Brussels, 04/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - The two members from Democratici di sinistra Gianni Pittella and Vincenzo Lavarra welcomed in a press release the answer given by the Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler to a question they asked him, with the Socialists Joan Colom I Naval (Spain), Paulo Casaca (Portugal) and Georges Garot (France), over regime for nuts. The MEPs noted that, with the general reform of the fruit and vegetable sector which includes, almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts and nuts in the new Common Market Organisation, stopping the measures of specific support for this type of fruit. However they underline that nuts in several European regions play "a crucial role in the agri-foodstuff balance," as well as to the landscape and the fact of having neglected it has "encouraged natural catastrophes in the last years" in Europe.
In their press release, Mr. Pittella and Lavarra asserted that, after having practically refused, during months, to be interested in this problem, Mr. Fischler "openly welcomed" the MEP's arguments on the importance of the sector and signalled the possibility of specific interventions by the EU in favour of these crops through rural development programmes. The two MEPs indicate that they will pressure the Italian Minister for Agriculture Paolo de Castro for him to make contact with other producing countries (Spain, Portugal, France ad Greece) and that he foresees ad hoc measures.