ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1150/02

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 April 2002)

Subject: Year of Books and Literacy

In the report Frontiers in book production, the MEP Barbara O'Toole calls for the designation of a European Year of Books and Literacy. This would be an exemplary project to encourage our fellow European citizens to read more and to raise awareness of the importance of reading books.

Can the Commission therefore state whether it plans to proclaim a European Year of Books and Literacy, and, if so, which year it is planned for?

Answer given by Ms Reding on behalf of the Commission

(31 May 2002)

The Commission shares the point of view expressed in the report Frontiers in book production, as mentioned by the Honourable Member, on the need to do more to combat illiteracy and functional illiteracy and to raise the general public's awareness of the importance of books and electronic publishing in the knowledge-based economy.

For this reason, the Community, together with the Council of Europe, launched a campaign to raise the awareness of European citizens of books and reading. This campaign, which was entitled Reading for Pleasure, ran from April 1993 to September 1994 and included a whole range of events to promote books and reading.

It will not be possible to organise a year of books and literacy in the medium term. This is because 2003 will be devoted to people with disabilities(1), and 2004 will be devoted to education through sport(2).

Moreover, any interest expressed by other areas of activity outside education and culture in organising a European year will also have to be taken into account in this context.

The Commission is therefore considering the possibility of organising a day, week or month devoted to books and reading.

(1) Council Decision 2001/903/EC of 3 December 2001 on the European Year of People with disabilities 2003, OJ L 335, 19.12.2001.

(2) Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Year of Education through Sport 2004, OJ C 25 E, 29.1.2002.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0453/02

by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council

(27 February 2002)

Subject: EU foreign policy vis-à-vis Morocco and Western Sahara

In response to the 29 January 2002 opinion drawn up by the UN's Legal Affairs Department on the extent and the legal implications of Morocco's presence in Western Sahara (stemming from the oil-exploration agreements concluded between Morocco and certain oil companies operating in the waters of Western Sahara), it is understood that there is to be a major shift in the EU's foreign policy vis-à-vis Morocco.

Pursuant to Article 21 of the EU Treaty, what action does the Council intend to take with a view to applying the abovementioned legal opinion to the EU's relations with Morocco as regards the latter country's involvement in Western Sahara?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-0453/02 and P-0575/02

(26 June 2002)

The Western Sahara question is currently being debated in the UN Security Council. The Council is following the discussions closely and fully supports the efforts of the UN to find a lasting and stable solution. It is in regular contact with the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Mr James Baker and with all parties to the conflict and is willing to contribute to establishing a climate of confidence between the parties concerned in order to facilitate an acceptable solution.

The Council has to date not adopted a formal position on the opinion delivered by the UN Legal Affairs Department.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0897/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 April 2002)

Subject: Pupils dropping out of compulsory education

According to Greek press reports, 150 000 children have abandoned their lower secondary school education in recent years in Greece, while 10 000 children drop out of compulsory education annually. These findings regarding school drop-out rates came from the Greek Educational Institute's Registry of Lower Secondary School Pupils entering the Employment Market.

According to these findings, the largest lower secondary school drop-out rates occur in the prefectures of Evritania, Ilia, Lakonia, Xanthi, Rodopi and in tourist areas of Crete, the Dodecanese Islands and the Ionian Islands.

Is the Commission aware of this? How could it ensure that Greece takes measures specifically designed to counter this trend? What are the compulsory education drop-out rates in other Member States in other EU Member States? What are the current illiteracy rates in each of the 15 EU Member States?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(31 May 2002)

In the field of education, the Member States are, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, themselves responsible for the organisation and content of their education systems. It is therefore not for the Commission to intervene in order that Greece should take particular measures.

As regards statistics in the Member States, Eurostat provides the following data:

>TABLE>

The Commission does not have any comprehensive and reliable data on illiteracy rates in the 15 Member States, nor any data on the drop-out rate from lower secondary education.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0552/02

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(4 March 2002)

Subject: Impact of embargo on flight safety in Iran

In recent years, a number of accidents have occurred involving Iranian airline flights, such as in May 2001 when an Iran Air Russian-built Yakovlev-40 crashed in north-east Iran and, more recently, when an Iran Air Tupolev was reported to have crashed with 117 passengers on board.

