WRITTEN QUESTION P-0452/00 by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Turkish free zones and textile exports.
28. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 E/79 2. While deciding to make the text accessible to the public via the Internet, the Council has not as yet taken any position on its content, and is therefore unable at this stage to give a reply concerning the substance of the questions put. The Council would also remind the Honourable Member that the European Council 3. in Helsinki agreed that a High Level Working Party would be set up which will, in the framework of the overall report which it is to submit to the Council, put forward possibilities for solutions, particularly as regards the Code of Conduct, since the latter forms part of the tax package, in accordance with the conclusions of the Ecofin Council on 1 December 1997. (2000/C 374 E/092) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0452/00 by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission (14 February 2000) Subject: Turkish áfree zonesí and textile exports On 8 July 1997 the Commissioner responsible for External Relations, Mr Hans van den Broek, notified the European Parliament (Answer to Question E-1965/97) (1) that áa Community team had gone to Turkey in October 1996 to ascertain that the functioning of Turkish free zones complies with that countryís obligations under the Customs Union. í This statement came in the wake of international press reports voicing suspicions that textile exports from third countries were passing through the Turkish áfree industrial zonesí of Istanbul and Mersin and appearing on EU markets as Turkishí products, thereby benefiting from the provisions of the EU-Turkey Customs Union Agreement and displacing similar Community products. Mr Hans van den Broek also stated that áthe Community and Turkey agreed as part of the recommenda- tions adopted by the Community-Turkey Association Committee on 24 April 1997) to keep a constant watch on this matter in order to prevent any evasion of the rules of the Customs Union. í Will the Commission say how many Community monitoring teams similar to that of October 1996 have been dispatched since then and what their findings have been? (1) OJ C 45, 10. 2. 1998, p. 131. Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (7 March 2000) Since the Commissionís inspection mission to Turkey of October 1996, no further missions took place. No evidence of actual fraud was found. Since the inspection mission there have been no indications of fraud, whether by complaints by Community industry or otherwise. The Commission therefore does not intend to make any periodic inspections, but will raise the matter immediately with the Turkish authorities if the need arrises. Any suspicion of fraud can be directly communicated to the Director of the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF). (2000/C 374 E/093) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0453/00 by Karin Jöns (PSE) to the Council (24 February 2000) Subject: Regulation (EC) temporarily suspending some or all of the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain fishery products In Council Regulation (EC) No 2822/98 (1) of 21 December 1998, customs duties on a range of fisheries lump fish, various crab species, etc) were fixed at zero per cent with effect from products (sturgeon,