WRITTEN QUESTION E-3167/02 by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission. Subsidy fraud involving agricultural exports.
Date: 2002-11-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Yugoslavia, agricultural trade, common commercial policy, fraud against the EU, preferential agreement, revision of an agreement, tariff preference

26.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 51 E/9

What will the Commission do to protest against this abuse of democracy and the increasingly intolerant
one-party rule in Singapore?

Will the Commission petition the Singaporean Government for their release?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(18 November 2002)

The Commission through its Delegation in Jakarta, together with the Diplomatic Missions of the Member
States, follows the human rights situation in Singapore, and is aware of the cases of Dr Chee Soon Juan
and Mr Ghandi Ambalam, respectively secretary-general and executive board member of the Singapore
Democratic Party opposition party.

The Commission can confirm that, according to sources, the two were the main organisers of a May Day
Rally that did not receive necessary permission under the Public Entertainment and Meeting Act, were
subsequently prosecuted and sentenced to either a prison term or payment of a fine. While Mr Ghandi
Ambalam choose to pay the fine, Dr Chee Soon Juan has been imprisoned since 8 October 2002 for a
period of five weeks.

With respect to Singapore, the Commission expects that due legal process has been observed by the
authorities. Nevertheless, the Commission will ask its responsible Delegation to consult with Member
States Diplomatic Missions to Singapore on this particular case, and to consider its implications.

The planned opening of a Commission Delegation to Singapore towards the end of 2002, will further
increase the scope for the Commission to monitor the democratic and human rights situation in the
country, and if deemed necessary, widen the scope for appropriate follow up actions with the authorities
in conjunction with Member States Diplomatic Missions.

(2004/C 51 E/010)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3167/02

by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission

(6 November 2002)

Subject: Subsidy fraud involving agricultural exports

An article in the 14 October 2002 issue of the ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’ raises the possibility that
there may have been large-scale abuse of the EU customs rebates for Croatia and the former Yugoslavia in
connection with illegal agricultural exports. The Greek authorities have identified consignments from
Croatia containing more than one third of sugar cane from the Caribbean.

This prompts the following questions:

1.

Since when has the Commission been aware of these irregularities?

2. Which agricultural products apart from sugar are also affected?

3. How large are the estimated sums lost to the EU as a result of these so-called ‘carrousel operations’?

4. According to information from a member of Commissioner Patten’s staff, we could also be witnessing
the effects of normal economic behaviour subject to absurd rules. Does the Commission plan to revise
the agreement with the Balkan states in the light of this information?

C 51 E/10

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

26.2.2004

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(13 December 2002)

trade arrangements for sugar declared at

Journal
At the end of June 2002, the Commission published a Notice to Importers in the Official
informing Community operators that there was reasonable doubt as to the proper application of the
preferential
import as originating in the Western Balkans
countries. The Notice advises importers to take precautionary measures and informs exporters from
beneficiary countries that the trade flows in question are under scrutiny, at the same time protecting the
Community’s financial interests. The Commission is also carrying out missions in the countries concerned
in order to assess the situation. The decision to publish the Notice to Importers was taken in light of a
significant increase of imports of sugar from the region during 2001 and the first half of 2002, linked to
an increase of exports of sugar from the Community to the region. Other products are not concerned.

An assessment of the sums lost to the Community budget would depend on evidence of fraud, which
remains limited thus far. Single cases of fraud relating to preferential origin, concerning small quantities of
sugar, have been detected by the Greek authorities, and have led to collection of the corresponding
customs duties.

Community trade in sugar with the Western Balkans may be based on economic rationale. Community
market prices on sugar are higher than corresponding prices on sugar in the region giving rise to
incentives for Balkan operators to export sugar to the Community. At the same time, Community sugar
can be sold to competitive prices on the Western Balkans market due to an export refund of currently
approximately EUR 450 per tonne thus generating a legitimate two-way trade.

The Council decision to unilaterally liberalize trade with the Western Balkans countries and to
subsequently enshrine this liberal commitment in long-term contractual relations in Stabilisation and
Association Agreements has proved vital for the economic recovery and political stabilisation of the
region. It is in the Union’s political and economic interest to continue to steer a stable and credible course
in its relations with these countries, respecting the contractual commitments entered into by the
Communities and their Member States, which form a cornerstone of the Union’s policy in South Eastern
Europe.

(2004/C 51 E/011)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3227/02

by Sérgio Marques (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(14 November 2002)

Subject: State of implementation of development cooperation projects for police cooperation with South

Africa

In the context of the severe problems afflicting the African continent and,
in particular, the entire
subcontinental region of southern Africa, the new democratic South Africa, free as it now is from inhuman
systems of racial segregation, is a crucial factor for stability and development and a proof that there is an
alternative to poverty, civil war, dictatorship, corruption and bad governance.

At present South Africa is suffering from considerable problems to which the EU and the international
community cannot remain indifferent. These include the huge incidence of AIDS, alarming unemployment
levels and economic stagnation, as well as the disturbingly high crime figures.

These alarming crime levels are now reaching tragic proportions, not only for the South Africans
themselves but also for the European emigrant communities in South Africa.

South Africa would obviously have a hard task to overcome these difficulties were it not for the support
and solidarity of the international community, in which the EU’s role is vital, given that the Union and its
Member States together account for 70 % of all international aid to South Africa.