These accidents are mainly attributable to the total lack of spare parts, as a result of the US embargo, for the Boeing aircraft which the Iranian airline has and which forces it to buy technologically outdated aircraft from the countries of the former Soviet Union. It is also reported that, over the last 12 years, Iran Air has sought to buy European Airbuses but has been refused because of the embargo.

Given that the safety of Iran Air flights is directly jeopardised by the embargo, with innocent human beings the victims, will the Council say:

1. whether it can confirm the refusal to sell Airbus to Iran Air,

2. whether it feels jointly responsible for the innocent lives lost, and

3. whether it proposes to reconsider its policy forthwith?

Reply

(26 June 2002)

The issues raised by the Honourable Member do not fall within the Union's competence.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1210/02

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(30 April 2002)

Subject: EU Health Card

While I support what the EU Health Card is trying to achieve, would it not be preferable to have either a page in our European passports or an endorsement in them containing this information. In this way, a lot of expense and paperwork would be saved?

Answer given by Ms Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(11 June 2002)

The European Council which took place in Barcelona on 15 and 16 March 2002 decided that a European health insurance card would replace the forms that are currently needed to obtain medical care in another Member State.

The card envisaged by the European Council is a health insurance card. It should enable its holder, when moving within the European Union, to prove in any Member State that he or she has health insurance cover and is entitled to medical care.

As the card is intended to facilitate the electronic exchange of information on the holder's insurance status between the health insurance institutions in the Member States, it would not be appropriate, as suggested by the Honourable Member, to include the relevant information in passports.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0758/02 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Council. Special forms of representation.



Official Journal 229 E , 26/09/2002 P. 0133 - 0133



WRITTEN QUESTION E-0758/02 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Council (19 March 2002) Subject: Special forms of representation Will the Council consider special forms of representation in the European Parliament for the Åland Islands and other autonomous regions that currently have no representation under existing electoral systems used for elections to the European Parliament? Reply (26 June 2002) The Council would inform the Honourable Member that it is not competent to speak on the issue of special forms of representation in the European Parliament for the territories in question. In any event, the Council wishes to remind the Honourable Member that a projected electoral procedure, as provided for in Article 190(4) of the TEC, is currently being prepared.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1432/02

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(23 May 2002)

Subject: Debate surrounding Commissioner Loyola de Palacio's statements on nuclear energy

Commissioner Loyola de Palacio has recently made statements in favour of resuming the construction of nuclear power stations in the EU, on the grounds that this type of energy is necessary if the Kyoto Agreement on greenhouse gas emissions is to be complied with, disregarding both the dangers involved in the use of nuclear energy and the as yet unresolved and extremely grave environmental and economic problems surrounding the stockage of nuclear waste. Commissioner Margot Wallström has since adopted the opposite position to her colleague, advocating a future based on clean energy and renewable energies. What is the Commission's position in this matter?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2002)

The Commission's position on nuclear energy is clearly stated in the Green Paper entitled Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply(1).

Any statement by a Member of the Commission must therefore be interpreted only in the light of this document.

The Honorary Member is requested to refer to the answers given by the Commission to Questions H-0287/02 from Mrs Sornosa Martínez(2) and P-1354/02 from Mr Carnero González(3) on the same subject.

(1) COM(2000) 769 final.

(2) Written answer of 14.5.2002.

(3) OJ C 277 E, 14.11.2002, p. 192.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-2237/02

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(15 July 2002)

Subject: Implementation in Greece of Directive 1999/70/EC

Council Directive 1999/70/EC(1) of 28 June 1999 concerning fixed-term work requires the Member States to bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 10 July 2001. The Greek Government obtained a one-year extension to this deadline without establishing that there were special difficulties since, on its own responsibility, it did not consult management and labour. Moreover, although the latest deadline has now expired, the Greek Government has still not adopted the requisite laws, regulations and administrative provisions.

