Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000265/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
François-Xavier Bellamy (PPE)
According to press reports, the Grand Mosque of Paris has sole control of halal certification under an agreement with the Algerian Government. The agreement forces EU producers to pay money to a commercial company owned by the mosque’s leaders if they want to export any products, including non-food products, to Algeria. This raises a number of serious questions.
A private company holding such a monopoly is clearly completely unacceptable under EU law. An estimate based on the pricing system used puts the annual cost to EU farmers and industry at several million euros. This levy does not bring any added value or even involve any actual act of certification – it is simply an unmonitored moneymaker. As the Algerian Government, in conjunction with the Grand Mosque of Paris, is increasing its threats and acts of hostility towards France, the fact that this source of funding exists is also concerning from a security point of view.
- 1.Has the Commission, as the guarantor of transparency in EU trade, investigated this clear distortion and its consequences? Does it know how these funds are used?
- 2.On 11 December 2024, the Commission was represented at a meeting on this issue at the Grand Mosque of Paris; what was the outcome of that meeting?
- 3.What criteria would lead the Commission to consider this certification requirement to be a violation of the EU-Algeria Agreement?
Submitted: 22.1.2025