WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1542/99 by Camilo NOGUEIRA ROMÁN COM in milk and situation of Galicia
29. 1. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 27 E/121 (2000/C 27 E/147) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1540/99 by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (Verts/ALE) to the Commission Subject: Laying hens kept in the Czech Republic (1 September 1999) Three units for laying hens, each with 600 000 birds, are to be established in the Czech Republic near the border with Bavaria. A building permit has apparently already been granted for the unit at Vseruby (Domazlice district). The Czech Republic is one of the countries preparing for accession to the European Union. Can the Commission indicate which companies from the European Union are participating in this 1. project in the Czech Republic? 2. Can the Commission give assurances that this project has received no direct or indirect funding (e. g. under PHARE or from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) from the EU and that it will not receive such funding in the future? If not, can the Commission indicate in what way, from which fund and what amount (including the amounts per annum) this project has received or is to receive in funding from the EU? 3. How does the Commission think it can reduce or prevent any environmental pollution, e. g. ground water pollution, ammonia and dust emissions or smell, for the neighbouring countries as a result of this project? Has the Commission any plans for action in this area? If so, what are they? Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (8 October 1999) The Commission has no information regarding which Community companies are involved in setting up the poultry farms, other than it is a German company. No assistance has been provided by the Phare programme in this area; nor are there any plans to do so in the future. To the Commissionís knowledge, the European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) does not finance projects in this area. the Czech authorities are steadily aligning their In the context of their preparations for accession, legislation and building up administrative structures in order to apply and implement the áacquis communautaireí, including in the area of the environment. This process is monitored by the Commissionís annual regular reports, which assess progress achieved by the candidate countries towards accession. In this context, it should be pointed out that the Commission attaches great importance to the reduction of trans-border pollution in candidate countries. This is the reason why in the Czech Republic, the Phare cross-border programme with Germany and Austria provides for considerable investment in the area of pollution reduction. (2000/C 27 E/148) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1542/99 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission Subject: COM in milk and situation of Galicia (1 September 1999) In the final negotiations concerning the Agenda 2000 agreements concluded in spring 1999 on the COM in milk, a standard 1,5 % quota was set for áother territories or Member States in special situationsí, including Spain, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Increases in the quota are to be allocated using criteria fixed by the Commission and the Member States. Galicia is in a special situation within the Spanish state, producing more than 33 % of Spanish milk while not being eligible for any significant EU aid in support of a sector which has more dairy farms than the Netherlands