WRITTEN QUESTION E-1492/03 by Margrietus van den Berg (PSE) to the Commission. Coffee negotiations.
Date: 2003-05-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: coffee, exchange of information, professional association, quality control of agricultural products, quality standard, surveillance concerning imports

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/35

(2004/C 88 E/0037)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1492/03

by Margrietus van den Berg (PSE) to the Commission

(2 May 2003)

Subject: Coffee negotiations

Would the Commission clarify the progress which is being made in the ongoing negotiations between the
European Union and the European Coffee Federation on the setting up of an independent system to
monitor the quality of coffee entering the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 2003)

As the Honourable Member is aware, the Commission has supported the adoption of Resolution No 407
on minimum standards for exportable coffees by the International Coffee Council (ICO) at all levels of the
negotiation.

For the proper implementation of the above Resolution, each member must make its best endeavour to
support the objectives of the programme and co-operate in the field of data communication, particularly
regarding those imports that do not correspond to the agreed standards. Therefore, with a view to
ensuring comprehensive and transparent information, the Commission and the European Coffee Federation
(ECF) agreed that the latter should inform the Commission on a quarterly basis about imports that do not
conform to Resolution 407. On the basis of this, the Commission will forward the information to the ICO
in London.

The Commission has reminded the ECF on several occasions of the need to provide data, drawn the
attention of its Secretary General to the commitment it has assumed and the role that the private sector
must play in this context.

The Commission notes with regret that no information has been provided since the end of the first
quarterly period after the implementation of the Resolution.

The Commission is in constant contact with the ECF and still hopes that a satisfactory solution can be
rapidly found on the side of the coffee industry. Should the present situation persist, the Commission
wishes to reassure the Honourable Member that its services will act within the ICO in order to introduce a
more binding system to achieve transparency and proper implementation of ICO Resolution 407.

(2004/C 88 E/0038)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1497/03

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(5 May 2003)

Subject: Destruction of EU property in Palestine

What is the current situation regarding EU-financial infrastructure in Palestine that has been destroyed or
damaged the continuing conflict in the region?

Answer by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(23 June 2003)

The Commission, upon the request of the Union’s Presidency, compiled a preliminary list of EU-funded
(Commission and Member States) projects which have either been destroyed or damaged by Israeli military
forces. The list of destroyed projects is regularly updated by the Commission office in Jerusalem in
coordination with the Member States’ representative offices in Jerusalem and Ramallah. This task has been
made difficult by the conditions on the ground. The list was last updated on 14 December 2002 bringing
total damages to EUR 24 014 000. Of this total, about one-quarter was financed by the Community and
the remainder by the Member States.