WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3077/97 by John IVERSEN to the Commission. Calves
30. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 134/73 Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (17 November 1997) In its White Paper, Preparation of the associated countries of central and eastern Europe for integration into the internal market of the Unioní (1), the Commission identified certain key measures to focus the attention of these countries on items which would contribute most to the process of legislative approximation. Directive 96/26/EC on admission to the occupation of road haulage and road passenger transport operator (2) was identified as a key measure, and the proposed modifying directive will also fall into this category. Eight central and eastern countries have indicated that they will have harmonised their laws with the current Directive by 1 January 1998. (1) COM(95) 163 final. (2) OJ L 124, 23. 5. 1996. (98/C 134/94) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3077/97 by John Iversen (PSE) to the Commission (2 October 1997) Subject: Calves According to the Danish magazine Landsbladetí more than 40 000 calves a year are exported from Denmark to Holland and then fed as factory calves. Since the weight limit under the calf slaughtering arrangements is 110 kg in Denmark but 138 kg in Holland, such exports mean that calves that are of no value in Denmark are doubly advantageous in Holland: not only do the Dutch obtain the calf slaughtering premium, they also produce factory calves whose meat can be sold. Does the Commission not think that this procedure runs counter to the intension of removing meat from the market? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (3 November 1997) The press report in question, which the Commission has not seen, may have misled the Honourable Member in some important respects. The calf processing premium is paid only for the slaughter of very young calves which do not enter the food chain at all. There is another calf premium, the early marketing premium, which is paid where calves are slaughtered for veal at below the traditional weights in Member States. It is likely that some calves born in Denmark are being presented for this premium in the Netherlands. The Commission does not agree that movements of calves from one Member State to another constitute a threat to the reduction of red meat production. On the contrary, if the 40 000 calves were kept in Denmark they would probably have been fattened for a substantially longer period than in Holland, thereby adding further quantities of beef to the Communityís market surplus. (98/C 134/95) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3080/97 by Herbert Bo¤sch (PSE) to the Commission (2 October 1997) Subject: EU co-financing for conversion of former EU inland customs offices One intended secondary effect of the creation of the EU internal market is that customs offices at the frontiers between Member States are now redundant. This has meant, however, that the first impressions travellers receive on seeing disused customs premises and houses at former customs frontiers are not exactly attractive