WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2995/97 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Hailstorm damage to the prefectures of Xanthi and Rodopi
C 117/88 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 4. 98 (98/C 117/109) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2995/97 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (1 October 1997) Subject: Hailstorm damage to the prefectures of Xanthi and Rodopi During the last ten days of August, hailstorms caused major damage to seasonal crops over about 7 000 hectares in the prefectures of Xanthi and Rodopi, which were already facing serious problems. In view of the fact that producers in the areas affected are facing financial ruin as a result of the damage caused this year in addition to that caused last year, what measures will the Commission take to ensure that they receive the necessary compensation? Joint answer to Written Questions E-2870/97 and E-2995/97 given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (16 October 1997) The Commission expresses its sympathy to the farmers whose crops were damaged by hail. It fully understands the problems that may occur from a natural disaster of this extent. However, it should be stressed that the Community budget is not provided with instruments to compensate losses of harvests or annual production which are in fact the most frequently observed damage that hail may cause. Nevertheless, if it were to be proved that farm buildings or livestock were affected by natural disasters, then the Commission could examine any possible request of the Member State in the context of the structural funds through an adequate re-deployment of the financial allocations of the Community support framework (CSF), following the re-direction of the priorities that the Member State should first carry out. The opportunity for this could be, for example, the mid-term review of the CSF for Greece. (98/C 117/110) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2873/97 by Kenneth Coates (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (11 September 1997) Subject: Freedom of movement Following the European Court judgment in the Antonissen case, Commissioner Monti informed me in the answer to Written Question E-0060/97 (1) that the Commission considers at least six months as a reasonable time to allow a European citizen to seek work in a Member State other than his own. Why, then is the export of unemployment benefits limited to up to three months when an unemployed person goes to look for work in another Member State? (1) OJ C 186, 18. 6. 1997, p. 217