WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1940/98 by Wilfried TELKÄMPER to the Commission. Joint declaration on EU-New Zealand relations
C 31/102 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 5. 2. 1999 Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission (11 September 1998) The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that it held a meeting with the Italian authorities on 7 July 1998 to discuss Italyís proposal on investment aid for firms based in earthquake-hit areas. At the meeting, it expressed concern at the very high levels of aid intensity envisaged, since what is involved is not aid to reimburse damage suffered, but actual investment aid. The Italian authorities took note of these difficulties. The Commission trusts that a solution can be found soon so that all the necessary instruments to assist reconstruction and recovery can be made available to these areas. The Commission would emphasise that, at all events, these difficulties regarding approval of the proposed aid scheme do not apply to the reconstruction and regeneration measures provided for in the single programming documents for the areas eligible under Objective 5b in the two regions which will soon receive additional aid from the Structural Funds amounting to almost ECU 500 million. (1999/C 31/137) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1940/98 by Wilfried Telkämper (V) to the Commission (11 June 1998) Subject: Joint declaration on EU-New Zealand relations Is Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan prepared to instruct his services to present to the Council a draft of a joint 1. declaration on EU-New Zealand relations, as he promised to do in February under pressure from the President of the Council and the New Zealand Foreign Minister? If not, is the Commissionís failure to take action in this area an indication that it intends to leave its right of 2. initiative to others in the future? Does the Commission see any reason why New Zealand should be treated differently from Australia with 3. which a joint declaration was signed in mid-1997? Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (25 June 1998) The Commission has never promised to submit a draft Community-New Zealand joint declaration to the 1. Council. 2. In any event, the Commission does not possess an exclusive right of initiative to table draft joint declarations to the Council. There are therefore no grounds for inferring that the Commission is surrendering any of its rights. 3. In general terms, the Commission considers that each separate relationship between the Community and a third country should be developed on its own merits and according to the particular needs in question and not merely in comparison to other relationships with other third countries. (1999/C 31/138) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1949/98 by Anita Pollack (PSE) to the Commission (30 June 1998) Subject: WTO What is the view of the Commission on the present permitted exclusion of patents on plants and animals from the Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights?