European Parliament 28 February 2002, WRITTEN QUESTION E-0536/02 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Destruction of the environment by gold mining.

The Commission recently proposed a regulation which would put an end to aid for European tobacco growers. Such a measure would lead to the disappearance of tobacco growing in Europe, greatly to the benefit of non-European producers, but would not have the slightest effect on cigarette consumption, as no European Union country plans to prohibit smoking.