of a significant increase in

4.
production in 2002? What information does it have in this connection?

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 @ 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.