Furthermore, according to a responsible Minister, it is the Greek Government's intention, illegally, to exempt from the directive employees under contract in the public sector, legal persons subject to public law, local government bodies and some legal persons subject to private law, such as Olympic Airways.

Given that the Member State in question seems to have opted for a policy of obstruction and distortion of the directive to the detriment of workers' rights, will the Commission immediately initiate preliminary proceedings against the Greek Government in the Court of Justice?

(1) OJ L 175, 10.7.1999, p. 43.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(27 August 2002)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answers to written questions E- 1505/02 by Mr Xarchakos(1) and E-1495/02 by Mr Hatzidakis(2).

(1) OJ C 277 E, 14.11.2002, p. 220.

(2) OJ C 277 E, 14.11.2002, p. 216.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0423/02

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(21 February 2002)

Subject: Interest claim for late ratification

Until every Member State has approved the new membership fee system, Sweden will be obliged to pay some 100 million Swedish kroner too much every month. The new system should have come into operation at the beginning of the year, but two countries have still to ratify the decision which gives Sweden a rebate and was taken as long ago as the Berlin summit.

Sweden has established within the Council of Ministers of Economic and Financial Affairs that the excess amounts Sweden is paying in will gradually be returned. The issue will therefore be the interest on those sums. Sweden's Minister of Financial Affairs, Mr Bosse Ringholm, has said that Sweden will be claiming compensation for loss of interest.

Does the Commission consider that Sweden should receive compensation for loss of interest?

Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(3 April 2002)

The Honourable Member is informed that all Member States have now notified the Council of their ratification of the new Council Decision of 29 September 2000 on the system of the European Communities' own resources (2000/597/EC, Euratom(1)).

According to the third paragraph of Article 10(1) of the Council Decision it shall enter into force on the first day of the month following receipt of the last notifications mentioned above. Since the last Member State submitted its notification on 5 February 2002 this year the new Decision consequently entered into force as from 1 March 2002 (with retroactive effect mainly as from 1 January 2002, but for some provisions as from 1 January 2001).

The Decision does not, however, contain any provisions concerning compensation for loss of interest in the case of entry into force after a certain date.

The Commission is consequently of the opinion that there is no legal basis that would allow granting or claiming compensation for the interest that Member States possibly lose or gain as a result of temporarily having paid more or less than they should, as a result of the new Decision not being in force at the time of the adoption of the 2002 budget.

(1) OJ L 253, 7.10.2000.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1519/02

by Anne Ferreira (PSE) to the Commission

(22 May 2002)

Subject: Defining the status of the European estate agent

Estate agents in the EU countries are increasingly involved in cross-border transactions. However, the rules governing the profession vary from country to country, resulting in differing charges and varying levels of consumer protection.

In order to protect consumers, to harmonise the European Union internal market and to improve the profession's image, harmonisation is needed at European level of the requirements to which estate agents are subject.

In order to do this, it would be necessary to make compulsory and to harmonise:

- a professional third-party insurance,

- a financial guarantee.

What is the Commission's position on this question?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2002)

Although Real Estate Agents can in principle benefit from the right to establishment and the freedom to provide services, as foreseen in Articles 43 and 49 of the EC Treaty, legal and administrative barriers remain for cross-border activities, including different requirements relating to professional insurance and guarantees. This reflects a more general problem of the Internal Market for services characterised by a variety of remaining barriers which effect both providers and receivers of services.

Against this background the Lisbon European Council (19 and 20 June 2000) invited the Commission to propose a comprehensive Internal Market strategy to remove barriers to services.

As repeated very often the same European Council set the target for Europe: To become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. To achieve this, the Union must enhance the quality and competitiveness of its service industries, as these will determine the continuing success of the European economy.

The Commission is in the process of identifying all identifiable barriers to services as well as preparing proposals to remove those barriers. It is expected that the Commission will shortly publish a report.

