WRITTEN QUESTION E-0988/02 by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission. Enlargement and the Austrian farming industry.
Date: 2002-04-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Austria, EU employment policy, accession to the European Union, agricultural labour force, common agricultural policy, farm income, impact study, labour market

C 309 E/70

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(28 May 2002)

At the time of the adoption of the Code of Conduct for business taxation, the Member States made a
1.
commitment not to introduce any new tax measures that would be harmful within the meaning of the
Code of Conduct. This explicit commitment,
is clearly recorded in
paragraph C of the Code.

termed as the standstill clause,

The Code of Conduct Group has the mandate to report to the Ecofin Council whether the standstill
2.
clause is being upheld. In accordance with paragraphs E and F of the Code the Member States are invited
to inform the Group if they have introduced new measures which might be potentially harmful. They may
also ask for the opportunity to discuss and comment on any such new potentially harmful measures that
may have been introduced in other Member States.

3.
If it becomes apparent that Member States are introducing measures which might be harmful under
the Code of Conduct the measures will have to be assessed in the Code of Conduct Group. For its part, the
Commission will naturally examine any measures reported to it in this context in order to determine
whether the Member State concerned is in compliance with its obligations under the Treaty.

(2002/C 309 E/081)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0988/02

by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission

Subject: Enlargement and the Austrian farming industry

(12 April 2002)

A study carried out by the Austrian Institute for Economic Research forecasts that Austria’s share of the
market in most agricultural sectors will decline following EU enlargement. A particularly serious decline in
income is expected in the cereals sector and the milk sector, which is extremely important for Austria.

Bearing in mind the study entitled ‘Analysis of the impact on agricultural markets and incomes of EU
enlargement to the CEECs’, which is unfortunately available only in English, can the Commission answer
the following questions:

1.

In the Commission’s view, to what extent can the expected loss of income be attributed to possible job
losses among Austrian farmers?

2. What measures will the Commission take if such job losses occur?

3. According to what time scale (post 2004) does the Commission expect a normalisation of the labour

market in the agricultural sector?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 May 2002)

On the basis of its current analysis, the Commission does not share the view that Austria will suffer a
serious decline in market share following Union enlargement. In particular, the Commission does not share
the negative view of the Austrian study on the low competitiveness of Austrian’s agriculture and food
processing industries, especially for its high quality products.

Moreover, the Union’s position in the enlargement negotiations is that where the acquis provides for
production quotas, these should be extended to the new Member States on the basis of a recent reference
period. This means that production will be maintained at recent levels.

12.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 309 E/71

Significant liberalisation of trade between the Union and the candidate countries in agricultural and
processed agricultural products has already been agreed under the double zero agreements. A second
round of bilateral negotiations for trade liberalisation of agricultural products is now underway. The
Commission expects that this liberalisation process will allow for gradual adaptation to the conditions that
will be faced after enlargement.

In this respect it should be noted that Austria has a trade surplus with the candidate countries in the field
of agriculture and food products.

Under the current arrangements for the Common Agricultural Policy, the Commission does not expect
enlargement to have a significant negative impact on trends in agricultural income and employment in the
short to medium term in Austria.

In its recent Communication on the impact of enlargement on border regions (1), the Commission stressed
the scope to adjust rural development programmes to help farmers and rural areas in border regions to
adequately prepare for enlargement. The use of these programmes should help to avoid any potential
disturbances in particular on local agricultural markets.

(1) COM(2001) 437 final.

(2002/C 309 E/082)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1004/02

by María Valenciano Martínez-Orozco (PSE) to the Council

(12 April 2002)

Subject: Honouring the commitments made to women in connection with the Afghanistan reconstruction

process

On 13 December 2001, Parliament called for the granting of international aid for the reconstruction of
Afghanistan to be made conditional on the participation of women in the decision-making process and in
determining the use of such aid, and also called on the donor countries (and, in particular, the EU) to
ensure that Afghan women were the direct beneficiaries of between 25 % and 30 % of the financial aid
provided for reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Is the Council intending to monitor these commitments relating to women and the granting of financial
aid by the European Union?

intending to support Parliament’s suggestion that

Is the Council
the UN should appoint a woman
rapporteur for sex equality, whose task would be to supervise compliance with the commitments made in
respect of women during the transition and reconstruction process in Afghanistan?

Reply

(30 September 2002)

1.
The Council fully supports the objective to promote the role of Afghan women in society in general,
and in particular their participation in the political decision making process. The Council has also
repeatedly underlined that the EU’s reconstruction aid is conditional on all Afghan parties contributing
positively to the process and the goals agreed in the Bonn peace agreement. The Council will therefore
continue to encourage the successive Afghan administrations to implement
the generally accepted
principles enshrined in international instruments to which Afghanistan is a party, including the respect of
human rights without any discrimination based on gender, religion or ethnicity.

2.

In its latest conclusions on Afghanistan adopted on 15 April 2002, the Council stated explicitly that:

(13)
The EU considers that Afghan women must enjoy all human rights as well as equal access to
health care, education and employment, have the opportunity to participate on equal terms in the
political and social life of their country, and be able to play a central role in the reconstruction of