WRITTEN QUESTION No. 113/99 by José BARROS MOURA Measures to prevent counterfeiting in the footwear industry
C 325/70 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 12. 11. 1999 (1999/C 325/087) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0107/99 by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE), Raimo Ilaskivi (PPE), Jyrki Otila (PPE) and Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission (2 February 1999) Subject: Bringing forward by one year the introduction of euro banknotes and coins Some Member States have, with good reason, proposed that the introduction of euro banknotes and coins should be brought forward by one year. In order for the requisite notes and coins to be produced in time, the question of the timetable needs to be reviewed without delay. Will the Commission take measures to reduce the euro transition period by one year, and will it make the necessary arrangements to enable the requisite decisions to be taken before the Finnish Presidency begins? Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission (16 March 1999) The Council stipulated in Articles 10 and 11 of Council Regulation (EC) 974/98 of 3 May 1998 (1) that banknotes and coins denominated in the euro unit shall be put into circulation as from 1 January 2002. The date of introduction of euro banknotes and coins was defined following intensive consultations of all involved. Following a suggestion by some Member States, the issue was re-examined at the meeting of the Ecofin Council of 18 January 1999. The discussion in the Council, involving the European central bank, revealed considerable reluctance to advance the introduction of euro banknotes and coins as this was considered neither technically feasible nor desirable, given that those concerned have defined their changeover strategy on the basis of the timeframe set by the Council. The Commission was mandated to explore the subject further and will report in due course. (1) OJ L 139, 11. 5. 1998. (1999/C 325/088) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0113/99 by José Barros Moura (PSE) to the Commission (2 February 1999) Subject: Measures to prevent counterfeiting in the footwear industry The counterfeit goods business is thriving on the single European market and as a result of world-wide trade liberalisation. Trade mark owners may accordingly decide to terminate contracts with factories manufacturing the genuine article in order to isolate manufacturers involved in counterfeiting in the same country or region. In some cases such decisions naturally have adverse effects on employment, as can be seen in the footwear industry and the municipality of Felgueiras in particular. The Portuguese Press has recently reported a problem of this type concerning the multinational company Kickers (which provides work for some 16 factories and 2 500 people in Felgueiras, generating a turnover of approximately ESC 15 billion). The danger is that the innocent will be punished instead of the guilty. Since the steps being taken by national authorities are proving insufficient to prevent and punish counter- feiting, what action could the Commission and the EU take, not least with a view to safeguarding legal business activity and employment?