WRITTEN QUESTION E-1473/02 by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission. Preservation of the Sicilian puppet opera and popular theatre.
Date: 2002-05-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Sicily, cultural heritage, cultural policy, fraud, heritage protection, performing arts, popular art, regional culture

5.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 301 E/155

The Commission:

1. Can it explain the reasoning behind its proposal for a regulation, which, if adopted, would encourage

the production of low-quality food products?

2. Does it not consider that this undesirable legislative change would visibly contradict the objective of
preserving the quality and specific characteristics of those typically European products which are a
source of great social, economic and cultural benefit, such as the Mediterranean tomato?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(26 June 2002)

The Commission has not prepared (cid:1) and does not plan to prepare (cid:1) a draft Regulation amending
Community marketing standards for products derived from tomatoes, quite simply because no such
standards exist.

Only in the context of the aid scheme for tomatoes intended for processing (Council Regulation (EC)
No 2201/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the markets in processed fruit and
vegetable products (1)) does Article 1 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 449/2001 (2) laying down detailed
rules for applying Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 define the main products processed from tomatoes. These
are in no way trade names or marketing standards but definitions of products or groups of products used
solely for managing and monitoring the aid scheme at the processing stage.

Peeled tomatoes and concentrates are subject to marketing standards in Italy, however, under national
Regulation No 96 of 10 March 1969.

A regulatory approach specifically defining finished products was justifiable while Community aid was
being paid for processed products. It was logical to define precisely which products were eligible for that
aid. Since the reform of the sector in 2000, however, Community aid has no longer been granted for
processed products but for the raw material (cid:1) i.e. for tomatoes supplied to the processing industry. The
question is therefore whether the old rules, derived from obsolete regulations, still have to be upheld.

The draft Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 449/01 concerns inter alia some of the definitions
referred to above. In any case, as explained above, any amendment of that Regulation would not affect
trade names or marketing standards and guarantees in force.

The draft was issued at the end of April 2002 for finalisation after consulting the trade and Member States,
in accordance with the Commission’s commitment to transparency.

Any interpretation whereby the Commission was intending to amend the standards in force on products
derived from tomatoes is therefore completely unfounded.

(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996.
(2) OJ L 64, 6.3.2001.

(2002/C 301 E/167)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1473/02

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

(27 May 2002)

Subject: Preservation of the Sicilian puppet opera and popular theatre

The Sicilian puppet opera, which is an art form of great originality and cultural value, has long been in
severe crisis.

C 301 E/156

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

5.12.2002

Fifteen years ago the Trapani puppet opera ceased activities; the same had happened at Caltanissetta in the
1960s; and in Caltagirone and Sortino the deaths of the last two puppet showmen, Gesualdo Papa and
Ignazio Puglisi, have also led to the disappearance of their art.

Immediately after the second world war there were 25 puppet theatres in Palermo alone, but for five years
now there have been only three companies left.

The Commission:

1. Can it state what measures it could take to ensure the recovery and survival of the puppet opera,
given its unique characteristics as an expression of the Sicilian and European cultural tradition?

2. Can it state what initiatives it intends to promote more generally for the support and preservation of
the Sicilian dialect theatre, including the involvement of educational institutions and tourist bodies?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(5 July 2002)

Article 151 of the EC Treaty gives the Community responsibilities in the field of culture. According to
Article 151, action by the Community shall, while fully observing the principle of subsidiarity, be aimed
exclusively at contributing to cooperation between Member States, to the flowering of their cultures while
respecting their national and regional diversity, and to fostering Member States’ cooperation with third
countries and the competent international organisations in the sphere of culture.

In this connection, the EU supports initiatives in the cultural field,
including the live arts (especially
musical theatre, theatre and dance) within the framework and according to the selection criteria of the
‘Culture 2000’ programme, which is the EU’s sole financing and programming instrument for cultural
cooperation. The Commission would point out that the visual arts (cid:1) including theatre (cid:1) will figure
prominently as part of the ‘Culture 2000’ programme in 2003.

The Commission would, however, draw the Honourable Member’s attention to the fact that the ‘Culture
2000’ programme does not provide support for cultural initiatives specific to a region, but for projects for
cooperation in the field of culture at European level in keeping with the Community’s mandate under the
Treaty.

(2002/C 301 E/168)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1476/02

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(27 May 2002)

Subject: Identity theft in the US

On Saturday, 4 May 2002 the Italian daily ‘Corriere della Sera’ carried an article on a new phenomenon
which is causing concern to the US authorities. A full-blown market in personal data is in process of being
created, and the data concerned range from confidential social security codes to all fourteen digits of
credit-card numbers. Official estimates suggest that every year between 500 000 and 700 000 US citizens
suffer thefts of this kind of data. The US Attorney-General, Mr John Ashcroft, is particularly concerned at
the threat this represents from the viewpoint of terrorism (two of the nineteen persons responsible for the
attacks on the Twin Towers had false licences issued in New Jersey). Even if the problem has been raised in
the US, the means used for selling personal data are global, since the process happens on the Internet.

The Commission:

1.

Is it aware of this disturbing phenomenon?

2. Are estimates available concerning the extent of criminal activity of this kind in the Member States?

3. Has the Commission called on Europol to carry out a detailed investigation into this new type of

criminal activity?

4. Does the Commission not consider that, in view of these developments in the US, it is now essential

to ensure regulation of the Internet, at least as far as personal data security is concerned?