WRITTEN QUESTION No. 693/99 by Sebastiano MUSUMECI Ban on importing grape must from third countries
3. 12. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 348/115 Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (3 May 1999) No, the Commission has observed that the imports from countries qualifying for preferential treatment (the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific ACP States) or under the generalised system of preferences (the GSP Drugs scheme) are insufficient for the needs of the Community’s canning industry. (1999/C 348/147) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0693/99 by Sebastiano Musumeci (NI) to the Commission (26 March 1999) Subject: Ban on importing grape must from third countries The Commission proposal on the new COM provides for the possibility of importing grape must from third countries and using it to make wine. This would amount to a serious threat to winemaking in Sicily and the Mediterranean in general, and would also be in clear contradiction with the policy guidelines of the Commission which, on the one hand, is calling on Italian winegrowers to limit production and, on the other hand, is urging the Community to open up to the production of third countries. Moreover, such non-Community production entitles users in the Member States to be recognized as ‘producers’ for all purposes and hence to benefit from the same aid as producers who use grapes grown in the Community. What steps does the Commission intend to take: 1. to ensure that grape must from non-Community countries is not imported into Italy, thereby further penalizing Italian agriculture, whose wine sector can be said to symbolize Mediterranean production? 2. to take to ban the current practice in some countries of enriching grape must by adding sucrose? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (30 April 1999) The Council has reached agreement on the proposal for a reform of the common organisation of the market in wine. This agreement preserves the existing situation where imports of grape must from third countries are concerned and, consequently, prohibits the production of wine from such must. On the other hand, for a political agreement to be reached on this proposal it was essential to maintain the status quo as regards oenological practices, including the possibility of enriching wines with sucrose in certain regions. (1999/C 348/148) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0697/99 by José García-Margallo y Marfil (PPE) to the Commission (26 March 1999) Subject: Structural Funds The regions whose level of income per inhabitant is less than 75 % of that which corresponds to the average Community inhabitant are classed as ‘Objective 1 regions’ and are entitled to substantial Community aid. In order to work out whether this threshold has been crossed or not, the draft Council Regulation, COM(98) 0131 final (1), laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds, stipulates that the figures corresponding to the last three years on which Eurostat has information will be taken into account