WRITTEN QUESTION E-2633/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Refunds on exports from Member States to the Vatican City State of fresh and frozen beef (code 0201) for 2000. Inconsistencies between CATS and OECD data..
Date: 2003-09-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Holy See, beef, data processing, export refund, fraud against the EU, frozen product, trade volume

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/137

The following supplementary data can be supplied in relation to the export of fresh and frozen beef
(code 0201):

(a)

the European Commission’s CATS (Clearance Audit Trail System) database shows that in 1999:

(cid:1) 57 984 kg were exported from Belgium to the VCS with a refund of EUR 40 732,82, equivalent to

aid of EUR 0,70/kg;

(cid:1) 163 960 kg were exported from Ireland to the VCS with a refund of EUR 93 598,44 equivalent to

aid of EUR 0,57/kg;

(cid:1) 395 920 kg were exported from Italy to the VCS with a refund of EUR 256 405,34 equivalent to

aid of EUR 0,65/kg;

(cid:1) 345 782 kg were exported from Holland to the VCS with a refund of EUR 268 925,00 equivalent

to aid of EUR 0,78/kg;

(b)

the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) database shows that in 1999:

(cid:1) 12 200 kg were exported from Ireland, 472 800 kg from Italy and 363 000 kg from Holland to

the VCS,

(c) This indicates that:

(cid:1) unwarranted aid of EUR 127 366,75 was paid on an additional 209 744,00 kg not shown in the

OECD data;

(cid:1) no application was made for aid of EUR 63 179,91 for the export of 94 098 kg on which

Community aid could have been paid.

Could the Commission state the technical reasons for the foregoing of this Community aid?

Does it not agree that the increasingly patent omissions and the discrepancies between the data from the
different institutional sources seriously affect the credibility of these institutions and might be due to
possible fraud against Community funds, or is it already able to discount this possibility of fraud?

(1) OJ C 70 E, 20.3.2004, p. 45.

(2004/C 78 E/0140)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2633/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 September 2003)

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

(code 0201) for 2000. Inconsistencies between CATS and OECD data.

In response to questions E-1477/03 and E-1480/03 (1) relating to refunds on exports of agricultural
products from Member States to the Vatican City State (VCS), Commissioner Fischler stated on 21 May
2003 that the Commission was collecting the information it needed to answer the question and would
communicate its findings as soon as possible.

The following supplementary data can be supplied in relation to the export of fresh and frozen beef
(code 0201):

(a)

the European Commission’s CATS (Clearance Audit Trail System) database shows that in 2000:

(cid:1) 46 404,210 kg were exported from Ireland to the VCS with a refund of EUR 38 323,65,

equivalent to aid of EUR 0,83/kg;

(cid:1) 389 850 kg were exported from Italy to the VCS with a refund of EUR 305 341,16 equivalent to

aid of EUR 0,78/kg;

(cid:1) 294 544 kg were exported from Holland to the VCS with a refund of EUR 211 144,95 equivalent

to aid of EUR 0,72/kg;

C 78 E/138

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(b)

the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) database shows that in 2000:

(cid:1) 249 700 kg were exported from Italy and 266 700 kg from Holland to the VCS,

(c) This indicates that:

(cid:1) unwarranted aid of EUR 168 053,03 was paid on an additional 214 398,21 kg not shown in the

OECD data;

Does the Commission not agree that the increasingly patent omissions and the discrepancies between the
data from the different institutional sources seriously affect the credibility of these institutions and might
be due to possible fraud against Community funds, or is it already able to discount this possibility of
fraud?

(1) OJ C 70 E, 20.3.2004, p. 45.

(2004/C 78 E/0141)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2634/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 September 2003)

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

0201) for 2001. Inconsistencies between CATS and OECD data.

In response to questions E-1477/03 and E-1480/03 (1) relating to refunds on exports of agricultural
products from Member States to the Vatican City State (VCS), Commissioner Fischler stated on 21 May
2003 that the Commission was collecting the information it needed to answer the question and would
communicate its findings as soon as possible.

The following supplementary data can be supplied in relation to the export of fresh and frozen beef (code
0201):

(a)

the European Commission’s CATS (Clearance Audit Trail System) database shows that in 2001:

(cid:1) 12 237,500 kg were exported from Ireland to the VCS with a refund of EUR 10 844,52,

equivalent to aid of EUR 0,89/kg;

(cid:1) 18 677,300 kg were exported from Italy to the VCS with a refund of EUR 12 487,13 equivalent to

aid of EUR 0,67/kg;

(cid:1) 181 335 kg were exported from Holland to the VCS with a refund of EUR 87 462,25 equivalent

to aid of EUR 0,48/kg;

(b)

the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) database shows that in 2001:

(cid:1) 350 700 kg were exported from Italy and 158 100 kg from Holland to the VCS,

(c) This indicates that:

(cid:1) unwarranted aid of EUR 22 051,32 was paid on an additional 35 472,50 kg not shown in the

OECD data;

(cid:1) no application was made for aid of EUR 221 981,26 for the export of 332 022,70 kg on which

Community aid could have been paid.

Could the Commission state the technical reasons for the foregoing of this Community aid?

Does it not agree that the increasingly patent omissions and the discrepancies between the data from the
different institutional sources seriously affect the credibility of these institutions and might be due to
possible fraud against Community funds, or is it already able to discount this possibility of fraud?

(1) OJ C 70 E 20.3.2004, p. 45.