WRITTEN QUESTION E-1917/02 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Delays in payment of Community aid to banana production in Madeira.
Date: 2002-07-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, Madeira, aid system, deadline for payment, monetary compensatory amount, producer organisation, production aid, tropical fruit

14.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/29

All 19 members of the Scahaw have provided a written annual statement of interests as required by the
Commission Decision and the rules of procedure. All members of the Scahaw agree that the annual
statement should be accessible to the public and communicated or made available to third parties on
request.

Additionally at each meeting of the Scahaw, the Subcommittees of Animal Health, Animal Welfare or of a
Working Party, members are requested to declare any particular interests which could be regarded as
prejudicial to their independence in relation to topics on the agenda for that meeting. This declaration may
be made either in writing or verbally and is noted in plenary minutes which are published on the
Internet (2) thereby ensuring a high degree of transparency.

According to the current ‘Rules of procedure’, members concerned that their interests may be considered
as prejudicing their independence shall
inform the Chairperson who shall, together with the other
members of the Scahaw, of its subcommittees or of the Working Party, decide on the appropriate action,
for example, that the member shall not act as rapporteur or as Chairperson, or simply provide information
but refrain from influencing the conclusions of the discussions.

The Honourable Member can additionally find further explanations in relation the report on fur farming,
in the replies to written questions E-0285/02 from Mr Kyösti Virrankoski (3); P-0077/02 from Mrs Astrid
Thors (4) and E-367/02 from Mr Jan Mulder (3).

(1) OJ L 237, 28.8.1997.
(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scah/index_en.html.
(3) OJ C 172 E, 18.7.2002, p. 174.
(4) OJ C 147 E, 20.6.2002, p. 238.

(2003/C 192 E/026)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1917/02

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: Delays in payment of Community aid to banana production in Madeira

Banana producers in Madeira (Portugal) have been complaining about considerable delays in the payment
of Community aid; this circumstance is causing them severe problems, notably in the acquisition of factors
of production.

Can the Commission state whether delays are in fact occurring in the payment of Community aid to
banana producers’ organisations in Madeira and, should this be the case, give reasons for the delays?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2002)

The Commission informs the Honourable Member that calculating compensatory aid every year for
Community banana producers involves a long process of collecting and meticulously verifying data on
prices and marketed quantities for each of the producer Member States. These various tasks entail
administrative deadlines that can hardly be shortened especially if the prime concern is to produce correct
and reliable data. As soon as the data in question are collected and after a final check, the Commission,
without delay, under the Management Committee procedure, adopts the legislation fixing the amount of
the compensatory aid. National administrations are then required to pay the aid to producers within a
reasonable time limit set out in the rules.

Specifically as regards aid for the 2001 marketing year, the most recent information from the Member
States reached the Commission on 6 May 2002.

C 192 E/30

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

The Regulation fixing the aid was published in the Official Journal on 1 June 2002 (1). It lays down that
the national administrations are under the obligation to pay the balance of the aid by 4 August 2002 at
the latest.

The Commission would also call attention to the fact that Community producers may receive advances on
the compensatory aid.

The arrangements for these advances have in fact just been changed by Regulation (EC) No 471/2001 (2).
They provide for the payment of a sixth advance for bananas marketed during the months of November
and December, account being in this way taken of cash-flow problems on the part of producers pending
payment of the balance of the compensatory aid.

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 932/2002 of 31 May 2002 fixing the compensatory aid for bananas produced and
marketed in the Community in 2001, the time limit for payment of the balance of the aid and the unit value of the
advances for 2002 (cid:1) OJ L 144, 1.6.2002.

(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 471/2001 of 8 March 2001 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1858/93 laying down
detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EEC) No 404/93 as regards the aid scheme to compensate the loss of
income from marketing in the banana sector (cid:1) OJ L 67, 9.3.2001.

(2003/C 192 E/027)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1926/02

by Giorgio Celli (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: Skiing development at sites of Community interest in the Parco d’Abruzzo (Italy)

for 2000-2006 (involving initial

Towards the end of 2001 the governing body of the ‘mountain community’ of Alto Sangro e Altopiano
delle Cinquemiglia (L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy) approved a project for a new skiing complex with brand-new
lifts. This decision brought
together proposals for skiing facilities made by the municipalities of
Rivisondoli, Barrea, Roccaroso, Pescasseroli and Roccapia, and was forwarded to the Abruzzo regional
authorities on the understanding that they would request the Community funding provided for under the
single planning document
financing to the sum of approximately
EUR 9 million). The aim is to link a number of the region’s ski resorts to the Park by means of a dense
network of chairlifts and cableways, which would also take in the Barrea estuary (right in the middle of the
Park’s main reserved zone), the basin of Lake Pantaniello (a national protected area), and the slopes of Serra
di Rocca Chiarano and Monte Greco (classified as sites of Community interest (cid:1) code IT7110061, Serra di
Rocca Chiarano (cid:1) Monte Greco (1)), for which Article 5 of Presidential Decree No 357 (2) of 8 September
1997 clearly sets out conservation objectives. The Greco massif is home to large fauna (bears, wolves and
deer) and eagles. The plans also include road links, viaducts and tunnels, as well as the creation of artificial
snow facilities and other related facilities (basins and electrical installations). If these projects were to be
carried out, they would destroy the natural environment and the social and economic fabric and ruin sites
of outstanding natural beauty (thousands of trees would be felled). The artificial snow facilities would have
a damaging effect on the watercourses (to supply a 1 500-metre stretch with artificial snow requires
20 000 cubic metres of water, in other words 20 million litres), thus worsening what were, last winter,
already severe problems in the water supply.

Is the Commission aware of these circumstances? Can it ascertain whether these proposals comply with
the legislation on environmental impact assessment and on the protection of sites falling within the Natura
2000 network? Is the Community funding provided for in the single programming document for 2000-
2006 for the Abruzzo region compatible with the adoption by the same region of a plan for the
expansion of skiing facilities which primarily affects a special protection area (code IT7120132) and sites
of Community interest? Are there any other proposed or current Community funding arrangements,
e.g. under the Structural Funds, which could be directly or indirectly related to this development plan?

(1) Ministerial Order of 3 April 2000. List of the special protection areas named under Directive 79/409/EEC and the

sites of Community interest named under Directive 92/43/EEC.

(2) Regulation implementing Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural and semi-natural habitats and of wild

flora and fauna.