WRITTEN QUESTION E-1627/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Measures to support rice-growing in Greece.
20. 6. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 170 E/55 Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission (25 October 1999) The Commission is not producing any documents, confidential or otherwise, on the issue of tapping of satellite telephone calls, Internet communications in the preparation of the European Council of Tampere. The only document prepared by the Commission in the run-up to the European Council of Tampere is an information note (SEC(1999) 1518) on the preparation of this special meeting of the European Council that will be devoted to discussing the development of the Union as an area of freedom, security and justice. On the basis of this note, President Prodi has sent a letter to Prime Minister Lipponen on 23 September 1999. In this area, as in others, the Commission works in the maximum transparency as possible and views on both the preparation and the results of the European Council of Tampere will be exchanged with the Parliament. As regards the issue of interception of telecommunications the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the debate held by the Parliament on 6 May 1999 on the Schmidís report on the issue of interception of telecommunications. The position of the Commission on the issue was expressed by the Commission before the Parliament at the occasion of the debate. In short, the Commission understands the importance of this topic in particularly bearing in mind that the telecommunications environment in Europe is constantly suffering rapid and revolutionary changes. It considers that as regards this particular issue of interception on one hand account must be taken of the legitimate concerns of law enforcement services (i. e. the development of telecommunications and the Internet should not diminish the capacity of Member States to fight crime and to maintain national security) and on the other hand, it notes that there is an impressive growth in telecommunications services, in particular the Internet, that requires that telecommunication users should have confidence in the services offered if further expansion of the sector is to be achieved. The Commission believes that it is crucial to strike the right balance between the interests concerned. This can only be done through a dialogue between law enforcement authorities, operators, industry and those most concerned with data protection issues. Furthermore, a draft convention to improve mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between the Member States is currently being negotiated in the Council. This includes a number of provisions regarding interception of telecommunication. The objective is to ensure that arrangements for interception for the purpose of a criminal investigation can be devised to take account of new satellite telecommunication systems. (2000/C 170 E/062) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1627/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission Subject: Measures to support rice-growing in Greece (15 September 1999) Regulation 2072/98 (1) established two base areas for rice-growing in Greece. As a result of implementing the Regulation in 1998, no aid was paid to producers in the second area in which the quota was exceeded despite the fact that the overall quota of 24 891 hectares laid down for Greece was not surpassed. The regionalisation system coupled with the exceptionally high co-responsibility fine for exceeding the quota have left rice-growers in a particularly difficult situation. Will the Commission, therefore, allow quotas to be transferred from one area to another, as is the case with durum wheat? What other measures will it take to support rice-growing (increase in the overall ceiling, allocation of quotas by prefecture, controlling the massive, unrestricted imports from third countries)? (1) OJ L 265, 30. 9. 1998, p. 4. C 170 E/56 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 6. 2000 Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (11 October 1999) At the request of the Greek authorities, Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) 3072/95 on the common organisation of the market in rice (1) was amended in order to divide the Greek national base area into two parts: I. Prefectures of Thessaloniki, Serres and Fthiotida: 22 330 hectares. II. Other prefectures: 2 561 hectares. As the Honourable Member points out, in the case of base area II (other prefectures), the land sown in 1998 (5 180 hectares) largely exceeded the base area (2 561 hectares), so the compensatory payment was reduced by 100 % in accordance with Article 6(5) of Regulation (EC) 3072/95. In response to a recent request made by the Greek authorities, the Commission now intends to propose to the Council a further amendment of Article 6 of Regulation (EC) 3072/95 under which the regions of Kavala and Etolia-Akarnania, which are currently included in base area II (other prefectures), would be included in base area I instead. Doing so should lessen the risk that the base area for áother prefecturesí will be exceeded. (1) OJ L 329, 30. 12. 1995. (2000/C 170 E/063) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1630/99 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission (15 September 1999) Subject: Sugar and revision of Regulation (EEC) 1600/92 Sugar production and refining on the island of Sªo Miguel, in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, are vital economic activities. In the first place, they enable over a hundred jobs to be preserved at the local refinery and, secondly, act as a fillip to an important agricultural alternative which, used in conjunction with other crops, makes for more efficient land rotation. Under Regulation (EEC) 1600/92 (Poseima) (1), the European institutions have been granted substantial protection to various agricultural products including sugar beet. However, for various reasons to do with the smallness of the quota allocated and difficulties in the agricultural sector, sugar beet production has been falling from year to year, and the future viability of sugar production and refining in the Azores will be jeopardised if nothing is done to remedy the problem. In the light of the principles governing the common agricultural policy, Article 299(2) of the EC Treaty, and the decisions taken at Cologne on the most remote regions, does the Commission not believe that Regulation (EEC) 1600/92 should be revised to enable sugar production and refining to continue in the Azores? (1) OJ L 173, 27. 6. 1992, p. 1. Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (25 October 1999) Council Regulation (EEC) 1600/92 of 15 June 1992 concerning specific measures for the Azores and Madeira relating to certain agricultural products takes particular account of the cultivation of sugar beet and its processing into sugar. The Regulation provides per-hectare aid for sugar beet and aid for its processing into sugar by the industry