On the basis of this report the Commission will decide in which areas to propose harmonisation at Community level.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2074/02

by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 July 2002)

Subject: UK manorial rights

Can the Commission please tell us whether the EU has any intention of drafting legislation affecting UK manorial rights or whether any EU legislation in current progress would affect the rights of UK manors to hold a market or fair, which current manorial rights entitle them to do?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(5 August 2002)

The Union has no intention of drafting legislation affecting United Kingdom manorial rights, nor does any Union legislation in progress affect the rights of British manors to hold a market or fair.

It is to be noted, however, as far as the right to hold fairs and markets, (or the exercise of any other form of economic activity) is affected by rules or regulations deriving from the State (including the Crown), local or regional government, then those rules and regulations are, insofar as they affect the organisation of markets or fairs by operators from other Member States, subject to the principle of the freedom to provide services enshrined at Article 49 of the EC Treaty(1). Notwithstanding the latter, such rules and regulations may be shown to be justified.

As regards the holding of commercial trade fairs and exhibitions, for further detailed information concerning such events, the Honourable Member is referred to the Commission interpretative Communication of 8 May 1998 concerning the application of the Single Market rules to the sector of fairs and exhibitions(2).

(1) See case C-439/99, Commission v Italy, 15 January 2002.

(2) OJ C 143, 8.5.1998.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0502/02

by Armin Laschet (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 February 2002)

Subject: Mutual obligation for municipalities to inform each other of projects

1. When planning and carrying out projects affecting other municipalities and citizens in a neighbouring EU Member State, are municipalities obliged to provide advance notice of these projects or coordinate them with the local administration in the neighbouring municipality?

2. In what cases are municipalities obliged to provide neighbouring municipalities in other EU countries with advance notice of their projects? In what cases is cross-border coordination of projects required?

3. If advance notice and coordination is not required, does the Commission consider that it would be desirable to draw up European regulations?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(26 April 2002)

The Honourable Member is reminded that matters pertaining to spatial planning fall under the authority of the Member States.

Where the environment is concerned, if the project is of the types listed in Annexes I and II to Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 amending Directive 85/337/EEC on assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment(1), the Member State in which it will be located must, if it is likely to have a significant impact across its border, consult the neighbouring Member States in question.

In the event of confirmation of a significant impact these Member States and the general public concerned must be properly informed of the project and its environmental impact in order to enable their observations to be registered within a reasonable time. Member States generally consult one another on cross-border impact and the minimisation action planned.

There is no other provision apart from this requiring a local authority to inform, prior to execution of a project, a local authority in a neighbouring Member State.

(1) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-0119/02

by Michael Cashman (PSE) to the Commission

(22 January 2002)

Subject: Association agreements with non-EU countries

Would the Commission comment as to whether the human rights clauses of the EU Association agreements with non-EU countries have ever been invoked? If they have, could the Commission provide full details of each case? If they have not, could the Commission justify their non-application?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 2002)

There have been several Commission communications on the question raised by the Honourable Member, particularly the one about the human rights clause in the agreements(1). The most recent of these communications was The European Union's role in promoting human rights and democratisation in third countries(2).

The human rights clause has been included systematically in all cooperation and association agreements concluded since 1995 between the Union and various third countries. As emphasised in the communications mentioned, the primary purpose of the clause is to promote cooperation and dialogue with our partners on the question of respecting and promoting human rights.

In this respect the clause has been duly implemented in the appropriate form in bilateral relations between the Union acting through the Commission and the countries concerned. Whether through political dialogue or in relations with applicant countries, the human rights issue has always been, and will continue to be, an essential factor.

The Union has association agreements with a large number of European and Mediterranean countries. As there are many facets to these relations it would be difficult if not impossible to provide the details of each case as the Honourable Member requests. However, the Union's report on human rights, published annually by the Council in close cooperation with the Commission, includes many references to occasions when the clause has been taken into account in external relations.

Recently (13 December 2001) the Council adopted guidelines including advice on this issue on conducting dialogue with third countries. The positive approach to implementing the clause does not preclude the possibility of imposing negative measures and, particularly in the event of serious or persistent violation of human rights, going so far as to suspend an agreement. So far this step has not been taken in connection with any association agreement.

(1) COM(95) 216 final.

(2) COM(2001) 252 final.