WRITTEN QUESTION No. 734/98 by Paul LANNOYE to the Commission. Ban on 'organic farming' classification in the departments of Aude and Pyrénées Orientales (France) (SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWER)
22. 2. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 50/3 (1999/C 50/003) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0651/98 by Gerardo FernÆndez-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (10 March 1998) Subject: Winter tourism for the elderly In its reply to my Question E-3544/97 (1) the Commission said that, with regard to a possible winter holiday programme for the elderly, it could, alongside other initiatives, consider Community involvement so as to allow the Spanish winter holidays programme for the elderly to be extended to the other Member States. This response has aroused the greatest interest on the part of organizations representing the elderly in various countries and I should like to provide them with satisfactory answers on this subject. Does the Commissionís reply to my written question indicate that it believes that a prior study should be carried out áin the context of exchanges of experience and cooperation involving the Commission, the Member States and the industryí so that it can then put forward proposals for specific action in this area? (1) OJ C 158, 25. 5. 1998, p. 148. Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (21 April 1998) As already stated in the Commissionís answer to the Honourable Memberís Written Question E-3544/97, the Commission considers that the winter holiday programme for the elderly in Spain and other similar initiatives could be usefully explored in the context of exchanges of experience and co-operation involving the Commission, Member States and the tourism industry. While the Commission does not intend undertaking a preliminary study on exchange of experience and co- operation with Member States and the tourism industry on this topic, it points out that the advisory committee on tourism does provide an appropriate forum to national authorities to raise these issues and that the Commission will also take up any available opportunity for drawing attention to this initiative. (1999/C 50/004) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0734/98 by Paul Lannoye (V) to the Commission (2 March 1998) Subject: Ban on áorganic farmingí classification in the departments of Aude and PyrØnØes Orientales (France) Since 1994, a series of measures taken by the French Ministry of Agriculture and certain prefectures oblige all wine growers in the departments of Aude and PyrØnØes Orientales to protect all vines against the Flavescence DorØe virus with synthetic chemical insecticides. This obligation also applies to wine growers using organic means of production. Certain áorganicí wine growers, having no outbreak of Flavescence DorØe in their vineyards, refused to apply such preventive treatment. As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture decided to forbid the Ecocertí control body from certifying these wine growersí vines as áorganic farmingí, even though the vineyards in question fully meet, according to the checks carried out by Ecocertí, the provisions of Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 (1) on organic production. These wine growers have been forced to cease making any reference to organic production. This withdrawal of the áorganic farmingí label appears to be in flat contradiction to the provisions of Article 9(2) and 12 of Regulation (EEC) 2092/91. What steps does the Commission intend to take to allow these wine growers to recover their right to the áorganic farmingí classification? (1) OJ L 198, 22. 7. 1991, p. 1