WRITTEN QUESTION E-1478/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Refunds on exports from Member States to the Vatican City State of fresh and frozen beef.
Date: 2003-05-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, Holy See, beef, database, exchange of information, export refund, originating product, statistics

C 70 E/42

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

(2004/C 70 E/045)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1477/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 May 2003)

Subject: Refunds on exports from Member States to the Vatican City State of butter and other fats and oils

derived from milk, milk products

A table containing data on the quantities and value in euro of products eligible for export refunds was
appended to the supplementary answer to question P-3202/02 (1).

Examination of this table shows that, for exports to the Vatican City State of ‘butter and other fats and oils
derived from milk, milk products’ (code 0405):

(a)

(b)

in 1998 exports from Austria totalled 155 kg for a refund of EUR 272 200,57, equivalent to aid of
EUR 1 756,13 per kg of butter exported;

in 1999 exports from Italy totalled 0,064 kg for a refund of EUR 402,90, equivalent to aid of
EUR 6 295,31 per kg of butter exported;

In all likelihood, 155 000 kg were exported in 1998 and around 230 kg in 2000, at a more credible level
of aid of between EUR 1,76 and EUR 1,75 per kg of butter exported.

If one were to make these corrections, total exports would be 174 215,50 kg for 1998, 156 230 kg for
1999, 145 560 kg for 2000 and 146 200 kg for 2001.

Under Regulation (EC) No 419/2002 (2), it should also be possible for the tabular data, extracted from the
CATS database, to be used for monitoring and forecasting purposes.

It is specified in the table that the units of measurement, weights or quantities and the amounts in euro are
provided by the Member States.

In the light of the above, could the Commission indicate:

(cid:1) whether the data supplied by the Member States are checked and who is responsible for doing this;

(cid:1) whether the quantities of butter and other fats and oils derived from milk, and milk products exported
from Member States to the Vatican City State were subject to any monitoring, what form that this
took, and what forecasts were made in respect of these quantities;

(cid:1) whether it does not consider the level of imports to the minuscule Vatican City State to be too high,

or in other words that it can be assumed these products are sold in Italy?

(1) OJ C 137 E, 12.6.2003, p. 172.
(2) OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 8.

(2004/C 70 E/046)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1478/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 May 2003)

Subject: Refunds on exports from Member States to the Vatican City State of fresh and frozen beef

A table containing data on the quantities and value in euro of products for which export refunds are
granted was appended to the supplementary answer to question P-3202/02 (1).

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/43

Examination of this table shows that, for exports to the Vatican City State of ‘fresh and frozen beef’
(code 0201):

(a)

(b)

in 1999 exports from Italy totalled 39,592 kg for a refund of EUR 256 405,34, equivalent to aid of
EUR 6 476,19 per kg of meat exported;

in 2000 exports from Italy totalled 38,985 kg for a refund of EUR 305 341,16, equivalent to aid of
EUR 7 832,27 per kg of meat exported;

In all likelihood, 395 920 kg were exported in 1999 and 389 850 kg in 2000, at a more credible level of
aid of between EUR 0,65 and EUR 0,78 per kg of meat exported.

If one were to make these corrections, total exports would be 346 233 kg for 1998, 963 646 kg for 1999,
730 978,210 kg for 2000 and 212 249,800 kg for 2001.

Under Regulation (EC) No 419/2002 (2), it should also be possible for the tabular data, extracted from the
CATS database, to be used for monitoring and forecasting purposes.

It is specified in the table that the units of measurement, weights or quantities and the amounts in euro are
provided by the Member States.

In the light of the above, could the Commission indicate:

(cid:1) whether the data supplied by the Member States are checked and who is responsible for doing this;

(cid:1) whether the quantities of fresh and frozen beef exported from Member States to the Vatican City State
were subject to any monitoring, what form that this took, and what forecasts were made in respect of
these quantities;

(cid:1) whether it does not consider the level of imports to the minuscule Vatican City State to be too high,

or in other words that it can be assumed these products are sold in Italy?

(1) OJ C 137 E, 12.6.2003, p. 172.
(2) OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 8.

(2004/C 70 E/047)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1479/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 May 2003)

Subject: Exports of fresh and frozen beef from Member States to the Vatican City State and management of

the meat counters in the Vatican shop

In an interview published in March 2001 in the trade journal ‘Eurocarni’, Ruggero Guidoni, the head of
Guidoncarni, which is based in Torrevecchia (Rome), stated that in 2000 ‘Unicarni of Reggio Emilia … was
awarded the contract to supply meat to the supermarket run by the Vatican Governorate, where around
ten thousand consumers from that community, including purchasers for several religious houses, can buy
goods on production of the appropriate pass. Ildo Cigarini, the chairman of Unicarni, asked us to manage
the meat counters in the Vatican shop … and we took up a 30 % stake in the company Roma Carni 2000,
which was set up for that purpose. CIR Surgelati also took up a stake. The estimated turnover was
15-20 billion per annum. It could be even higher. Unfortunately the crisis upset these forecasts.’

In the period 1998/2000 the Vatican imported 22 529,27 quintals of meat from EU Member States and
received the export refunds provided for. These exports came from Belgium (579,84 q),
Ireland
(2 226,01 q), Italy (8 044,47 q) and the Netherlands (11 678,94 q).