WRITTEN QUESTION E-3097/01 by Heidi Hautala (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Transitional period for the introduction of dioxin limits in Finland.
Date: 2001-11-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Baltic Sea, European standard, Finland, derogation from EU law, fish, human nutrition, public health, toxic substance

C 134 E/198

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2002

(2002/C 134 E/205)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3092/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Progress with olive cultivation register in Greece

(13 November 2001)

As indicated in the Court of Auditors’ Special Report 11/2000 and the Commission’s answers to my
previous questions (E-0214/99 (1) and E-1557/97 (2)), the process of drawing up an olive cultivation
register in Greece is still in the initial stages, while utilisation of the amounts withheld from producers up
to 1998 was negligible (0,42 %).

Given that the olive cultivation register must be completed if aid is to be paid out after 1 November 2003,
will the Commission say:

1. what stage has now been reached in drawing up the olive cultivation register in Greece? What

amounts of the sums withheld have been used?

2. Does the Commission consider that Greece will have completed the olive cultivation register within

the prescribed deadlines so that payment of aid will not pose a problem?

(1) OJ C 325, 12.11.1999, p. 88.
(2) OJ C 21, 22.1.1998, p. 70.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(14 December 2001)

As from 1 November 2003, olive-oil production aid will be granted solely on oil obtained from olive trees
that are found to be present using an olive-cultivation geographical information system (GIS).

Since 1 November 1998, the main points distinguishing the olive-cultivation GIS from the register of olive
cultivation previously used are the following: the method of financing is different, the inventory includes
only those holdings covered by the aid scheme, no search is now made for the legal owner of parcels,
which are now agricultural rather than land-register parcels, and more advanced digital mapmaking
techniques are used. No amount is withheld from the aid to finance the olive-cultivation GIS. According to
the Court of Auditors’ Special Report 11/2000, between 1979 and 1998 the amount withheld from
production aid for the register of olive cultivation amounted to € 383.1 million, including € 101,37 million
in Greece. Use of the amounts withheld stands at € 244,69 million, of which 0,42 % was used in Greece.

Introducing the olive-cultivation GIS entails looking into discrepancies between the number of olive trees
found in aerial photographs and those declared by the aid applicants. Completion of the olive-cultivation
GIS is determined at regional or Member State level on the basis of a report drawn up by the Member
State. To that end, the regulations call for certain criteria to be met, including a discrepancy rate of up to
5 % between declarations and photo interpretations for all the cultivation declarations concerned.

to ascertain compliance with the deadline mentioned by the Honourable Member,

In order
the
Commission is monitoring progress in the olive-cultivation GIS closely. As things stand, it is still too
early to comment on the project’s completion.

(2002/C 134 E/206)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3097/01

by Heidi Hautala (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(13 November 2001)

Subject: Transitional period for the introduction of dioxin limits in Finland

The Commission has proposed, with good reason, that levels of dioxin exposure from food in the
European Union should be reduced. The proposed limits would require Baltic herring and salmon to be
banned for human consumption. This would radically affect the eating habits of the elderly in Finland.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Dioxins are known to be more harmful to young people and children; however, people in these age
groups eat considerably less fish. Fish is a major source of vitamin D, which is vital to health, and fish fat
is much healthier, for example, than the fat in cheap sausages. If the elderly were to switch from cheap fish
to cheap sausage products, this could be very damaging to their health. Banning the sale of Baltic herring
and salmon for human consumption would also deprive fishermen of their livelihood.

Dioxins are bound to sediment at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, but the condition of the sea is known to be
improving rapidly. The change will be reflected in fish-stocks with a delay of 10-20 years. Will the
Commission consider granting Finland a derogation from the limits on dioxins in fish, for example for a
transitional period of ten years, during which time trawling could be so directed as to ensure that the
safest fish from the point of view of health were caught and so that dioxin levels and emission sources in
EU waters and fish could be surveyed?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(21 January 2002)

The Commission is aware of the possible consequences of the measures on maximum levels for fish on the
availability of Baltic fish for the population of Finland and Sweden.

Following a proposal presented by the Commission on 28 August 2001 (1), the Council adopted on
29 November 2001 (2) a Council Regulation amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 466/2001 of
8 March 2001, setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs (3). This Regulation
establishes maximum levels for dioxins and furans in several foodstuffs, including fish and fishery products
and products thereof.

For a temporary period ending in 2006, the Council granted Finland and Sweden a derogation from the
application of the maximum levels for fish originating from the Baltic region intended for consumption in
their territory.

The Commission accepted this derogation taking into account the following elements:

C a significant part of the Baltic fatty fish will not comply with the maximum level and would thus be

excluded from the Swedish and Finnish diet;

C exclusion of fish from the diet may have a negative health impact in Sweden and Finland because:

C Baltic fish is the main source of vitamin D among the elderly in these countries. Intake of vitamin

D is of major importance in the Northern regions with low solar light;

C Baltic fish would be replaced by cheaper cuts of meat, containing high levels of hard fats which

increase the risk of cardiovascular disease;

C total human exposure to dioxins in Finland and Sweden is not higher than in other European

countries;

C Finland and Sweden have a system in place ensuring that consumers are fully informed of the
dietary recommendations concerning restrictions on consumption of Baltic fish by identified
vulnerable groups of the population in order to avoid potential health risks;

C Finland and Sweden will intensively monitor the presence of dioxins in fish from the Baltic region
and report each year the results and the measures taken to reduce human exposure to dioxins
from fish from the Baltic region.

(1) COM(2001) 495 final.
(2) OJ L 321, 6.12.2001.
(3) OJ L 77, 16.3.2001.