WRITTEN QUESTION P-1170/00 by Arlindo Cunha (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Milk quota in Portugal.
C 72 E/22 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 6. 3. 2001 Under current Community law, the placing on the market, including the import, of seeds consisting of, or containing genetically modified material which has not been authorised in the Community under Council Directive 90/220/EEC or under equivalent product specific Community provisions is prohibited. This applies also to seed lots of conventional varieties, that contain impurities of unauthorized genetically modified material. As indicated in position 77 of the Annex to the Commissionís white paper on food safety (1), the Commission has the intention to adopt, under the existing Community seed legislation, standards for purity concerning the adventitious presence of genetically modified seeds as well as specific labelling requirements for seeds in respect of genetically modified material. This would ensure that these standards and labelling requirements are integrated in the official seed certification procedure established for seeds produced in the Community in Directive 69/208/EEC for cotton. The same measures would also be included in the seed equivalence regime governing the requirements for seeds imported into the Community, as established on the basis of the same Directive for cotton. the authorities of Until such time, the Member States, under their general obligation to monitor compliance with Community law, have to assess the risk of the possible presence of unauthorized genetically modified material and, in case of suspicion, to carry out appropriate testing with the aim to intercept contaminated lots and prevent them from being marketed and used. Under these conditions, the Commission does not propose for the time being to ban imports of seeds only on the grounds that there is no official certification by the exporting country that the seeds do not contain genetically modified material. 2. Member States can, in addition to the mandatory checks required under the relevant Community provisions, unilaterally include any other checks for compliance with Community law in the procedures applicable to imports from third countries and take the appropriate action in case of findings confirming non-compliance with Community law. However, there is no basis for Member States banning unilaterally imports of seeds only on the grounds that there is no official certification by the exporting country of the type referred to in the Honourable Memberís first question. (1) COM(1999) 719 final. (2001/C 72 E/025) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1170/00 by Arlindo Cunha (PPE-DE) to the Commission (10 April 2000) Subject: Milk quota in Portugal 1. The amount of milk collected in Portugal has been rising sharply, particularly in 1999. This increase, and the consequent rise in production, affects specific regions, including the Azores Autonomous Region. There is reason to believe that for 1999/2000, the amount of milk collected will exceed the reference 2. quantity for Portugal, with some operators claiming the surplus could be as much as 100 000 tonnes. 3. Strangely enough, the Portuguese Government did not seek to resolve this problem within the Agenda 2000 CAP negotiations, unlike other governments, given that it was already apparent that Portugal had a major problem with its milk quota. 6. 3. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 72 E/23 On 13 March 2000, the Private Office of the Secretary of State for Agricultural Markets and Food 4. Quality issued a statement on behalf of the government stating that pursuant to Article 299(2) of the TEU the Commission had been asked, within the framework of the special arrangements for ultra peripheral regions, to increase the milk quota for the Azores Autonomous Region to 125 000 tonnes, without prejudice to the current national quota laid down for Portugal. Has the Portuguese Government approached the appropriate Commission services with a view to negotiating an increase in the Portuguese quota? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (4 May 2000) Reports of an overrun of the 1999/2000 Portuguese milk quota, due inter alia to increased production in the Azores, have reached the Commission. It is unlikely however that any precise figure will be available before the time set by the rules for Member States to send the Commission 1999/2000 final figures, i. e. 31 August 2000 at the latest. The Azores are in a special situation, as the only outermost region to produce surpluses far in excess of their internal consumption that are exported to the mainland, where there is a real risk of intervention buying-in using the Communityís budget resources. All the other outermost regions are net importers and their total production does not reach one twentieth of the Azoresí. In November 1999 and March 2000 the Portuguese Government sent the Commission documents on adjustment of the Poseima arrangements and application of Article 299(2) (formerly 227) of the EC Treaty but these did not discuss milk quotas. The topic was not raised other than on the occasion of contacts with Members of the European Parliament until in early April the Commission received an official request from Portugal for an increase in the quota for the Azores. This is being examined. (2001/C 72 E/026) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1171/00 by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (12 April 2000) Subject: Support for nuclear energy and renewable energies The Commission is requested to answer the question that was asked (Question E-2635/99 (1)). In particular, the Commission is requested to list in table form the money provided in support each year since the establishment of the Community. The original wording of the questions was: 1. Can the Commission provide details of all financial support received, firstly, by nuclear energy (including fusion) and, secondly, by renewable energies (solar and wind power) from the relevant budget titles of the general budget of the European Communities since the Communities were established? 2. If not, why not? (1) OJ C 225 E, 8. 8. 2000, p. 187