WRITTEN QUESTION E-3463/02 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Economic integration.
Date: 2002-12-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, profit, residence, statistics, third country

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/3

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(1 October 2002)

The Commission has currently no available figures to estimate this cost. When making its proposal for the
Directive in question laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens, it took account of
the economic estimations presented in its Communication of 11 March 1998 on the protection of laying
hens kept in various systems of rearing (1). However, the provisions of Council Directive 1999/74/EC of
19 July 1999, as finally adopted by the Council, include new technical elements which were not fully
considered in the economic analysis of the Commission. For this reason article 10 of Directive 1999/74/EC
includes the requirement for a report, to be presented by the Commission not later than 1 January 2005.
An obligation for a further evaluation of the socio-economic implications of the various systems is also
foreseen in the Directive. The cost to producers of implementation will play a key role in the socio-
economic chapter of the report.

There are presently no recent statistics available to the Commission concerning the number of producers
having less than 350 hens. However, in 1997 (2) there were 542 500 farms with less than 100 hens and
2 200 farms with between 100 and 499 hens, out of a total number of 549 250 laying hen farms
accounted for in the whole EU.

(1) OJ C 123, 22.4.1998.
(2) Eurostat: Results of the farm structure survey 1997.

(2004/C 78 E/0003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3463/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(6 December 2002)

Subject: Economic integration

Will the Commission state the value of profits and dividends paid to non-residents in each Member State
for each year of the last five years, and will it further express that figure as a percentage of total business
profits in each Member State, excluding profits remitted outside the Member State?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2003)

The Commission has calculated the value of profits and dividends paid to non-residents for the years/
Member States that enough information was available to perform such calculations.

The Commission has also calculated, when feasible, the percentage they represent in total business profits,
excluding profits remitted outside the Member States.

All data available are given in the table sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament’s
secretariat.

(2004/C 78 E/0004)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3509/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(10 December 2002)

Subject: Abolition of the arrangement whereby small-scale, occasional trading can be carried out on a

cross-border basis using the cash-on-delivery system

1.
Is the Commission aware that the cash-on-delivery system, under which packages are sent through
the post to a firm or individual who must pay the cost of the items concerned on receipt of the package,
with the sum in question being transferred to the sender by means of a postal order, has hitherto been
available on a cross-border basis, but that the Netherlands firm Koninkliijke TPG Post BV (Netherlands Post
Office) is abolishing cross-border dispatches as from 1 January 2003?