WRITTEN QUESTION P-3134/01 by Jan Mulder (ELDR) to the Commission. Impact of public funding for measures to prevent BSE.
Date: 2001-11-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, State aid, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, cereal substitute, disease prevention, frontier region, research body, restriction on competition, testing

C 115 E/230

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

16.5.2002

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 2001)

the Advocate-General of 20 September 2001 on the
The Commission has noted the opinion of
compatibility of Articles 2 and 3 of Council Regulation (EC) No 925/1999 of 29 April 1999 on the
registration and operation within the Community of certain types of civil subsonic jet aeroplanes which
have been modified and recertificated as meeting the standards of Volume I, Part II, Chapter 3 of Annex 16
to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, third edition (July 1993) (1) with Community law. It
awaits the decision of the Court of Justice with interest.

The Commission has no intention of drawing conclusions before that decision. Independently of that
decision, the Commission adopted on 28 November 2001 a draft directive implementing the recent
decision of the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on measures concerning
aircraft noise.

(1) OJ L 115, 4.5.1999.

(2002/C 115 E/247)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3134/01

by Jan Mulder (ELDR) to the Commission

(6 November 2001)

Subject: Impact of public funding for measures to prevent BSE

As early as January of this year, the Commission asked Member States to forward information concerning
national contributions towards the cost of measures to prevent BSE and, further to the Agriculture Council
meeting on 26 February 2001, the Commission announced that information on this was insufficient and
of varying quality (press release of 27 February 2001). Over the last eight months, that situation has
evidently remained unchanged,
in its answer of 3 September 2001 to Written Question
E-1821/01 (1), the Commission again said that it did not have sufficient information in this connection.

since,

In view of the above, why has the Commission not yet produced an overview of measures in Member
States and their regions, including any policy measures needed?

In its answer of 3 September 2001 to Written Question E-1821/01, the Commission states that longer-
lasting substantial differences between levels of public funding for measures to prevent BSE may have an
impact on the relative competitive position of producers.

the considerable differences in government and to meet

Furthermore,
the
differences in the cost of BSE tests in the Member States, and the differences in public funding for animal
meal processing are resulting in artificial flows of cattle for slaughter to Member States with the lowest
overall costs. The same adverse impact resulting from differences in the cost of processing animal meal is
also to be found in the pig and poultry sectors.

the cost of BSE testing,

Are such artificial trade flows involving cattle for slaughter between Member States compatible with the
objectives included in EC Regulation No 1254/1999 (2) for the common organisation of the market in the
beef and veal sector, and does the Commission agree that, on the basis of the above considerations, it is
imperative that there should be parity between national and European authorities’ policies on aid to meet
the cost of BSE testing and animal meal processing, and that competition between registered BSE test
laboratories in the EU should be allowed, for the proper functioning of the European internal market?

On what timescale does the Commission intend to take action in this connection, and what is the general
thrust of the solution it has in mind?

(1) OJ C 40 E, 14.2.2002, p. 113.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 21.

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/231

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 2001)

The Commission has in the meantime received additional
information concerning the cost of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) tests and the financing of certain measures linked to the fight against
BSE. This information is currently being assessed. Since part of this information has only become available
recently, this assessment has not been finalised. Once this has been done, the Commission will decide what
further steps shall be taken, and to what extent further harmonisation concerning aid to meet the costs of
BSE testing and animal meal processing is necessary. It is not possible to indicate a timescale yet.

The Commission does not think that the fact that operators are taking advantage of lower cost slaughter
facilities or cheaper BSE tests in other Member States is a bad thing. It is rather an indication of a
functioning internal market. The possibility of using cheaper slaughterhouses and taking advantage of
lower costs for BSE tests in other Member States should increase overall pressure on the transformation
sector to lower prices and become more competitive. Competition between registered BSE test laboratories
in the Community should be allowed. All this would be to the advantage of farmers, and be in line with
the objectives of Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of
the market in beef and veal (1).

However, if the Honourable Member has information available which would show that cross-border trade
is being distorted by illegal state aids, the Commission would ask him to provide any such information to
the Commission.

In the meantime, the attention of the Honourable Member is drawn to the fact that, after having
given the Member State concerned the opportunity to ask for the deletion of business secrets, all
decisions taken by the Commission concerning state aid related to BSE measures are made publicly
available on the internet, under the following address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat general/sgb/
droit com/index en.htm#aides.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 115 E/248)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3138/01

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

(14 November 2001)

Subject: Ban on drift nets in the EU

Can the Commission confirm that drift-net fishing within the EU will be banned with effect from
1 January 2002?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 2001)

Council Regulation (EC) No 1239/98 of 8 June 1998 amending Regulation (EC) No 894/97 laying down
certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources (1) bans from 1 January 2002 those
driftnets targeting certain species, including tunas, tuna-like fishes, swordfish, all cephalopods and some
pelagic sharks.

As from 1 January 2002 the Commission will be taking the necessary steps to verify that Member States
are adequately enforcing Community legislation banning the use of driftnets on highly migratory species. If
this is not the case, the infringement procedures available to the Commission will be applied against the
relevant Member State.

(1) OJ L 171, 17.6.1998.