WRITTEN QUESTION E-2550/99 by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission. Agenda 2000.
C 225 E/162 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 8. 8. 2000 (2000/C 225 E/178) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2550/99 by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission (4 January 2000) Subject: Agenda 2000 Reform of CAP was part of the Agenda 2000 package. Within that there was a promise to reform the milk regime. I understand that it will be 2003 before any reform takes place but in the meantime milk quotas for Ireland, Italy and Portugal have been increased. What were the reasons for this increase? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (18 January 2000) The Berlin European Council decided two essential points for the milk sector within the framework of Agenda 2000: the guide price for milk and the intervention prices for butter and skimmed milk powder would be reduced as from 2005 and the system of milk quotas would be continued until 2008 (although the Council committed itself to proceeding to a review in 2003 with a view to allowing the current arrangements to expire after 2006) with the national quotas being increased in two stages. The increase in milk quotas was indissolubly linked on the one hand with the extension of the system of quotas beyond 31 March 2000, the date when the system expires, and on the other with the fall in institutional prices which made such an increase possible. Therefore, and in view of the immediate and urgent structural problems involved in the continuation of the quota system, the Council decided on a special increase brought forward in relation to the linear 1,5 % increase in the quotas as from 2005 for five Member States, namely Greece, Spain, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), as from 1 April 2000. This special increase moreover was decided on in the conviction that it will have little or no influence on the production of these Member States and therefore on the total volume of Community production. (2000/C 225 E/179) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2553/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (4 January 2000) Subject: VAT on provision of home care Will the Commission please specify the rate or rates of VAT currently charged by each Member State on the provision of home care (for those with disabilities, the elderly and so forth)? Do these rates differ according to the type of service provider (i. e. local authorities, private companies for profit, charitable non- profit organisations, self-employed, etc. )? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (10 February 2000) Under the Sixth Council Directive (77/388/EEC) of 17 May 1977 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to turnover ü Common system of value-added tax: uniform basis of assessment (1), Member States exempt home care where it meets the conditions set out in Article 13 of the Directive, in particular where it is provided by bodies governed by public law. In addition, the Member States may apply a reduced rate to the supply of services and goods by bodies recognised as charitable by the Member State and engaged in welfare and social security work, where these are not exempt. Currently, the following rates are applied: Belgium: 6 %, 21 %, exempt; Denmark: 25 %;