WRITTEN QUESTION E-2812/99 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission. The Commission's Office in Milan.
8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 225 E/209 (2000/C 225 E/238) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2812/99 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: The Commissionís Office in Milan Is the Commission aware that its representation office in Milan, located at 59 Corso Magenta, was found to be closed by a member of the general public who wanted to consult an Official Journal on 6 Decmber 1999, and that there was a notice on the door saying áclosed until 10 December for the long holiday weekendí? Can the Commission say what steps it intends to take to ensure that this kind of inconvenience does not occur again?n Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission (11 February 2000) The Commission Office in Milan was closed on 7 December 1999 (Saint Ambrogio, patron of the city) and on 8 December 1999 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), both of which are official public holidays. The documentation service, open to the public Monday morning, Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning was closed exceptionally on Monday 6 December 1999, owing to a staff shortage. It was open on Friday 10 December 1999. A notice was posted on the outside of the building on 22 November 1999 to inform the public that áthe Commission Office in Milan will be open to the public until Friday 3 December 1999 and will re-open on Friday 10 December 1999. í (2000/C 225 E/239) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2817/99 by Niels Busk (ELDR) to the Commission (7 January 2000) Subject: Customs processing of T5 forms After being stamped at the customs office of departure, T5 forms have to be forwarded to the authorities (Customs Service, Postal Service and/or intervention agency), although the exporters continue to bear full responsibility. Will the Commission take steps so that responsibility for returning T5 forms is also transferred to the authorities and so that the loss of a T5 form in the authoritiesí keeping is automatically deemed to be force majeure? Will it require all intervention agencies to notify exporters of any missing T5 forms no later than three months after the export declarations have been accepted? Will it take steps to require national intervention agencies to establish on-line computer systems so that T5 forms can be tracked down at any given time? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (3 February 2000) Where a control copy T5 is used to check the use or destination of agricultural products for export from the Community, the office of destination checks the use or destination provided for (in this case, exit from the customs territory) and must record, if necessary by keeping a copy, the data on the control copy T5 and the results of the checks carried out. The original is then sent without delay to the address stated on the document (the customs authority or intervention agency), after the necessary formalities have been