WRITTEN QUESTION E-1479/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 May 2003)

Subject: Exports of fresh and frozen beef from Member States to the Vatican City State and management of the meat counters in the Vatican shop

In an interview published in March 2001 in the trade journal Eurocarni, Ruggero Guidoni, the head of Guidoncarni, which is based in Torrevecchia (Rome), stated that in 2000 Unicarni of Reggio Emilia was awarded the contract to supply meat to the supermarket run by the Vatican Governorate, where around ten thousand consumers from that community, including purchasers for several religious houses, can buy goods on production of the appropriate pass. Ildo Cigarini, the chairman of Unicarni, asked us to manage the meat counters in the Vatican shop and we took up a 30 % stake in the company Roma Carni 2000, which was set up for that purpose. CIR Surgelati also took up a stake. The estimated turnover was 15-20 billion per annum. It could be even higher. Unfortunately the crisis upset these forecasts.

In the period 1998/2000 the Vatican imported 22 529,27 quintals of meat from EU Member States and received the export refunds provided for. These exports came from Belgium (579,84 q), Ireland (2 226,01 q), Italy (8 044,47 q) and the Netherlands (11 678,94 q).

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

- what instruments the European Union has, or in other words what measures Italy has adopted, to ensure that the Vatican does not directly or indirectly remarket in the European Union products for which export refunds are granted;

- whether the company that was awarded this meat management contract, or rather its constituent companies, export meat to the Vatican directly or through an intermediary;

- the names of the Belgian, Irish, Italian and Dutch companies that exported meat to the Vatican in the period 1998/2001?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-1477/03, E-1478/03, E-1479/03 and E-1480/03given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(21 May 2003)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.