SNP

Parliamentary questions 6 October 2015 E-013509-15
Question for written answer to the Commission Rule 130
Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso (PPE) Subject : Infestation of red palm weevils

The red palm weevil us wreaking havoc in eastern Spain. Following the wholesale importation of palm trees from Egypt to that area in recent years, the infestation has spread at an alarming rate. There are estimated to be between 1.5 and 2 million palm trees in the Elche region alone, thousands of which have already been affected. The local authorities feel that global action is needed to counteract this situation. What support measures is the Commission currently able to take to help eradicate this infestation ?

Que l’on puisse poser une telle question en 2015 est déjà un peu un gag, mais la réponse l’est presque tout autant,

22 April 2016 E-001988/2016 Answer given by Mr Andriukaitis on behalf of the Commission The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question E-0013509/2015(1). According to Decision 2007/365/EC(2), Member States are required to conduct official annual surveys to check the presence or absence of red palm weevil. The results of those surveys, together with the list of demarcated areas — areas where the presence of red palm weevil is confirmed — shall be notified to the Commission and to the other Member States by 28 February of each year. In Member States in which red palm weevil is present, that notification shall be accompanied by an action plan including specific measures to eradicate it. From the information provided by Member States, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is present in all the Member States of the endangered area.

Under the regime of plant health co-financing laid down in Regulation (EU) No 652/2014(3), grants may be allocated to Member States for emergency measures to control certain pests, like Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, and for certain costs.

(1) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=E-2015-013509&language=EN
(2) Decision 2007/365/EC on emergency measures to prevent the introduction into and the spread within the Community of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, OJ L 139, 31 May 2007.
(3) Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 laying down provisions for the management of expenditure relating to the food chain, animal health and animal welfare, and relating to plant health and plant reproductive material, amending Council Directives 98/56/EC, 2000/29/EC and 2008/90/EC, Regulations (EC) No 178/2002, (EC) No 882/2004 and (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decisions 66/399/EEC, 76/894/EEC and 2009/470/EC (OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 1).

, sauf la dernière phrase soulignée par nous. Nous avons immédiatement questionné la DRAAF PACA en la personne de son directeur François Goussé pour lui demander ce que la DGAL avait entrepris en matière de collecte de financements européens.