WRITTEN QUESTION E-3169/01 by Sergio Berlato (UEN) to the Commission. Unfair competition in the European aquaculture sector.
Date: 2001-11-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, Greece, aquaculture, production cost, restriction on competition, selling price

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/237

The Commission will be represented in the second World Congress against Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children to be held in Yokohama on 17-20 December 2001. The Commission is confident
that the second World Congress provides an opportunity to obtain information on what action the 122
countries, including EU Member States, have taken to deliver on that commitment. The Commission will
present the principal responses of the European Union and actions by the European Commission in
fulfilment of its commitment to the Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action. The Commission
remains committed to the Stockholm Agenda for Action adopted by the first World Congress against
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in August 1996.

(2002/C 115 E/255)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3164/01

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 November 2001)

Subject: Money laundering convictions

Does the Commission have any statistics on the number of convictions for money laundering in EU

1.
Member States?

If so, can the Commission please state how many convictions there have been in total across the EU

2.
and in each individual Member State, during the last 10 years?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(21 December 2001)

The Commission does not have statistics on the number of convictions for money laundering pronounced
in the Members States. Existing Community legal instruments do not oblige Member States to provide the
Commission with this information.

(2002/C 115 E/256)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3169/01

by Sergio Berlato (UEN) to the Commission

(19 November 2001)

Subject: Unfair competition in the European aquaculture sector

While production costs in the aquaculture sector are very similar around the European Union (and
especially in certain Member States such as France, Spain, Greece and Italy), many companies in Greece are
selling their products (in particular, sea bass and bream) at prices which are unquestionably lower than the
production costs, thereby placing the sector in serious difficulty in various other EU Member States.

The reasons for this marketing policy, which can surely be defined as ‘unfair competition’, would seem to
be the following:

7 30 % of medium-sized companies in Greece are apparently heading towards bankruptcy and are
therefore marketing their products at any price for the sake of bringing in cash, in the hope of being
able to see the crisis out;

7 a number of medium-sized companies have apparently laid down the rules for obtaining a listing on
the stock market under which they must show that their turnover is on the increase; representatives of
the companies quoted on the stock market have themselves admitted that accounts were touched up
in recent years to show substantial profits and thus improve their stock market position; however,
these measures have now proved counterproductive, with the result that the same companies are
having to find ways of increasing their turnover in order to balance their accounts.

C 115 E/238

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

16.5.2002

In view of the above, will the Commission ascertain whether urgent action is needed to remedy the serious
damage which the commercial policies of Greek companies are causing this sector in all EU Member
States, and particularly in Italy?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(17 December 2001)

The Commission is aware that
the average market prices for farmed sea bass and sea bream fell
appreciably during 2001 in all Member States which are significant producers and consumers of these
species.

The Commission held discussions on this topic with representatives of Community aquaculture producers
who consider that the price drop was due to a number of factors, including the financial difficulties of
certain companies. Strategies that can be regarded, however, as seeking deliberately to distort conditions of
competition were not observed.

The Commission notes that many improvements could still be made to Community sea bass and sea
bream producers’ commercial organisation. In these discussions, therefore, it called upon the producers to
establish structures which are better tailored to modern marketing requirements.

(2002/C 115 E/257)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3173/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(12 November 2001)

Subject: Obtaining of advance information by European Commission Members concerning an official

investigation into possible abuses

At the end of August 2001, on official instructions from the Commission’s own departments, an extensive
and detailed investigation, as referred to in Written Question No E-2315/01 (1) by Bart Staes and myself,
was launched into evidence pointing to possible abuses within the Commission’s services. That highly
confidential investigation is now the subject of more searching inquiries by OLAF and the disciplinary
authorities. Does the Commission consider it acceptable for one of its Members to claim priority in seeking
to obtain a copy of the relevant memorandum, and to do so even before the necessary verification
procedures have been completed by the departments responsible?

in the event that one of its Members asked for and received advance
How will the Commission act,
information concerning that official
information relating to the actions of
Commission Members or Commission officials from being circulated prematurely by way of Members’
offices, or individual Members from acting to pre-empt certain information that might possibly be
interpreted to their disadvantage.

investigation,

to prevent

Can the Commission state whether one of its Members in fact asked for and received advance information
concerning that official investigation, and whether that Member is named in the investigation?

(1) OJ C 93 E,18.4.2002, p. 106.

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(19 December 2001)

Contrary to what the Honourable Member states in his question the memorandum to which he refers is
not the result of an ‘official investigation’. As the author has acknowledged, it is a dossier containing
allegations of possible irregularities drawn up by a Commission official exercising the duty to report
concerns. This dossier is being thoroughly examined by the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) and the
specialist Unit of Commission’s Directorate General for Administration.