WRITTEN QUESTION E-0549/00 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Current situation in the European milk sector.
C 374 E/102 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 12. 2000 (2000/C 374 E/117) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0547/00 by Daniel Hannan (PPE-DE) to the Commission (28 February 2000) Subject: Corpus Juris and staff Further to the reply given to my Written Question E-2596/99 (1), will the Commission indicate the positions currently held by the authors of the reports on Corpus Juris? (1) OJ C 280 E, 3. 10. 2000, p. 79. Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission (13 April 2000) The group of researchers working on the Corpus Juris were chosen for this purpose because they are well- known experts in criminal law in their respective Member States. As far as the Commission is aware, these researchers are still working in their respective Member States, where they hold independent posts in universities and higher education and are recognised as authorities in jurisprudence. Some of them hold other national posts (as judges). Mrs Mireille Delmas-Marty, who was given the task of drawing up the summary report on the Corpus Juris follow-up study, was recently appointed, on the basis of a joint agreement between Parliament, the Council and the Commission (1), as a member of the Supervisory Committee of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). (1) OJ C 220, 31. 7. 1999. (2000/C 374 E/118) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0549/00 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Current situation in the European milk sector (28 February 2000) In the light of the information forwarded to the Commission by the Member States in the first four months of the current milk year (April to July) and the Commissionís forecasts on the basis of that information, which were published in November, it appears that several Member States will exceed their allocated milk quotas. With a view to forming a picture of the situation in the European milk sector now that the current milk year is drawing to a close, can the Commission report on the most recent data available on the quantities of milk produced by the various Member States during the current milk year (1999/2000) and the level of quotas used up on the reference date? In particular, can the Commission say, on the basis of its end-of-year forecasts, which Member States are expected to exceed their quota and by how much? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (27 March 2000) First of all, the official data concerning the quotas has to be communicated to the Commission, by the Member States before 1 September of each year following the end of the reference period (April-March) by the questionnaire in annex to Commission Regulation (EEC) No 536/93 of the Commission, from 9 March levy in the sector of milk and of the (1) milk 1993, products according to the forecasts of the fourth indent of Article 8. For this reason, the data referring to reference period 1999/2000 will be known only after this date. This questionnaire constitutes the base for the payment of the additional levy. laying down the detailed rules of the additional 28. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 E/103 However, Member States, in practice current, communicate to the Commission the development consid- ered deliveries carried out to industry. Currently, the Commission has these estimates for the period April- December, except for Greece (August) and Spain (November). In this estimate, one can observe that certain Member States exceed the profile considered for the period in question. As one can observe in the table which is sent directly to the Honourable Member as well as to the Secretariat-General of Parliament, this involves Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. At the reading of this table, one must take account that the transfers provided for in Articles 4 and 6 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3950/92 of the Council, of 28 December 1992, establishing an additional levy in the sector of milk and of the (2) milk products can cause an increase or reduction in the overshooting according to the case. Considering what precedes, the data available gives only a partial vision of the quantities of overshooting, since the estimates of the 25 % of the reference period also are missing, i. e. , January 2000 at March 2000, which can change significantly the development undertaken until now by each Member State. (1) OJ L 57, 10. 3. 1993. (2) OJ L 405, 31. 12. 1992. (2000/C 374 E/119) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0551/00 by Guido Podestà (PPE-DE) to the Commission (28 February 2000) Subject: Ground services and air traffic control Civil aviation is, by definition, an international concern. Individual nations must therefore be bound by common rules and standards. Technical standards are set at international level by the ICAO, and at European level by the ECAC. Individual countries have the sovereign right to choose exactly how to transpose the recommendations made by those bodies into their national legislation. In keeping with the objectives set for the European Union, uniform rules should be laid down for the main sectors of the industry in the interests of air safety. As far as aircraft and pilots are concerned, the rules governing systems and staff training and mobility have already been harmonised. However, a number of shortcomings are still to be found in European air traffic control legislation. In view of their impact on air safety, European standards based on uniform criteria should be laid down for maintenance and systems management operations carried out by the various national bodies operating in the civil aviation sector (airport operating companies, ground service companies, etc. ). There is also a need for common standards governing licences and certificates of competency for air traffic controllers (as provided for in Annex 1 to the ICAO Convention), AIS officers, meteorologists and technical ground staff. An EU directive should therefore be adopted with a view to ensuring both the adoption of and compliance with uniform criteria and respect for the principle of freedom of movement for ground staff and air traffic controllers. Does the Commission intend to submit proposals for Community legislation governing the above matters, and if so, when? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (10 April 2000) As far as the production, maintenance, and operation of aircraft and related personnel are concerned, the development and implementation of common safety regulatory standards and procedures have been