WRITTEN QUESTION E-2781/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Support measures for the marketing of oranges in Greece.
3. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 280 E/127 (2000/C 280 E/136) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2780/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Price support measures for juicing oranges in Greece Aid for juicing oranges has been reduced by 30 % because of the overshooting of the current processing threshold of 1 189 000 tonnes, set by the Commission for the 1999-2000 period, and it is expected that this reduction will incomes, since the prices fixed do not cover production costs, while in contracts which have been signed with the processors the trade price is also unusually low. lead to a further drop in producersí The 1 189 000-tonne threshold set for the imposition of penalties on orange production was calculated on the basis of years during which unusually low commercial quantities were produced, due to various circumstances, and it clearly does not correspond to actual production levels, as Parliament acknowledged in its sitting on 14 April 1999, when it suggested the threshold should be set at 1 665 000 tonnes. Does the Commission therefore intend to set a higher ceiling for processing oranges in order to reduce penalties and, primarily, to protect producersí incomes? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (15 February 2000) Citrus growers must derive their income from selling their fruit on both the fresh and the processing markets. The processing aid is complementary to that income. The threshold for oranges set by the Council was calculated using the quantities processed in the past with Community aid. Council Regulation (EC) No 2202/96 of 28 October 1996 introducing a Community aid scheme for producers of certain citrus fruits (1) requires the Commission to submit a report on application of the processed citrus scheme to the Council accompanied by any appropriate proposals. It is in the context of this report that the Commission will examine the threshold level for oranges. (1) OJ L 297, 21. 11. 1996. (2000/C 280 E/137) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2781/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Support measures for the marketing of oranges in Greece It is expected that the large increase in orange production anticipated this year in Greece will create additional problems in finding market outlets for the product. The difficulty in exporting to central and eastern European countries, because of the bureaucratic and economic problems in certain countries and is aggravating the market also because of the destruction of key roads due to the Yugoslavian war, problem with the result that producersí incomes are in danger of falling dramatically. What measures does the Commission intend to take (subsidising transport costs, increasing the quantities supplied as food aid, particularly in the Balkans, etc. ) in order to facilitate the disposal of produce? C 280 E/128 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 10. 2000 Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (15 February 2000) The Commission has recently extended their qualifying destinations for orange export subsidies. All countries outside the Community now qualify (Regulation (EC) No 67/2000 of 12 January 2000 fixing export refunds on fruit and vegetables (1)). This considerably simplifies the administrative procedures on payment on the refund. Refund rate for lemons has been increased from EUR 35 to EUR 45 per tonne because of the current difficulties in exporting from the Community. On surplus production the Honourable Member is referred to the Commissionís replies to his questions E-393/99 (2) and E-2327/99 (3). (1) OJ L 9, 13. 1. 2000. (2) OJ C 341, 29. 11. 1999. (3) OJ C 219 E, 1. 8. 2000, p. 147. (2000/C 280 E/138) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2787/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Community funding for the school of Sardinian language and culture in Quartu S. Elena In the municipality of Quartu S. Elena, the most important school of Sardinian language in the region risks closure, because the funds expected from the Sardinian regional government and from the EU have not yet arrived: it is thus possible that the courses arranged for the 1999-2000 academic year, for which large numbers of students have already registered, will have to be cancelled. Quartu S. Elena, a pioneer in the official use of Sardinian (inter alia in the municipalityís official documents), could thus be forced to interrupt a cultural initiative which achieved remarkable success in 1998, with eleven courses and close on 300 participants. The objective of this school has been to enable all to understand, read and write Sardinian: the project took off with the arrival of regional funding under the Italian Law 26í, together with ECU 20 000 from the EU and LIT 50 million from the municipality. This funding ü approximately LIT 150 million in all ü made it possible to set up operations with free classes for both adults and children. The available funds have now been exhausted, and the municipality of Quartu S. Elena has launched an appeal to the EU and the Sardinian regional government, calling on them to ensure that funding is not cut off. After requesting funding for the project Deu fueddu su sarduí, the municipal administration has also embarked on a cooperation scheme involving a Catalan-language school in Xebia (Valencian Community, Spain) and the University of Corsica, preparing a cycle of courses which should have begun already. Quartu S. Elena has also taken part in a international competition with the objective of safeguarding and promoting the European cultural heritage, made up as it is of over fifty language communities. In view of the importance and seriousness of this educational and cultural project, dedicated to a regional minority language which is officially recognised by the European Bureau for Lesser-used Languages, does the Commission consider that immediate action is required to ensure funding for the activities of the school of Sardinian language and culture in Quartu S. Elena, thus enabling it to stay open? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (10 February 2000) The learning and spread of minority languages help maintain the linguistic and cultural diversity of the European Union. The Community promotes the regional and minority languages of the Union by implementing the action The promotion and safeguard of regional and minority languages and cultureí, financed under budget heading B3-1000