WRITTEN QUESTION E-0488/04 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. EU dairy sector: milk quotas and enlargement.
Date: 2004-02-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: accession to the European Union, agricultural quota, dairy industry, economic consequence, farm prices, illicit trade, milk, regulation of agricultural production

C 84 E/604

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

At present, the Commission does not have information on the total level of EU direct payments and
national complementary direct payments that will be paid in the new Member States. No national
programme for complementary direct payments has been approved yet.

(1) See Article 1a of Council Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999 of 17 May 1999 establishing common rules for direct
support schemes under the common agricultural policy, OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, as amended by the Act of Accession.

(2) OJ L 236, 23.9.2003.
(3) Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European
Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations, OJ L 160,
26.6.1999.

(2004/C 84 E/0679)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0488/04

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(23 February 2004)

Subject: EU dairy sector: milk quotas and enlargement

Milk production subject to quotas will increase by 16 % in the EU following the accession of the eastern
European countries. However, many of the new Member States do not have effective control over their
production volumes.

How will the Commission guarantee that the accession of these countries will not lead to the appearance
of ‘black’ milk on the European market, with repercussions on internal prices?

Does the Commission have any estimates of the repercussions which accession will have on Community
milk prices in the short and medium term?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(29 March 2004)

All new Member States will apply the EU ‘acquis’ including the full quota regime from 1 May 2004. Only
Poland and Slovenia have been granted a transitional period of one year, for the allocation of individual
quotas, based on the Act of Accession.

Milk quotas will increase by 16 % in the EU following the accession of the new Member States. However,
the internal market of the EU will expand by 20 % of new consumers. Due to continuous growth of family,
income in the new Member States prospects of milk consumption remain positive, with significant growth
for high value products like cheese and fresh products.

The present basic structure of the dairy industry in most new Member States is different from the one in
the EU-15. It is characterised by a large semi-subsistence sector along with a high share of on-farm
consumption and direct sales. New Member States will have full responsibility from the date of accession
to execute all provisions on control issues set up in the ‘acquis’ including controls carried out at farm level,
during transport of the milk and at dairy level. All milk that leaves the farm has to be registered either
under the direct sales or delivery quota.

The Commission is monitoring the progress made by the new Member States to implement the milk quota
system. Reports on Peer Review Missions carried out by the Commission in new Member States in 2002
and 2003 were quite positive, although it was stated that further work is still required. Therefore, certain
transitional problems cannot be excluded.

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/605

As regards the impact of enlargement on the dairy industry in EU-25, the Commission has published
a report based on statistical information available at the beginning of May 2003 (1). According to this
report, production of butter after enlargement would decline (mainly in EU-15) from 2,16 million tonnes
(t) in 2004 to 2,03 million tonnes in 2010. In the same period, cheese production would expand by
0,5 million tonnes (mainly in EU-15). Nevertheless, a persistent market surplus for butter and skimmilk
powder (SMP) would cause prices for these products to remain at relatively low levels in EU-25. Average
producer prices for milk would develop less positively than in EU-15 without enlargement.
In the
meantime, Council and Parliament took important decisions to reform the milk sector. The Commission is
presently updating the report mentioned above to take those new developments into consideration.

(1) Prospects for agricultural markets in the European Union. 2003-2010. European Commission, DG AGRI, June,

2003.

(2004/C 84 E/0680)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0489/04

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

Subject: Gender violence in the EU: need for European legislation

(23 February 2004)

According to data provided by the state network of feminist organisations against gender violence, the
number of cases of ill-treatment in Spain increased in the period 1999-2003, and there were 315 deaths
caused by gender violence.

Other data show that 98 % of victims of violence in the EU are women, and one in five women has been
the victim of physical violence from a family member.

The Commission has been undertaking initiatives addressed to the Member States with the aim of resolving
this problem since 1996 (European campaign to raise awareness of violence against women in the EU;
Community framework strategy on gender equality, adopted on 7 June 2000, whose objectives include
action to strengthen and support the fight against and prevention of violence against women; the Daphne
and other initiatives), but it is clear that many states are failing to take adequate action, and the
Commission is not responsible for the adoption of legislation on protecting women against all forms of
ill-treatment.

In view of the passive attitude of certain states such as Spain in the face of a serious problem with a major
impact on public opinion, does the Commission intend to draw up proposals for legislation aimed at
combating and drastically reducing gender violence at European level?

Answer given by Mr Dimas on behalf of the Commission

(13 April 2004)

Combating violence against women is one of the fundamental issues on the European social agenda.
Especially domestic violence exists in all countries and across all social classes.

The Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 included among its strategic objectives
the fight to eradicate violence against women, covering in particular physical, sexual and psychological
violence within the family. The European Union and its Member States have established policies to
respond to this call and to fight violence against women through various types of actions.

In response to a series of resolutions adopted by the Parliament, the Commission ran the European
awareness-raising campaign on violence against women ‘Zero Tolerance Campaign’ in 1999/2000, with
particular emphasis on domestic violence.