WRITTEN QUESTION P-0302/04 by Christa Randzio-Plath (PSE) to the Commission. Working conditions for female flower workers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Date: 2004-02-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Africa, Asia, EU relations, Latin America, chemical accident, common commercial policy, cooperation agreement (EU), corporate social responsibility, generalised preferences, horticulture, import tax, international labour law, social clause, working conditions

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8.4.2004

(2004/C 88 E/0504)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0266/04

by John McCartin (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 February 2004)

Subject: Imports of poultry meat into the EU

Can the Commission state what quantities of poultry meat have been imported into the European Union in
the most recent six-month period for which statistics are available, and whether a suspension of such
imports would have any significant effect on the European market for meat?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(16 March 2004)

During the first six months of 2003 the imports to the EU of poultrymeat (including live poultry and
poultrymeat products) amounted to 411 000 tonnes (t). The level of imports was 26 % higher than in the
corresponding period of 2002.

It is estimated that in 2003 imports of poultrymeat reached the level of 800 000 tonnes, an amount
equivalent to 9 % of poultrymeat and 2 % of all meat consumed in the EU, respectively.

The main suppliers of poultrymeat to the EU in 2003 were Brazil
(estimated 190 000 t) and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

(estimated 400 000 t), Thailand

imports to the EU market can be regarded rather as a
The complete suspension of poultrymeat
hypothetical exercise. Although it may reduce availability of poultrymeat to the EU consumers, it would do
so to a lesser extent than the 9 % indicated above. That is because the lack of imports would be
compensated at least partially by European poultrymeat supply and by European pigmeat. It should be
kept in mind that the EU has exported around 1 000 000 tonnes of poultrymeat in 2003 and had a trade
surplus of 200 000 tonnes of that meat.

Any impact of the suspension would be, proportionally, smaller, the shorter the period in which it would
be applied. In addition, any reduction in availability of meat in the EU-15 after 1 May 2004 will be
mitigated by greater availability of meat from the new Member States.

(2004/C 88 E/0505)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0302/04

by Christa Randzio-Plath (PSE) to the Commission

(2 February 2004)

Subject: Working conditions for female flower workers in Africa, Asia and Latin America

Germany is the largest market for cut flowers from Latin America, Asia and Africa. The workers on the
plantations in these regions, who are mostly women, tend to receive minimal pay and have uncertain work
contracts. Poor working conditions, such as the use of pesticides that are mostly banned in Europe without
the workers having access to appropriate protective clothing or other equipment, mean that these workers
continue to face serious health risks in the form of cancer, respiratory diseases, miscarriages and birth
defects. Female workers who set up or join trade unions are subject to discrimination and repression by
plantation management, making it difficult for them to improve their working conditions by their own
efforts.

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To what extent does the Commission feel it politically and technically possible to waive customs
1.
duties on imports of goods produced under ecologically and socially acceptable conditions? What other
instruments does the Commission feel can be used to discriminate positively in favour of flowers produced
and traded fairly?

2. What other instruments, such as trade and cooperation agreements or the use of development
cooperation funds, is the EU using to encourage better working and health conditions in the Third World?

3.
On 24 November 2003, one of the worst chemical accidents in the whole flower industry happened
at the Aposentos Flowers plantation in Bogotá, with many workers afflicted. How does the Commission
intend to react to this, and what action will it take?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(1 March 2004)

Respect for human rights, including core labour standards, is a priority for the EU. In its trade policy, the
EU promotes the effective application of core labour standards (as defined by ILO Conventions) through
positive instruments and notably the General System of Preferences (GSP). Under this system a country can
benefit from extra tariff preferences if it complies with internationally agreed core labour standards (basic
internationally acknowledged standards and
ILO conventions) or if
guidelines concerning sustainable management of tropical forests. Many of the Community’s existing
bilateral Agreements also refer to the respect
the Cotonou
Agreement or the Agreement with Chile. The complementary role of technical assistance in this context is
important.

implements the substance of

for core labour standards,

for example,

it

Nevertheless, using tariffs and preferential regimes such as the GSP to encourage trade in products

1.
with preferable conditions of production presents both technical and political difficulties.

