WRITTEN QUESTION E-2794/99 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Publication and dissemination of the whole package of EU Common Fisheries Policy measures on conservation of fisheries resources.
3. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 280 E/131 Since ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty, Community action in the field of racism has come under the more general framework of implementing the new Article 13 (ex Article 6a) of the EC Treaty, which concerns discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. In the context of preparing an action programme in this area, the Commission published calls for proposals in 1999, and will publish more in 2000, with an eye to funding projects in the context of transnational partnerships covering at least two of the types of discrimination mentioned in Article 13 of the EC Treaty, which are of interest to the Community and which can significantly contribute to the further development and implementation of Community policy in this field, within the limits set by the available resources. (2000/C 280 E/142) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2794/99 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Publication and dissemination of the whole package of EU Common Fisheries Policy measures on conservation of fisheries resources There seems to be general uncertainty in Europe and worldwide concerning the diversity, seriousness and strictness of the package of scientific, technical, monitoring and management measures forming the various pillars of the CFP and aiming to safeguard and conserve fisheries resources in Community and extra-Community waters and the environment in general. In connection with many of these measures, the EU has rules on support and aid which are sometimes erroneously classified as subsidies leading to over- exploitation of fisheries resources. Does the Commission not think that the Common Fisheries Policy would benefit from publication and wide distribution of an informative booklet outlining briefly but clearly and comprehensively all the their fundamental objective being the detailed and sometimes complex measures which govern it, conservation of fisheries resources and responsible fisheries practices in the EU? Does the Commission not think that such a publication could be useful to spread awareness in Europe and worldwide of the important principles and agreements we have adopted on conservation of marine resources and the support measures associated with them, which sometimes tend to be confused with subsidies for overexploitation of fisheries resources? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (8 February 2000) As part of its information and communication measures for the common fisheries policy (CFP), the Commission regularly produces and disseminates material explaining the various aspects of the policy. This information is intended mainly for the fishing industry and other interested parties, in particular the specialised media, which represent one of the main sources of information for people working in the sector and the members of the public concerned. It is distributed in written publications, but also in audio- visual form and through the Internet. Under the action plan for closer dialogue with the industry and the other groups affected by the CFP, presented recently to Parliament, the Commission is intending to extend the communication measures, principally by focusing the information better and by tailoring the explanatory material to the needs of the public it is addressing. It is considered including in this material information files on the various strands of the CFP, of which measures for the conservation of fisheries resources are a principal component. These files will be covered also as part of a series of videos designed to explain in a clear way, including through the use of animated graphics, the fundamental pillars of the CFP. C 280 E/132 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 10. 2000 Information will be disseminated regularly through a magazine for the fishing industry and other interested groups, which is to be published in the eleven official Community languages for distribution free of charge. The information will be available also, with links to fuller details, on the CFP website on the Europa server, which is currently undergoing expansion. (2000/C 280 E/143) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2795/99 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Aid to the European ship-building industry In the European Parliamentís recent plenary debate on 19 November 1999 concerning the Commissionís statement on the ship-building industry, Members took the opportunity to denounce the dumping practised by countries such as Korea, who hamper fair competition in the shipbuilding sector worldwide, and to point out that aid must be maintained in Europe until world markets are stabilised. According to certain reports, the Commission authorised State aids for ship-building in Italy on 16 November, more precisely for the creation of two new shipyards, one in Oristano (Sardinia) and the other in Belvedere Maríttimo (Calabria). 1. Can the Commission say whether this authorisation of European State aids is part of its global strategy to continue subsidising this important industry, which has such a great impact on social and regional issues in similar cases in other Member States? 2. Following the conclusions of the Council of Industry Ministers of 9 November, has the Commission devised any short-term global strategy for this very important sector and, if so, can it state what the contents of the strategy are? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (21 February 2000) It should first be explained that the first of the two Italian cases to which the Honourable Member refers, relating to investment aid for the new shipyard at Oristano, was approved by the Commission under Article 6 of Council Directive 90/684/EEC of 21 December 1990, on aid to shipbuilding (1), which allowed investment aid for new capacity provided that this is offset by a corresponding irreversible reduction of capacity at other yards in the same Member State over the same period. In the Oristano case this capacity reduction was provided through the closure of the Clemna yard. In the second Italian case, involving the Belvedere yard, the Commission concluded that this new yardís activities involving the construction of vessels of less than 100 gross registered ton (GRT) would not constitute shipbuilding as defined under the directive. Council Directive 90/684/EEC has now been superseded by Council Regulation 1540/98 of 29 June 1998 establishing new rules on aid for shipbuilding (2), which came into force on 1 January 1999. Under this Regulation, contract-related operating aid will be abolished at the end of the year 2000. However the Regulation also provides for a range of other aids that may be granted to shipbuilding subject to certain conditions up until 2003, including closure and restructuring aids, aids for research and development, aids for innovation, and regional investment aids for upgrading or modernising existing yards. In adopting this approach, the Council took the view that these aids would be more cost-effective in helping Community yards to improve their competitiveness than continued operating aid