WRITTEN QUESTION E-1949/02 by Bernard Poignant (PSE) to the Commission. Beneficiaries of the EAGGF — Guarantee section.
Date: 2002-07-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EAGGF Guarantee Section, EU Member State, aid recipient, closing of accounts, data protection, statistics

17.4.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 92 E/123

As far as the restriction of the right of free movement of European citizens is concerned, the Commission
would refer the Honourable Member to its joint answer to the written questions P-1975/02 by
Mrs Figueiredo and P-1987/02 by Mr Lage (1).

In general, the rights of persons to freely express their opinion and to assemble peacefully are reflected in
the European Convention on Human Rights and in the Union Charter of Fundamental Rights. Persons
must be able to enjoy these rights without a threat to their security, to other people’s security or to
property. Member States are sometimes faced with the fact that people abuse these rights by taking
advantage of legitimate public demonstrations to carry out acts of violence.

The Commission recalls that the primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order lies with the
Member States.

(1) See page 124.

(2003/C 92 E/171)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1949/02

by Bernard Poignant (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Beneficiaries of the EAGGF (cid:1) Guarantee section

(3 July 2002)

The common agricultural policy (CAP) is the Community policy that accounts for the greatest part of the
European budget. Expenditure in this area must therefore be as transparent as possible.

The expenditure in question is the aid granted under the income guarantee provided by the CAP.

In the interests of fairness, justice and clarity, the following information would go a long way towards
restoring the confidence of the members of the public affected by this policy.

The Commission must be in a position to give precise answers to the following questions and to supply
accurate tables:

(cid:1) which Member State has the most beneficiaries?

(cid:1) how much do the beneficiaries of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)

receive in each of the 15 Member States of the Union?

(cid:1) what percentage of gross agricultural product is represented by the production of the 100 main

beneficiaries in each Member State?

(cid:1) what percentage of the EAGGF (cid:1) Guarantee Section in each Member State is received by the 100

main beneficiaries?

(cid:1) how many workers are employed by the 100 main beneficiaries?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 September 2002)

In the past it was not possible for the Commission for legal reasons to answer positively to the Honourable
Member and to other Honourable Members who have addressed similar requests to the Commission.
However, the Commission has adopted Commission Regulation (EC) No 419/2002 of 6 March 2002
amending Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999 (1). The new Article 2 of this Regulation allows the Commission
to use the accounting information to carry out its functions in the context of the clearance of account
procedure and to monitor developments as well as to provide forecasts in the agricultural sector. The
accounting information transmitted to the Commission remains, however, confidential and is communi-
cated only for the purposes given in Article 2 of (EC) Regulation No 2390/1999.

C 92 E/124

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

In carrying out the new two actions, the Commission is obliged to respect the provisions of Regulation
(EC) No 45/2001 of the Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of
individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and
on the free movement of such data. Therefore it renders the information anonymous and processes it in
aggregated form only.

In conclusion, the Commission will be soon in a position to provide statistical information on the amounts
paid to farmers. Detailed statistical information will be shortly made available to the public which will in
principle cover the request made by the Honourable Member. However,
the requested information
concerning the Gross Agriculture Product and the number of workers is not available at the level of
individual beneficiaries who receive payments from the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee
Fund (EAGGF) (cid:1) Guarantee Section.

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 419/2002 of 6 March 2002 amending Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999 of
25 October 1999 laying down detailed rules of the application of Regulation (EC) No 1663/95 as regards the form
and content of the accounting information that the Member States must hold at the disposal of the Commission for
the purposes of the clearance of the EAGGF Guarantee Section accounts, OJ L 64, 7.3.2002.

(2003/C 92 E/172)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1975/02

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 June 2002)

Subject: Seville summit

Bearing in mind the free movement of persons within the European Union enshrined in the Treaties, and
including the right to demonstrate peacefully,
the rights of citizens freely to express their opinions,
specifically during European Council meetings, can the Commission answer the following questions:

(cid:1) Do the events during the recent summit in Seville, when the Spanish police prevented hundreds of
Portuguese citizens from entering the country, including delegations from the Portuguese Communist
Party (PCP), Left Bloc (BE) and NGOs intending to travel to Seville to take part in the demonstration
on 22 June, mean that only capital now enjoys unrestricted freedom of movement?

(cid:1) Will application of the Schengen Agreement be suspended for all summits from now on, thereby

calling into question the right to demonstrate freely at European Union level?

(2003/C 92 E/173)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1987/02

by Carlos Lage (PSE) to the Commission

(1 July 2002)

Subject: Free movement of persons within the Schengen area

On 22 June 2002, a group of some 500 Portuguese citizens who were on their way to Spain to take part
in an authorised demonstration on the fringe of the European Council meeting in Seville were prevented (cid:1)
by violent means (cid:1) from entering Spanish territory by members of the police. This incident occurred in
the border locality of Vila Verde do Ficalho, in the Alentejo, and involved repressive actions by the Spanish
authorities, who used truncheons against and manhandled members of the group of Portuguese citizens
(among them a Member of the Assembly of the Republic), whose sole offence was to ask why they were
not being allowed to cross the frontier. Spanish police offers even boarded the buses transporting the
group and confiscated photographic and other visual material. There is no justification for procedures and
actions of this nature, which are totally unacceptable in a Union which includes respect for fundamental
rights and freedoms among its founding principles (cid:1) not even under the national security considerations