The technical difficulty is that the product itself may be indistinguishable from one whose conditions of
production fall short of the standards the EU would like to encourage, while import duties have to relate to
articles which can be distinguished from one another so that customs officials can apply the appropriate
duty.

The political difficulty resides in the fact that there is as yet no agreement between WTO members that it
is legitimate to treat one product differently from another on grounds connected with the production
process. Sovereign countries regard it as their own prerogative to choose and enforce their own social and
environmental regime. Subject to the constraints of international treaties which those countries may have
signed, the EU has no scope to dictate these conditions outside its own borders, other than on a
contractual basis as a customer for goods. However, WTO members retain the power to develop voluntary
measures to discriminate positively in favour of goods produced and traded fairly (for instance by granting
a label).

That

is why the Commission has watched with interest

2.
the development of a ‘Fair flowers’
movement, and the development of fair trade and ethical trade schemes in general. These allow the
customer to influence production conditions by only choosing products that match his or her expectations
and wishes. The Commission intends to monitor the impact of current schemes and give active
consideration to whether any initiative at European level could add to their effectiveness.

The health situation of agricultural producers is an important theme in the context of development
cooperation policy. Specific programmes are always worked out in collaboration with the beneficiary
countries. An example of a programme in this area is the Pesticides Initiative Programme (PIP), an all-ACP
operation with a budget amounting to EUR 29,12 million.
(see:
www.coleacp.org) and has the safety of pesticide use as one of its main objectives.

is managed by ‘COLEACP’

It

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More generally, for each agreement under negotiation, a Sustainability Impact Assessment is carried out in
order to assess potential trade related impacts on the environment, social development and the economies.
Poverty, gender equity and health are social dimensions that are appraised in each SIA. Ultimately,
integration of SIA results into policy making help ensure increased coherence between trade and
development policies and mitigate potential negative effects on disadvantaged social groups.

The Commission is also actively engaged in the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
practices focused on developing countries. As well as promoting a number of established CSR instruments,
following its
the Commission established the European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR in 2002,
Communication on CSR (1). The Development Issues Round Table of the Forum has examined a number of
issues relevant to sustainable development and the strengthening of social and environmental standards in
developing countries. These have included the role of global CSR standards and codes, the possibility of
developing sectoral approaches to CSR, the need to develop CSR-awareness at local and regional level, and
the importance of ensuring that CSR practices apply throughout the supply chain in developing countries.

3.
The Commission learned of the chemical accident on the Apsentos plantation in November 2003
with great regret. It is beyond the remit of the Commission to react further to an incident of this kind
occurring in a third country, but EC cooperation programmes do aim at avoiding such situations as the
one in the flower industry in Bogotá. In Colombia, for instance, the Commission supports the ‘National
Trade Union School’ (Escuela Nacional Sindical) to foster the respect of social and economic rights in this
country. Furthermore, social issues will be at the core of the agenda of the coming EU-Latin America and
Caribbean Summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, on 28 May.

(1) COM(2002) 347 of 2.7.2002.

(2004/C 88 E/0506)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0306/04

by Gerhard Schmid (PSE) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: Use of sky marshals

The US authorities have demanded that European airlines deploy armed sky marshals as a protective
measure on certain transatlantic flights. Some Member States are willing to use armed sky marshals,
whereas others are strongly opposed.

The type of ammunition is a crucial
ammunition cannot be used due to its penetrating power.

factor when deploying armed sky marshals, as conventional

Can the Commission therefore answer the following questions:

1. What type of ammunition do the armed sky marshals use?

2. Does the type of ammunition used comply with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the

European Convention on Human Rights?

3. What further action does the Commission plan to take?