WRITTEN QUESTION E-1479/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Exports of fresh and frozen beef from Member States to the Vatican City State and management of the meat counters in the Vatican shop.
Date: 2003-05-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, Holy See, beef, exchange of information, export, export refund, invitation to tender, management, shareholding, supermarket

9.10.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 242 E/231

(2003/C 242 E/270)

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).

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

(cid:1) what instruments the European Union has, or in other words what measures Italy has adopted, to
ensure that the Vatican does not (cid:1) directly or indirectly (cid:1) remarket in the European Union products
for which export refunds are granted;

(cid:1) whether the company that was awarded this meat management contract, or rather its constituent

companies, export meat to the Vatican directly or through an intermediary;

(cid:1) the names of the Belgian, Irish, Italian and Dutch companies that exported meat to the Vatican in the

period 1998/2001?

(2003/C 242 E/271)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1480/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 May 2003)

Subject: Refunds on exports from Member States to the Vatican City State of beet and cane sugar and

chemically pure sucrose in solid form

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).

Examination of this table shows that, for exports to the Vatican City State of ‘beet and cane sugar and
chemically pure sucrose in solid form’ (code 1701):

(a)

(b)

in 1999 exports from Italy totalled 79,075 kg for a refund of EUR 385 731,05, equivalent to aid of
EUR 4 878,04 per kg of sugar exported;

in 2000 exports from Italy totalled 70,115 kg for a refund of EUR 356 906,17, equivalent to aid of
EUR 5 090,30 per kg of sugar exported;

(c) no units of measurement are given for the two following sets of figures:

1.

2.

an export from France of 0,110 in 1998, equivalent to aid of EUR 44,18 and;

an export from Spain of 28,030 in 1999, equivalent to aid of EUR 1 268,38.