WRITTEN QUESTION E-0476/00 by Joseph Daul (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Forest damage following Hurricane Lothar.
26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/47 watered. The report on animal welfare issues raised by the production of pâtØ de foie gras commissioned by the Commission in 1998 reaches the conclusion that the usual methods of production are in breach of the principles laid down in the directive. What measures does the Commission intend to take to enforce Directive 98/58 in respect of the production of pâtØ de foie gras? (1) OJ L 221, 8. 8. 1998, p. 23. Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (6 April 2000) The aim of Council Directive 98/58/EC is to lay down the main principles for the protection of all species of animals kept for farming purposes. It constitutes a legal instrument for the elaboration of future proposals in the field of animal welfare ensuring the uniform application of the Council of Europe Convention on the same subject in the Community. The Directive currently addresses the welfare requirements to be applied for the protection of animals kept for the different types of production, including the production of foie gras. The Directive also imposes a responsibility on the owner or keeper of the animals to ensure that their welfare respects the minimum requirements provided. Two Recommendations for the protection of ducks and geese bred for the production of foie gras were adopted in June 1999 in the framework of the above mentioned Convention. The Commission and the Member States of the Union actively participated in the process of drafting and adoption of these recommendations. The report produced by the scientific committee on animal welfare concerning the Welfare aspects for the production of foie gras in ducks and geeseí was used as reference for the finalisation of the above mentioned recommendations. The recommendations recognise the necessity to keep the birds in social groups and prohibit the use of small individual cages which are currently used. This prohibition will come into effect on 31st December 2004 for new or replacement accommodation and for all the accommodation on 31st December 2010 at the latest. The recommendations also call for further research to develop alternative techniques that do not require force feeding for the production of foie gras. It has been agreed that until new scientific evidence on alternative methods and their welfare aspects is available, the production of foie gras shall be carried out only where it is current practice and then only in accordance with standards laid down in domestic law. If necessary, in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 of Directive 98/58/EC, the Commission will submit to the Council further appropriate proposals for the uniform application of the above mentioned recommendations. (2001/C 26 E/060) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0476/00 by Joseph Daul (PPE-DE) to the Commission (24 February 2000) Subject: Forest damage following Hurricane Lothar On 26 December 1999 Hurricane Lothar caused enormous damage to forests in France, Southern Germany and Austria, and particularly to farmer-owned private and communal forest, threatening the livelihoods of many family farms. In the EP debate of 18 January 2000, the Commission referred to possible changes to the Structural Funds, though without promising a specific aid for this dramatic situation. However, changes alone are not enough since structural assistance goes to smaller businesses which frequently also have an agricultural operating unit that is vital for their survival. C 26 E/48 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 During the debate, Commissioner Barnier did, however undertake to consider reinstating the budget line for emergency aid deleted two years ago. Is the Commission prepared to look beyond the existing framework of the Structural Funds and to examine the 2000 budget of the Commission for mobilisable reserves for immediate emergency aid, for instance from the LIFE and ECHO programmes, and possibly to reinstate a budget line for disaster aid within the European Union for 2001? Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (11 April 2000) With regard to the Structural Funds, the Honourable Member is requested to refer to the answers given by the Commission to written questions 0024/00 from Ms Patrie, 0159/00 from Mr Lang and 0307/00 from Mrs Thomas-Mauro, and to oral question H-0008/00 from Ms Patrie. There are no provisions in the LIFE Regulation, which is currently under review, for the allocation of a portion of its funding to emergency measures, without a call for projects procedure being initiated. We cannot, therefore, envisage the funding, under the LIFE programme, of any general measures to repair environmental damage caused by the natural disasters which struck France, Germany and Austria in December 1999. We do not, however, rule out the possibility that proposals for new projects under LIFE-Nature or LIFE-Environment could, while meeting the LIFE criteria, also serve to repair the damage to the environment. Any application meeting this profile will be examined (on a case by case basis) under the project monitoring procedures or the tendering procedure for LIFE. Article 1 of the Regulation governing the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) specifies that: The Commu- nityís humanitarian aid shall comprise assistance, relief and protection operations on a non-discriminatory basis to help people in third countries, particularly the most vulnerable among them, and as a priority those in developing countries í (1). It cannot, therefore, provide assistance in respect of the severe damage caused by natural disasters in the Member States in December 1999. Since there are provisions for a number of different aid schemes in the Structural Funds Regulations, the Commission currently has no plans to reinstate a specific budget heading for emergency disaster aid within the Community. (1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid. OJ L 163, 2. 7. 1996. (2001/C 26 E/061) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0479/00 by Carlos Ripoll y Martínez de Bedoya (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Objective 2 for the Balearic Islands (24 February 2000) The municipality of Consell (on Majorca, Balearic Islands) submitted to the Balearic Islands regional government a project for an extension to the townís school to promote adult education and vocational training, under Objective 2. Mr Rechach, departmental secretary-general for documentation in the Ministry for Economic Affairs of the government of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, informed the mayor that the European Commission had rejected the project because it was located at the school. Has any proposal under Objective 2 been received from Consell in connection with the above project? Has the European Commission taken a formal decision to reject the project? If so, on what grounds was the decision based?