WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4074/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Tobacco and tobacco growers
9. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 310/11 (98/C 310/11) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4068/97 by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission (14 January 1998) Subject: Report of the Court of Auditors The Annual Report of the Court of Auditors concerning the financial year 1996, volume I, contains a statement, on page 351, second column, that there are doubts as to compliance with the rules for granting subsidies provided for in Article A-304. In this connection reference is made to an association which regularly receives significant funds from the Community budget. Which association is being referred to here? Who is the authorized representative of that association? What projects were being subsidized? What are the objects of that association? What measures have been taken to put right the abuses noted in this case? Have the misused funds been recovered? Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (10 March 1998) The association is the European Movement, International Secretariat. The President of the European Movement is Mr Soares. The Secretary General is Mr Dastoli. The grant is intended to cover the organisationís programme of activities to promote the idea of European integration and to enable it to act as a network resource for national organisations of the European Movement. The Commissionís financial controller carried out audits of the organisation in 1996 and 1997 and is satisfied that the situation has been put right. An amount of ECU 145 330 has been recovered and the grant specified by the budget authority for 1998 is now ECU 300 000. The Commission would point out that, as in many cases of recurring grants, the beneficiary and the amount are specified as such in the budget by the budget authority. (98/C 310/12) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4074/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (14 January 1998) Subject: Tobacco and tobacco growers European tobacco production currently covers only about 25% of demand and any reduction thereof will simply increase the already enormous volume of imports from third countries which already meet 75% of demand in the European Union. Current downward trends in EU tobacco production will have disastrous consequences for certain countries to the south, in particular Greece, where 70 000 families engaged in tobacco growing and 400 000 people directly or indirectly involved in the growing, processing, distribution and marketing of tobacco products will be faced with the spectre of unemployment. Tobacco is known to account for 13% of total agricultural exports from Greece. Clearly no alternative form of agriculture production on small plots of land situated in less favoured regions could provide the families of tobacco producers with sufficient income for them to continue working the land