WRITTEN QUESTION P-3636/03 by Salvador Jové Peres (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Reform of the CMO in olive oil.
Date: 2003-12-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing arrangements, agricultural statistics, aid to agriculture, common organisation of markets, olive oil, reform of the CAP, utilised agricultural area

C 78 E/838

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Country

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Austria

Portugal

Finland

Sweden

United Kingdom

Unspecified

EAGGF

3

212

2

3

18

31

11

5

19

0

FIFG

1

21

1

15

0

5

3

6

9

0

ERDF

62

432

4

143

15

106

36

44

775

100

Total

716

149

3 780

ESF

268

489

3

362

16

49

42

22

353

0

2 455

Total

334

1 154

10

523

49

191

92

77

1 156

100

7 100

These amounts totalling EUR 7,1 billion represent on average 5 % of the 1994-1999 programmes (even
less in present value). This means that, 10 years after their launch, the programmes’ implementation rate is
over 95 %.

(1) SEC(2003) 1111.

(2004/C 78 E/0892)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3636/03

by Salvador Jové Peres (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(2 December 2003)

Subject: Reform of the CMO in olive oil

Regulation (EC) No 1638/98 (1) amending the common organisation of the market in oils and fats lays
down that: ‘No aid … may be paid to olive growers in respect of additional olive trees or the relevant areas
planted after 1 May 1998’.

Under the recent Commission proposal, aid for olive oil would be calculated on the basis of the aid
received in the period 2000-2002. Olive groves begin to yield fruit five years after being established, and
only reach full productive capacity ten years after planting. As a consequence, the entitlements for olive
trees planted between 1990 and 1 May 1998 would, despite their being eligible for aid, be inferior to
those for other olive trees. Similarly, the Council regulation of 1998 established guaranteed national
quantities which, if exceeded, trigger the application of penalties, and therefore the granting of less aid.
In this way, if the approach announced by the Commission were to be applied, there would be a reduction
in the aid entitlements for olive trees planted between 1988 and 1 May 1998. Olive groves that are the
subject of restructuring or replanting measures in these periods would also be affected by both sets of
circumstances.

The Commission has commissioned studies and investigations (cid:1) Olistat, Olisig, Oliarea and Olicount,
Olicount 2000, Oliarea and Geomatics (cid:1) to obtain reliable information on Community olive groves, and
has been able to use GIS for this.

What surface area of olive groves planted prior to 1998 in each Member State would not have come into
full production in 2000? What surface area of olive groves subject to restructuring or replanting measures
in each Member State would not have come into full production in 2000? How many producers fall into
each of these two categories in each Member State?

(1) OJ L 210, 28.7.1998, p. 32.

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/839

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(8 January 2004)

Under CAP reform principles the Commission is proposing that the national ceiling be calculated using the
average of the payments received by growers during the reference period. For olive oil this is the 2000/
2001 to 2002/2003 marketing years. It should be noted that in all three leading producer countries
(Greece, Italy, Spain) the national guaranteed quantity was exceeded during that period.

Under the reform proposal presented by the Commission additional trees planted after 1 May 1998 will be
excluded from any support. As the Honourable Member says, new trees do not reach full productivity until
ten years after planting. There are therefore a number of groves eligible under the new provisions that
during the reference period produced less (and hence generated less aid) than a grove of mature trees. It is
to deal with this type of situation that Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 (1) requires Member States
to apply a percentage reduction (not more than 3 %) to reference amounts in order to constitute a national
reserve. By using this to establish reference amounts for farmers in a special situation or in areas
undergoing restructuring Member States will be able to ensure equality of treatment for all producers.

On numbers of young olive trees, the Olistat study in 1998 gave for Spain a figure of 66,4 million (23 %)
out of a total of 287,9 million maintained trees. For the other Member States the corresponding
proportion was France 11 %, Greece 14 %, Italy 19 % and Portugal 14 %.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct support
schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers and amending
Regulations (EEC) No 2019/93, (EC) No 1452/2001, (EC) No 1453/2001, (EC) No 1454/2001, (EC) No 1868/94,
(EC) No 1251/1999,
(EEC) No 2358/71 and (EC) No 2529/2001,
OJ L 270, 21.10.2003.

(EC) No 1673/2000,

(EC) No 1254/1999,

(2004/C 78 E/0893)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3640/03

by Herbert Bösch (PSE)
and Johannes Swoboda (PSE) to the Commission

(9 December 2003)

Subject: Withdrawal of direct cross-border rail connections

From 14 December 2003 new train timetables will become operational
in Austria, Switzerland and
Germany. Certain direct overnight train services, viz. Vienna/Brussels (EN 324 Donau Walzer), Brussels/
Vienna (EN 325 Donau Walzer), Brussels/Chur (D 499) and Chur/Brussels (D 499) no longer appear in the
new timetables. The Vienna/Amsterdam, Amsterdam/Vienna direct overnight connection had already been
withdrawn in mid-December 2002. These services are being or have been discontinued even although the
trains were and are generally well used, and gave a significant boost to summer and Christmas tourism in
resorts in Austria. Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) were concerned to maintain the service to and from
Brussels and Amsterdam, but the railway companies in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands were
opposed, for various reasons, to continuing them. ÖBB does not, however, have the capacity to maintain
these trans-European rail connections on its own.

Can the Commission state how many direct trains between Member State capitals and third-countries
bordering on the EU have been withdrawn in the last five years?

What action is the Commission taking to promote cross-border passenger transport, in particular against
to promote trans-European networks? What arrangements is the
the backdrop of EU initiatives
Commission making to ensure that
the liberalisation process at European level will not mean a
deterioration in the service to users? Can the Commission provide a breakdown of the take-up of TEN
appropriations by Member State over the last five years? What impact does failure to implement railway
projects have on rail users?