WRITTEN QUESTION No. 246/99 by Niall ANDREWS Subsidised canned tomatoes in South Africa
C 320/132 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 6. 11. 1999 Joint answer to Written Questions E-0219/99 and E-0350/99 given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (30 March 1999) Apart from the work done among the Member States during the negotiation of the agreements in connectiom with the Prince programme, the Commission has launched a series of specific or general initiatives aimed at preparing consumers for the arrival of the euro, in accordance with calls from Parliament (reports by Mr Pérez Royo ! A4-0415/97 ! and Mr Arroni ! A4-0485/98). In general, consumer representatives have worked closely with the Commission since 1996, particularly through the work done by the Consumer Committee’s ‘euro’ working party in establishing the legal framework for the introduction of the euro. Under the auspices of the Commission, they negotiated and signed a voluntary code of conduct for the distribution sector on 30 June 1998. In addition, training in the euro for representatives of consumer associations was organised in Brussels in the autumn of 1998. This was in the context of the general efforts by the Commission to strengthen the policy of information and training for consumers on all aspects of the euro. The example of fraud referred to by the Honourable Member confirms the fact that a considerable amount of effort is still required in order to inform the public about the arrangements for introducing the euro, particularly for certain sections of the population such as elderly people. Studies carried out at the Commission show that, for a variety of reasons, a significant proportion of the population could not be reached by the usual information policies (brochures, printed material, television), and that for these people more personal information, particularly through the use of ‘trusted mediators’, is required. In response to these findings, the Commission set up the ‘Euro made easy’ pilot projects in 1998, with the aim at European level of identifying the problems, questions and language of vulnerable population groups on the one hand and, on the other, creating training tools for trainers and mediators, pyramid-shaped training mechanisms and information tools designed for use by mediators and, finally, making the authorities aware of these problems in order to encourage them to develop euro information campaigns aimed at these target groups, using all or part of the material developed in this way. The two main projects aimed specifically at population groups in economic or social difficulty and at elderly people have already made it possible to analyse the needs of those involved, using 20 working parties in Belgium, France and Italy. Once the results have been validated in all the Member States, the projects should continue between March and September 1999 to develop training and information tools and materials. The Commission is also funding parallel projects aimed at determining specific problems and appropriate responses for disabled population groups. At the moment, two projects are already under way in partnership with the European Blind Union and the European Union of the Deaf. (1999/C 320/177) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0246/99 by Niall Andrews (UPE) to the Commission (5 February 1999) Subject: Subsidised canned tomatoes in South Africa What is the Commission doing to deal with the situation where subsidised canned tomatoes from the European Union are causing producers in South Africa to be pushed out of their own market? Does the Commission have up-to-date figures on the level of unemployment caused by this phenomenon in South Africa, and will the reform of the common agricultural policy offer any opportunity to address these injustices? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (8 March 1999) Trade between South Africa and the European Community in processed fruit and vegetables (chapter 20 of the combined nomenclature) is heavily weighted in favour of South Africa. In particular, the Community is one of the major markets for South African canned peaches and pears while its own products are not represented on