Parliamentary question - E-1480/2003Parliamentary question
E-1480/2003

Refunds on exports from Member States to the Vatican City State of beet and cane sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solid form

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1480/03
by Maurizio Turco (NI)
to the Commission

A table containing data on the quantities and value in euro of products for which export refunds are granted was appended to the supplementary answer to question P-3202/02[1]. Examination of this table shows that, for exports to the Vatican City State of ‘beet and cane sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solid form’ (code 1701):

a. - in 1999 exports from Italy totalled 79,075 kg for a refund of EUR 385 731,05, equivalent to aid of EUR 4 878,04 per kg of sugar exported;

b. - in 2000 exports from Italy totalled 70,115 kg for a refund of EUR 356 906,17, equivalent to aid of EUR 5 090,30 per kg of sugar exported;

c. - no units of measurement are given for the two following sets of figures:

c.1 - an export from France of 0,110 in 1998, equivalent to aid of EUR 44,18 and;

c.2 - an export from Spain of 28,030 in 1999, equivalent to aid of EUR 1 268,38.

In all likelihood, the correct figures should be: a) 790 750 kg; b) 701 150 kg; c) 110 kg; d) 2 803 kg, at a level of aid ranging between a more credible EUR 0,40 and EUR 0,51 per kg of sugar exported.

If one were to make these corrections, total exports would be 727 810 kg for 1998, 793 553 kg for 1999, 1 012 800 kg for 2000 and 26 435,300 kg for 2001.

 

Under Regulation (EC) No 419/2002[2], it should also be possible for the tabular data, extracted from the CATS database, to be used for monitoring and forecasting purposes.

 

It is specified in the table that the units of measurement, weights or quantities and the amounts in euro are provided by the Member States.

 

In the light of the above, could the Commission indicate;

 

-  whether the data supplied by the Member States are checked and who is responsible for doing this;

-  whether the quantities of beet and cane sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solid form exported from Member States to the Vatican City State were subject to any monitoring, what form that this took, and what forecasts were made in respect of these quantities;

-  whether it does not consider the level of imports to the minuscule Vatican City State to be too high, or in other words that it can be assumed these products are sold in Italy?

OJ C 242 E, 09/10/2003
OJ C 70 E, 20/03/2004