WRITTEN QUESTION E-1630/99 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission. Sugar and revision of Regulation (EEC) 1600/92.
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. 20. 6. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 170 E/57 Aid for the processing of sugar beet was increased from € 10 to € 27 per 100 kilograms by Commission Regulation (EC) 0562/98 of 12 March 1998 adjusting the special aid for the processing of sugar beet into white sugar in the Azores provided for in Article 25 of Regulation (EEC) 1600/92 (1). Despite these measures, the sugar beet crop, which was at first given a fresh boost by the Poseima programme, has been falling since 1994. The processing industry is not, however, directly affected by this disappointing development since it can import and refine raw sugar to meet the needs of the Azores. Economic conditions for the industry have not worsened but rather improved since it can import this sugar at world market prices (or with the equivalent aid if it purchases Community quota sugar). If farmers in the Azores choose to grow crops other than sugar beet, the reasons must be sought in the general conditions of agricultural production. The viability of the sugar industry depends on the consumption of sugar, which has been falling in recent years. It is the principles of the specific supply arrangements, and in particular the principle of meeting local needs, which determine the utilisation of the capacity to refine from imported raw sugar. If the Portuguese authorities were to request it, the Commission would consider these issues as part of the revision of Poseima now being undertaken. (1) OJ L 76, 13. 3. 1998. (2000/C 170 E/064) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1631/99 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission (15 September 1999) Subject: Sugar quota for the Autonomous Region of the Azores The Act of Accession of Portugal to the European Union, point XIV(c), Vol. II, pp. 210-213, laid down a quota of 10 000 tonnes of beet sugar for the ásugar-producing undertakingí situated in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, coupled with the right to import a volume of unrefined sugar equal to the difference between actual production and 20 000 tonnes, subject to payment of a reduced levy. However, Regulation (EEC) 3484/92 (1) of 27 November 1992 reduced the above quantity to 10 000 tonnes, the figure likewise specified in Regulation (EEC) 1600/92 (2). More recently, the Commission has interpreted the rules in force in such a way as to cut the quantity again, to 6 500 tonnes of refined sugar produced from imported unrefined sugar, and, moreover, is not ruling out the possibility of proposals for further reductions in the quota for the Azores. Does the Commission believe that this systematic step-by-step reduction in sugar refining quotas for the Azores is compatible with Article 299(2) of the EC Treaty? (1) OJ L 353, 3. 12. 1992, p. 8. (2) OJ L 173, 27. 6. 1992, p. 1. Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (18 October 1999) Before the Poseima programme, the sugar industry in the Azores was authorised to refine raw sugar amounting to 20 000 tonnes less the production of sugar from local sugar beet. Following the introduction of the Poseima specific supply arrangements permitting the import of raw beet sugar at world market prices (or providing equivalent aid if Community raw quota sugar is used), this authorisation was restricted to a maximum of 10 000 tonnes of sugar to meet the needs of the Azores on preferential terms