WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1601/98 by Joaquín SISÓ CRUELLAS to the Commission. Protection of laying hens
5. 2. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 31/59 Reply (6 October 1998) Council proceedings on the Commission proposal for a new Action Programme for the Elderly have indeed been suspended since November 1995 and there are, for the time being, no plans to resume them. There has been no opportunity for the Council to hold a general debate on the subject. (1999/C 31/077) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1601/98 by Joaquín Sisó Cruellas (PPE) to the Commission (25 May 1998) Subject: Protection of laying hens The Spanish Association of Egg Producers believes that the Commissionís proposal for a directive laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens kept in various systems of rearing will increase the market price of a dozen eggs by more than 400 pesetas, which could lead people to stop buying this product. Does the Commission believe that the opinion of the Spanish Association of Egg Producers is correct? If not, does it believe that there will be no increase in the price of a dozen eggs as a result of the application of this directive? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (25 June 1998) The Commission proposal for a Council directive laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens kept in various systems of rearing (1) is based on a report from the scientific veterinary committee. The proposed new standard for the space of laying hens kept in battery cages is 800 cm2 for newly built or rebuilt cages. The transition period after which all holdings have to comply with the new standards as foreseen in the proposal is 10 years. The Commissionís communication with the proposal indicates that the requirements may lead to an increase of the cost of eggs of about 10-15 %. Furthermore, the communication indicates that the additional expenditure for the consumer is estimated to amount to only about ECU 1. 12-1. 56 per head per annum, which the Commission does not believe will stop people buying eggs. (1) COM(98) 135 final. (1999/C 31/078) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1604/98 by Ernesto Caccavale (UPE) to the Commission (25 May 1998) Subject: Infringement of the principle of transparency of Community acts The Giffoni Film Festival is an international film festival for children and young people which has been staged in Giffoni Valle Piana (Salerno, Italy) since 1971. The event is internationally famous and of great cultural value. In the last five years alone, it has enabled as many as 54 European films made by young directors to be distributed in Europe. The festival organizers also work all the year round to educate film-goers. Notwithstanding these merits and the fact that over 80 000 film-goers attended the last festival, the Giffoni Film Festival has not received any aid from the Commission for four years, even though it has explicitly applied for