WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3210/98 by Werner LANGEN to the Commission. Consequences of the abolition of duty-free arrangements
14. 5. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 135/177 For the information of the Honourable Member it would appear that ‘Juraat’ is an Urdu language, limited circulation, local daily newspaper published in Karachi. Despite enquiries with the National library of Pakistan it has not been possible for the delegation of the Commission in Islamabad to obtain a copy of the edition cited in order to verify the precise text. Further enquiries by its delegation in Islamabad have failed to trace any reaction to the advertisement, whether from the government of Pakistan or from Pakistan based human rights organisations. (1999/C 135/222) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3210/98 by Werner Langen (PPE) to the Commission (16 October 1998) Subject: Consequences of the abolition of duty-free arrangements At the meeting of Economic and Finance Ministers of 19 May 1998 in Brussels, the Irish proposal to make an EU-wide study of the implications of intra-Community duty-free sales was rejected. The German government had explicitly supported the Irish proposal on the basis of the relevant decisions of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. Given that the proposal did not find a majority, the Commission agreed to submit a working document on possible instruments to cushion the impact of the abolition of duty-free sales. Can the Commission say: 1. When will the working document on the instruments available at regional level in connection with the abolition of duty-free sales be available? 2. 3. Is the Commission prepared to envisage further special regional assistance, going beyond the existing regulations, within the framework of the Structural Funds or new special measures? In what way have the coastal regions affected, almost all of which are EU-assisted areas, been supported since the decision on the abolition of duty-free sales in 1991/92? 4. Does the Commission expect duty-free sales to end in the middle of 1999 as agreed? Answer given by M. Monti on behalf of the Commission (20 November 1998) 1. The Commission paper clarifying the instruments available to Member States to address possible consequences of the abolition of intra-Community duty-free sales on 1 July 1999 will be presented as soon as possible and in any event before the end of this year. 2. The Commission is prepared to consider any proposals put forward by national and regional authorities for assistance in the eligible areas and under the structural funds pursuant to the existing rules of procedures. 3. Given that not all structural fund programmes have a specific regional character, the Commission is not in a position to provide the Honourable Member with a precise figure for the contribution from the structural funds to coastal regions. It estimates however that, for the current programming period (1994- 1999), this contribution could be in the order of ECU 100 000 million (in 1994 prices). 4. Yes