WRITTEN QUESTION E-0609/04 by Ulrich Stockmann (PSE) to the Commission. Customs and enlargement.
Date: 2004-03-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: CCT duties, Hungary, Malta, accession to the European Union, customs formalities, customs regulations, customs union, transitional period (EU)

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/515

(2004/C 88 E/0526)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0606/04

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

(27 February 2004)

Subject: The Spanish Government’s respect for the principle of additionality in the funding of the Structural

Funds and the Cohesion Fund

Has the Commission, in recent years, made any specific assessment of the principle of additionality in the
financing of the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund by the Spanish Government? What were the
results? Has the Commission checked the relationship which exists between the zero deficit budgetary
policy of the Spanish Government and its respect for the Community principle of additionality, so that the
full application of new public investment which the Community funds back up is guaranteed?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2004)

Under Article 11 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general
provisions on the Structural Funds (1), we are required to carry out a mid-term verification of additionality
in the Member States and regions receiving Structural Fund support. Additionality does not apply to the
Cohesion Fund.

The results of the exercise show that Spain has complied with the additionality requirement. National
public expenditure increased by an annual average of 3,61 % over the period 2000 to 2002 compared to
the level set at the beginning of the period by the Spanish authorities in agreement with our officials.

Compliance with additionality (cid:1) the requirement that national is not replaced by Community funding (cid:1)
is not by definition incompatible with a sound budget policy. Macroeconomic stability is necessary in
order to create the conditions for economic growth. The experience of the cohesion countries is that
budget discipline can be reconciled with maintaining a high level of investment in well targeted priorities
for the less favoured regions.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2004/C 88 E/0527)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0609/04

by Ulrich Stockmann (PSE) to the Commission

(1 March 2004)

Subject: Customs and enlargement

Following enlargement on 1 May 2004 and the ensuing expansion of the European Single Market there
will be far less demand for the services provided by customs clearance agents

Transitional periods for the implementation of the Community ‘acquis’ have been agreed for many policy
areas. Does this also apply to customs, customs clearance and customs services? With which countries
have transitional agreements been made, and what are the precise terms of these agreements? What
changes will customs clearance agents face from 1 May 2004?

C 88 E/516

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(15 April 2004)

From the first day of accession, the customs administration of the new Member States acceding to the
Union will have to manage and control their borders, which will then be the external borders of the EU, in
the interest of the EU population and trade operators.

Two transitional periods have been granted in the Customs Union Chapter. Both concern the application
of the Common External Tariff after accession.

Malta has been granted a five-year transitional period for the import of woven fabrics of combed wool or
of combed fine animal hair (CN Code 5112 11 10), denim (CN Code 5209 42 00), woven fabrics of artificial
filament yarn (CN Code 5408 22 10) and other made up clothing accessories (CN Code 6217 10 00), with a
progressive schedule of implementation involving a maximum annual import quota and an increasing ad
valorem duty.

Hungary has been granted a three-year transitional period for the import of aluminium, not alloyed
(CN Code 7601 10 00), with a progressive schedule of implementation involving a decreasing import
quota and an increasing ad valorem duty.

No transitional period has been granted on the remaining part of the customs ‘acquis’, which includes the
Community’s Customs Code and its implementing provisions; the Combined Nomenclature and other
customs-related legislation outside the scope of the customs code, such as, for example, the legislation on
counterfeit and pirated goods, drug precursors and export of cultural goods. However, annex IV-5 of the
Act of Accession contains some specific technical provisions to cope with the situations that result from
the transition between 11 separate customs territories (EU15 + 10) and one enlarged customs territory
(EU25), when goods may, for example, enter a procedure in one and leave it under the other, purely as a
result of enlargement. The Annex also deals with the validity of authorisations. Some special provisions
apply to the Sovereign Base Areas of the United Kingdom in Cyprus, and are contained in Protocol 3
annexed to the Treaty of Accession.

The result of negotiations implies that the new Member States will be integrated in the Community
customs territory and will fully apply all customs procedures as currently applied by Member States. Trade
with and among new Member States will be considered as intra-Community transactions, and will not be
subject to customs formalities or control, as is already the case in the Single Market. Goods which are in
free circulation in a new or an existing Member State at the moment of accession will be in free circulation
throughout the enlarged Union. This will have a twofold impact on the activities of the customs clearance
agents: on the one hand, the formalities and procedures will be the same in all 25 Member States, and on
the other hand, their services will not be needed for the new intra-Community trade.

An information document on the transitional customs measures of the Act of Accession as described
above is available to the public on the Directorate-General Taxation and Customs Union web site in
Europa (http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/customs/customs.htm).

(2004/C 88 E/0528)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0616/04

by Klaus Hänsch (PSE) to the Commission

(1 March 2004)

Subject: Allocation of EU resources

As regards the allocation of EU resources to the district (Kreis) of Mettmann and the cities of Duisburg,
Düsseldorf, Neuss, Remscheid, Solingen and Wuppertal (in North Rhine-Westphalia), will the Commission
give:

1. The total amount and breakdown of EU structural resources received under the individual funds and

the various Community programmes and initiatives?