WRITTEN QUESTION E-2759/99 by Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Rules of origin in free-trade agreements.
24. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 303 E/107 Chinaís accession to the WTO provides a balanced result in particular by way of a substantial increase in market access opportunities for Community exports in the sector. (2000/C 303 E/103) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2759/99 by Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Rules of origin in free-trade agreements Negotiations on the bilateral agreement between the EU and Mexico, which will bring about full liberal- isation of trade in industrial goods by 2007 and in agricultural goods by 2010, were concluded on 25 November 1999. In concluding the agreement, however, a series of concessions and derogations were made with regard to the application of Community rules of origin. The European textiles, garment and footwear industries were firmly opposed to those derogations, given that the export to Mexico of products considered as being of Community origin under EC rules would still be subject to restrictions while no such restrictions would apply to Mexican products. On the same day, the EU-Mercosur and EU-Chile Ministerial Councils officially launched the negotiations on the signing of new association and trade-liberalisation agreements and entered into a commitment on the calendar for negotiations, their structure and the methods to be followed. Can the Commission confirm that, in the case of the negotiations with Mercosur ü which are of greater significance than those with Mexico ü it will take a different approach to that taken with regard to Mexico and will oppose the adoption of rules of origin which differ from Community rules of origin? With regard to the Mercosur agreement and possible future free-trade agreements, can the Commission confirm that there will be no further derogations which would imply a proliferation of rules of origin tailored to the needs of each of the associated countries, which would create confusion for industry and run counter to the Communityís objective of legislative simplification? Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission (21 February 2000) In November 1999 negotiations of the free trade agreement with Mexico reached a final deal which is ü in the view of the Commission ü well balanced, comprehensive and positive in its overall results for Community interests. The final approach taken on certain issues during the negotiations with Mexico does not automatically form a precedent for other negotiations. Each negotiation has its own dynamism and will have to be assessed on its own merits. As regards the reference to the preferential rule of origin, the Commission underlines that Mexico has accepted a large majority of Community harmonised rules of origin. In the case of Mexico, where compromises had to be found, this has always been accompanied by mechanisms which assure market access for our economic operators. In the case of the association negotiations with Mercosur the Commission aims to establish a final agreement that is balanced, comprehensive and forms a single undertaking. Within the framework of the negotiating directives for these negotiations the Commission has been instructed to negotiate the issue of rules of origin inspired by the model proposed by the Community for the harmonisation process of preferential rules of origin applicable to third countries. In the negotiation of a protocol on rules of origin with Mercosur, the economic interests of the Community in trade relations with this region will be fully taken into account. At present it is still too early to anticipate the developments of the negotiations with Mercosur concerning this issue of rules of origin. take place The first meeting of during March or April 2000 in Buenos Aires and will deal with general issues only. In principle the biregional negotiations committee, and related technical groups and subgroups, will meet three times a the Community-Mercosur biregional negotiations committee will C 303 E/108 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 24. 10. 2000 following a timetable that is related to the progress of the World trade organisation (WTO) year, negotiations and the free trade agreement for the Americas (FTAA) negotiations. It is not possible to foresee how long the negotiations with Mercosur will take. (2000/C 303 E/104) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2767/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Support for inland waterways vessels under 1 000 tonnes If used to the full by inland navigation, Europeís network of waterways could make a major environmen- tally compatible contribution towards solving the problem of mobility. A properly developed, well maintained network of waterways could be the trump card in diverting some transport from roads to water. In addition to a proper infrastructure, however, what is needed is a substantial fleet. The main approach adopted by the European Union has been to increase scale following a 10-year major modernisation programme (the scrap and build scheme). In addition a directive in 1996 abolished the áqueuingí system which resulted in a sharp drop in freight rates. Despite the increase in productivity, freights on vessels under 1 000 tonnes no longer covered costs. Nevertheless, proper attention should be paid to maintaining a sufficiently large fleet of vessels of up to 1 000 tonnes. Vessels of 350 to 400 tonnes and small river craft are ideally suited for supplying large parts of the hinterland of some ports via smaller waterways. This is also true of relatively small consignments of goods. 1. What is the Commissionís attitude towards the upkeep of a sufficiently large fleet of vessels of less than 1 000 tonnes? 2. What efforts is the Commission prepared to make to ensure the viability of this form of inland navigation and to make this policy part of an endeavour to reduce the problem of mobility by road? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (3 March 2000) 1. Maintaining a fleet of inland waterway vessels of up to 1 000 tonnes is the responsibility of the operators in the sector and the Commission does not have a view on the matter. The Commission nevertheless observes that the fleet of small vessels of under 650 tonnes still represents 40 % of the Community fleets. 2. The Communityís new capacity policy which has operated since April 1999 favours the construction of the smallest craft if that is what the market decides. The Commission will continue to take action in favour of transport by inland waterway so that it can offer competitive alternatives to other modes of transport. (2000/C 303 E/105) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2774/99 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Progress of work on Athens underground rail system Can the Commission answer the following: 1. What was the initial budget for the construction of the Athens underground rail system and how much is the final cost of the work expected to be?