WRITTEN QUESTION E-3829/03 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. The milk quota situation after enlargement: Galicia's production allowance.
Date: 2003-12-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Central and Eastern Europe, Galicia, accession to the European Union, agricultural quota, common agricultural policy, enlargement of the Union, milk, production quota

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/251

article, a well-known professor from Bucharest contacted OLAF with documents showing that vocational
training for Romanian employees, allegedly promoted by the EU, had never taken place. However,
according to ‘Stern’, OLAF neither confirmed this evidence to be true nor refuted it. Instead,
it has
apparently rejected the accusations and closed the case on the basis of an audit carried out on the orders
of Tempus itself.

1. Why did OLAF fail to acknowledge the validity as evidence of the documents supplied by the
professor in its letters to him dated 26 September 2003 and 24 October 2003?

2. Why did OLAF rely on an audit report by the Commission management of Tempus instead of
investigating the situation fully itself?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 2004)

The Commission informs the Honourable Member that the documents presented in support of the
complaint in question were examined in detail, as were the other items in the file sent to the European
Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

With the agreement of OLAF, and in line with the usual procedure in such cases, the Directorate-General
for Education and Culture asked a London-based company to carry out an anti-fraud audit, which failed to
corroborate the allegations to which the Honourable Member refers. The Commission has no reason to call
into question the independence of this audit.

After these inquiries and after consulting various European, Romanian and Belgian bodies, OLAF, when
closing the case, found no evidence of any fraud committed in connection with the programme in
question.

However, OLAF has received further information since closing the case and has decided to reopen the
investigation on a number of points. The results of this investigation will be communicated to the
competent authorities according to the usual procedure.

(2004/C 84 E/0298)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3829/03

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 December 2003)

Subject: The milk quota situation after enlargement: Galicia’s production allowance

The dairy sector in Galicia is seriously concerned about what situation it will find itself in after the
enlargement of the EU. If, as a consequence of what was agreed at the time of Spain’s entry into the
Union, the current production quota for Spain, which has 40 million inhabitants, is 6 million tonnes,
making a much smaller quantity per inhabitant than in the rest of the Union, its relative position may
become much worse, since the accession countries will have a global quota of 18 million tonnes for a
population of 75 million. In Spain Galicia (cid:1) the most important dairy-farming region (cid:1) will become the
most disadvantaged region, since its overall quota will be no more than one third of that quantity.

Are these the actual figures for the accession countries? What is the production allowance for each of the
accession countries and what is the ratio between that and population? What criteria were used to
determine the quotas for each country? What possibility is there that in view of all this the production
quota for Spain and Galicia will be improved, considering, moreover, that production is now not even
enough to cover the needs of the Spanish domestic market?

C 84 E/252

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 2004)

All Member States’ national reference quantities have been determined on the basis of their actual
production over a specific period. This approach, taken when the milk quota scheme began in 1984 and
on the occasion of subsequent enlargements, including the present one, avoids discrimination between
producers by not using population and internal consumption as criteria for setting milk quotas.

The national reference quantities allocated to the new Member States were determined country by country
on the basis of production in 2000 or 2001 or the average for a three-year period from 1997. These
production figures were then increased by 1 % giving a total of 18 327 895 tonnes for the ten countries.

Each country’s figure is:

Czech Republic

Estonia

Cyprus

Latvia

Lithuania

Hungary

Malta

Poland

Slovenia

Slovakia

(in tonnes)

2 682 143

624 483

142 200

695 395

1 646 939

1 947 280

48 698

8 964 017

560 424

1 013 316

Because of the very high rates of on-farm consumption, which is not included in milk quotas, in the
acceding countries, the Act of Accession includes a special reserve of 671 418 tonnes for them (Malta and
Cyprus excluded), to be released from 1 April 2006 onwards in line with whatever falls may occur in their
on-farm consumption. A decision on release of the reserve will be taken by the Commission on the basis
of reports from these countries to be made by 31 December 2005.

Beginning from 1 April 2000 Spain received a 550 000 tonne increase in two instalments decided on by
the Council as part of Agenda 2000. No further increase for her is planned at present.

(2004/C 84 E/0299)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3854/03

by Samuli Pohjamo (ELDR) to the Commission

(16 December 2003)

Subject: Commission’s plans for reforming State aid rules

The Commission is preparing a reform of the rules on State aid. Various challenges are associated with the
reform, including not only those of taking account of the statistical consequences of the enlargement of
the EU and preventing distortion of competition but also support for the objective of cohesion.

From the point of view of regional development and the objectives of regional policy, flexible rules on
State aid are important.