WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3871/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Competitiveness of European industry
C 187/74 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 6. 98 Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (7 January 1998) The GATT agreements provide for an export quota with Community refunds of 145 000 tonnes, to be reduced to 115 000 tonnes in 2000. Under the rules, the Commission is responsible for managing the quota and ensuring that the Uruguay Round agreement is properly implemented. The Commission does not agree with the Honourable Member that these restrictions are causing a loss of market share. Indeed, only exports with refunds are restricted. The most recent data show that despite this quota, the level of refund necessary to export has fallen from ECU 40/100 kg at the beginning of the 1996/97 marketing year to ECU 18. 50/100 kg at the end of the current marketing year. This shows that markets in non-member countries will pay a price which does not require large refunds. The Community helps to open up new markets through the promotion policy of the International Olive Oil Council, which is mainly financed by the Communityís promotion fund. (98/C 187/117) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3871/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (5 December 1997) Subject: Competitiveness of European industry With reference to the Commission Communication benchmarking › implementation of an instrument available to economic actors and public authorities (COM(97) 153 final), in measuring the competitiveness of the general reference framework, will the Commission take account of the regional dimension, which makes it possible to identify more effectively factors influencing competitiveness in various sectors, such as support for innovation, human resources development, and dissemination and use of information technologies? Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (30 January 1998) The Commission believes that benchmarking of framework conditions can take place at a number of different levels, including at Community, national and regional level. At the same time, it must be recognised that many policy areas affecting competitiveness, in particular as regards the regional dimension, are the responsibility of Member States. It is for this reason that Member States are playing the lead role, with the close co-operation of the Commission, in the implementation of the pilot projects in the areas of financing of innovation, development of human resources and diffusion and utilisation of information technologies. In the case of economic and social cohesion, it is already the case that regional development programmes co-financed by the Community in principle contain quantified targets based on analysis of inter-regional differences in economic performance and competitiveness. The effectiveness of the programmes ex post is then assessed against the quantified targets established initially. (98/C 187/118) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3884/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) and Spalato Bellere· (NI) to the Commission (5 December 1997) Subject: Motor vehicles intended for the transport of dangerous goods The Commission has submitted a proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive relating to motor vehicles and their trailers with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by road and amending Directive 70/156/EEC in respect of the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (COM(96) 555 final › 96/0267 COD) (1)