WRITTEN QUESTION E-2193/02 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. EU fish meal industry.
Date: 2002-07-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, fish product, fishing industry, fishing statistics, industrial fishing, processing industry, turnover

17.4.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 92 E/143

The real aim of EU support should be the improvement of environmental standards in the newly
democratised countries of Central and Eastern Europe,
the project.
Particularly in the target countries receiving such support, local authorities are frequently underfunded and
have an insufficient number of vehicles and inadequate facilities to do the job properly. In such instances,
a private partner could be very useful. Why should private undertakings not be able to submit a project
jointly with a local authority?

irrespective of who carries out

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(27 September 2002)

One of the objectives of ISPA is to support the candidate countries in their efforts to comply with the
Community environmental legislation, and in particular to help to support the costs of the infrastructure
investments required.

It is the responsibility of the national authorities to decide how the objectives of Community legislation
should be met, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.

Among existing Member States, the responsibility for the management of household waste is largely
delegated to the regional or municipal authorities and it falls to these authorities to decide on the type of
undertakings that will carry out the collection and treatment of such waste (private, public or mixed
undertaking). In the case of Slovenia, the removal and management of municipal waste is predominantly
performed by the existing municipal service companies.

Under Article 6 of
ISPA may provide up to 75 % of public or equivalent
expenditure on individual projects, including expenditure by bodies whose activities are undertaken within
an administrative or legal framework rendering them equivalent to public bodies.

the ISPA Regulation (1),

It is, therefore possible, under certain conditions, for private undertakings to submit a project jointly with a
local authority for support under ISPA.

The conditions that apply are intended to avoid market or the generation of excessive returns to private
operators as a result of public grants.

The Commission intends to present operational guidelines in order to assist both private and public
partners to prepare projects for support under ISPA.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1267/1999 of 21 June 1999 establishing an Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-

accession, OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2003/C 92 E/194)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2193/02

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 July 2002)

Subject: EU fish meal industry

Can the Commission provide information on the production of fish meal in the EU, indicating which
Member States are involved, the number of vessels and processing plants engaged in fishing for and
processing species which are destined exclusively for the production of fish meal?

Can the Commission provide information on the final destination of fish meal produced in the EU,
indicating what percentage is earmarked for meal to be used as animal feed and what percentage is
destined for aquaculture?

C 92 E/144

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(23 September 2002)

The majority of EU fish meal production derives from the reduction of whole fish most of which comes
from industrial fisheries, a significant proportion also comes from trimming based fish meal factories
where the raw material is a by-product of fish processing (circa 30 % in recent years). The reduction from
industrial landings takes place in relatively few facilities throughout the Community.

The share of turnover by Member States in industrial fisheries has recently been given (STOA 101/2001)
as Denmark 47 %, Sweden 11 %, United Kingdom 9 %, Spain 7 %, the Netherlands 7 %, Ireland 5 %, France
4 %, Finland 3 %, Portugal 3 % and other Member States 4 %. The same source presents economic data for
this sector, with total landings at 2,970,000 tonnes, turnover at EUR 211 million and jobs at 4920.

Denmark is the main producer and an information paper ‘Facts on the Industrial Fisheries’ was presented
to the Fifth International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea in February 2002 (CONSSO FEB
02/2/Info-1). Comparable data is not readily available for other Member States. The Danish fleet involved
fully or partly in industrial fishery comprises more than 300 vessels and provides around 1,000 jobs at
sea.

Industry sources indicate that 175 000 tonnes of European fish meal (European Economic Area) was used
in farmed fish production in 2001 compared with 520 000 tonnes in terrestrial animal nutrition (non-
ruminants).

(2003/C 92 E/195)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2203/02

by Marco Cappato (NI) to the Council

(22 July 2002)

Subject: Freedom of expression and the Internet

Following the publication on 25 October 2000 of a report in the ‘Osservatore Romano’ (cid:1) the daily
newspaper of the Roman Curia (cid:1) of an article on ‘blasphemous’ websites, the Italian financial police, after
about two years’ investigations, has ordered the shutdown of five US-based Internet sites.

Does not the Council consider that these provisions are contrary to freedom of expression, as guaranteed
by the international instruments concerning human rights, in particular Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on
European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights? If so, what steps does it intend to take?

Reply

(16-19 December 2002)

Article 33 of the Treaty of European Union does not allow the Council to intervene in the maintenance of
public order and security in the Member States.

(2003/C 92 E/196)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2229/02

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Council

(23 July 2002)

Subject: CAP reform and enlargement

Unlike the Structural Funds, which are directly linked to per capita income levels and which may,
therefore, be seen as examples of European solidarity, the CAP is not calculated on the basis of per capita
GDP and has always contained significant budgetary distortions aside from its many other deficiencies.