WRITTEN QUESTION No. 37/98 by Bill MILLER to the Commission. Excise
C 196/110 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 6. 98 › ECU 22 million in grants from budgetary resources allocated as follows: › ECU 12 million to finance studies or to support action to help improve understanding of the islandís situation. This amount can be used only if both sides are prepared to work together; › ECU 5 million to promote the development of the island as a whole, an area in which, to the Councilís knowledge, no projects appear to have been launched; › ECU 5 million for projects which may be seen as pre-accession projects. These are designed to prepare the Cypriot Government to include the áacquis communautaireí with the help of technical assistance in the following sectors: transport, tourism, statistics and oil and products derived therefrom; to support the participation of Cyprus in certain Community programmes (Media II, Leonardo, Socrates and Youth for Europe) and to assist in spreading the idea of European integration, in particular through support for the European Institute of Cyprus. The Honourable Member is also invited to ask the Commission for information on the progress made by the projects undertaken and how they are shared among the two communities on the island. 3. Furthermore, Cyprus receives so-called horizontal financial cooperation for all Mediterranean partners within the framework of the new Mediterranean policy (in particular regional cooperation, environmental matters, participation in the MED and LIFE programmes) and of ECIIP (European International Investment Partners). Cyprus is also covered by the MEDA Regulation for regional cooperation measures (essentially the financing of Barcelona Process activities). (98/C 196/153) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0037/98 by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission (29 January 1998) Subject: Excise In his answer to question E-3239/97 (1) Commissioner Monti indicated that the Commission was currently studying the issue of excisable goods in the field of alcohol and tobacco products and will make a report, together with any appropriate proposals, to Council and the Parliament. Considering this report has been due for some time, can the Commissioner give a date when he intends to present his report to both Parliament and the Council? (1) OJ C 158, 25. 5. 1998. Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (10 March 1998) The Commission intends to produce separate reports for the tobacco products and alcoholic drinks sectors before the end of March 1998. As regards the alcoholic drinks report, there is absolutely no consensus among Member States as regards the most basic tax issues confronting the Community. The Commission is working to identify a line of action which would be likely to obtain the necessary unanimous agreement of the Council, while Parliament has in the past been more or less equally divided on all the points at issue. At the same time, few would regard the current Community system of drinks taxation as being commensurate with the requirements of an internal market. The Honourable Member will recall that the situation was similar at the time of the Commissionís last report on drinks rates. On that occasion the Commission took the view that it was inappropriate to make any proposals for further harmonization (in particular in view of the reform of the wine market which the Commission had recently proposed). That approach was generally welcomed by both Council and Parliament. Against that background, the Commission will endeavour to put its report to Council and Parliament as soon as possible