WRITTEN QUESTION E-3601/01 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Plan to facilitate access to electronic commerce for SMEs in Malaga.
Date: 2002-01-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Andalusia, EU financing, EU industrial policy, electronic commerce, small and medium-sized enterprises, technological change

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/47

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(14 March 2002)

Checks on imports of products of animal origin are harmonised and clearly laid down in Community
legislation which specifies the documentary, identity, and physical checks that must be carried out in any
border inspection post.

Details of the microbiological testing required for particular high risk products, which are the subject of
including fish, are normally specified in the Decision itself. Member States are
safeguard Decisions,
required to carry out microbiological testing according to national rules for all other products of animal
origin not subject to safeguard measures and routinely examined in border inspection posts.

Commission staff conduct regular inspections of all border inspection posts in the Member States to verify
that correct Community standards of facilities, staffing and procedures are maintained. Should any serious
discrepancies in application of Community legislation be brought to the attention of the Commission, this
would be investigated and further action taken.

(2002/C 205 E/050)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3601/01

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Plan to facilitate access to electronic commerce for SMEs in Malaga

Around 30 % of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Spanish province of Malaga are connected to
the Internet. However, most of these users log on to the Internet in order to see what is on offer or to
make purchases, with very few using it to make sales.

Malaga Council and the Spanish Ministry for Science and Technology are launching a pioneer product in
Andalusia aimed at helping SMEs to take advantage of the boom in electronic commerce. An initial
investment is planned of around EUR 180 000.

Can the Commission say in what way it might contribute to this project with a view to making it as
successful as possible?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(8 February 2002)

Under the framework of the GoDigital initiative the Commission has launched a series of awareness and
training initiatives organised by national and regional authorities and other multipliers and specifically
addressed to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). It intends to launch a second series of these
events during 2002.

Indeed, the initiative launched by the Malaga Council and the Spanish Ministry for Science and Technology
seems most interesting as it represents a serious attempt to empower SMEs to circumvent the difficulties
associated with a fully-fledged access to electronic commerce. Although it is not the policy of the
Commission to financially contribute to projects addressed to directly support SMEs to implement
electronic commerce solutions, all projects which have an awareness and training dimension could fall
under the specifications of the call for grant themes that the Commission plans to launch later this year.
The Spanish authorities are welcome to submit a request for grant under the above-mentioned call as soon
as it is published.

Independently of this possibility, and should Spanish authorities express this desire, the Commission is
certainly prepared to examine the possibility of participating in the promotional activities the Spanish
authorities are planning around this initiative.