ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1308/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (11 April 1997)

Subject: Safety regime for fishing vessels

The Commission has submitted a proposal for a Council Directive setting up a harmonized safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over (COM(96)255 final - 96/0168 SYN) ((OJ C 292, 4.10.1996, p. 29. )), (CES 1392/96/0168 SYN).

The European Community has always considered the safety of fishing vessels to be extremely important. Given that fishing is one of the most dangerous forms of work, various measures have been taken to improve the situation at both world and European levels.

The main measures at Community level to date have been directed towards improving living and working conditions on board fishing vessels (see Directive 93/103/EC ((OJ L 307, 13.12.1993, p. 1. ))).

The Commission proposal is to be welcomed, given that it should help to raise safety standards.

However, would the Commission take appropriate steps to draw up a reliable picture of fishing accidents and their consequences, including the number of deaths and industrial injuries and diseases?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1306/97, E-1307/97 and E-1308/97 given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (22 May 1997)

In the explanatory memorandum of the Commission's proposal for a Council Directive setting up a harmonised safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over ((OJ C 292, 4.10.1996. )), the Commission stated that it intends to examine whether, for fishing vessels below 24 metres in length, further measures are required to complement those already included in Council Directive 93/103/EC of 23 November 1993 on the minimum health and safety requirements for work on board fishing vessels ((OJ L 307, 13.12.1993. )). The Commission envisages that a study on the issue will be undertaken in the second half of 1997.

The provisions of the Commission's proposal will give Member States the legal power to subject a fishing vessel flying the flag of a third country and operating in their internal waters or territorial seas or landing its catch in their ports to control in order to verify compliance with the safety standards required by this Directive. Logistic means for executing such controls both on-shore and off-shore are already in place in the framework of Council Directive 95/21/EC on Port State Control ((OJ L 157, 7.7.1995. )) and the control system applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy.

With regard to the collection of data on fishing vessel casualties and working accidents on board, the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to Written Question E-272/96 by Mr Pronk ((OJ C 105, 3.4.1997. )).
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1335/97 by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission (21 April 1997)

Subject: Humanitarian and development aid for the Cuban population

With regard to Mr Marin's reply to Written Question E-2469/96 ((OJ C 60, 26.2.1997, p. 88.)) by Mrs Maij-Weggen, can I have further clarification on two points:

1. figures in ecus for development aid and humanitarian aid granted to Cuba in 1996, and forecasts for both for this year;

2. the legal basis for humanitarian aid (which appears to be handed over to the Cuban Government) and aid for development (which is far less copious and is granted to European NGOs);

3. a breakdown of those who received both types of aid in 1995 and 1996, specifying the quantities granted, the projects for which the aid was intended and proof that the monies were spent?

Answer given by Mr Marín on behalf of the Commission (26 May 1997)

1. Aid supplied by the Commission to the most vulnerable sections of the Cuban people in 1996 amounted to ECU 8.6 million. No food aid operations were financed from the 1996 budget: those operations carried out in 1996 resulted from commitments under the previous year's budget.

Cooperation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) required the commitment of up to ECU 1.2 million. Economic cooperation accounted for ECU 3.7 million in 1996. Having regard to the Council common position adopted on 2 December 1996 it is likely that in 1997 cooperation with Cuba will be similar overall to 1996's.

2. The legal bases for these schemes are as follows:

- Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid ((OJ L 163, 2.7.1996. )). It must be emphasized that humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba is supplied direct to the recipients through European NGOs which handle the purchasing, transport and distribution of the goods. These operations are carried out under the supervision of the Commission's Liaison Office in Havana, which coordinates and monitors them;

- Council Regulation (EC) No 1292/96 of 27 June 1996 on food aid ((OJ L 166, 5.7.1996. ));

- Commission decision on the general conditions for cofinancing operations undertaken in developing countries by Community NGOs;

- Council Regulation (EC) No 443/92 on financial and technical assistance to, and economic cooperation with, the developing countries in Asia and Latin America ((OJ L 52, 27.2.1992. )).

3. The Commission is prepared to supply the Honourable Member with details of the information requested.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1034/97 by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission (19 March 1997)

Subject: Risk to the health of the public and employees as a result of underestimating neutron radiation during transport of highly radioactive waste

A group of scientists submitted to a sister organization of the ICRP, the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU), even more far-reaching recommendations on quality factors. Because of the

many indications in radiation biology experiments that the relative biological impact of neutrons, especially in low doses, is still much higher than originally assumed, these scientists proposed a quality factor of 25 irrespective of the energy of the neutrons (ICRU 40 1986).

1. What is the Commission's position vis-à-vis the guidelines proposed in ICRU 40 1986?

2. What conclusions has it drawn as regards radiation protection in the EU Member States?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (5 May 1997)

The recommendations of the scientific group concerning the quality factors in radiation protection had already been published in 1986 in International commission on radiation units and measurements (ICRU) Report 40, and therefore were well known not only to the International commission on radiological protection (ICRP) before the publication of their recommendations in Report no. 60 (1990), but also to those experts who had been consulted by the Commission on the proposed directive. The Commission concludes from the consensus between the ICRP recommendations and the result of the consultation with the aforementioned experts that the Directive 96/29/Euratom ((OJ L 159, 29.6.1996. )) based on the ICRP recommendation and adopted by the Council on 13 May 1996 on the assessment of the biological effects of neutron radiation is in accordance with current scientific knowledge.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1472/97 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (30 April 1997)

Subject: Abuse of power by the Württemberg authorities in relation to free movement of workers

There has recently been an abnormal increase in the number of violations of Community law on migrant workers in Germany, and in particular in the Stuttgart region.

This seems to be part of a deliberate attempt to abuse powers to ensure that workers from other Member States are treated, not under the Aufenth/G/EWG (law transposing the directives on migrant workers into German law) but under the much more severe 'Auslandergesetz' (general law on foreigners, making it possible to expel Community citizens on grounds other than those that would normally apply).

Will the Commission make representations to the Baden Württemberg authorities in order to safeguard the rights of citizens of EU Member States combating any threat to the livelihood of Community migrant workers and restoring legal security?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1468/97 and E-1472/97 given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (26 June 1997)

Under Article 48(3) of the EC Treaty, workers' entitlement to freedom of movement is subject to limitation on grounds of public policy. The first paragraph of Article 3 of Directive 64/221/EEC ((OJ 56, 4.4.1964. )) states that measures taken on grounds of public policy or of public security shall be based exclusively on the personal conduct of the individual concerned. Article 2(2) of the same Directive stipulates that grounds of public policy may not be invoked to service economic ends. In its consistent case law, the Court of Justice has ruled that reliance by a national authority upon the concept of public policy presupposes the existence of a genuine and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society. Although Community law does not impose upon the Member States a uniform scale of values as regards the assessment of conduct which may be considered contrary to public policy, conduct may not be considered as being of a sufficiently serious nature to justify restrictions on the admission to or residence within the territory of a Member State of a national of another Member State in a case where the former Member State does not adopt, with respect to the same conduct on the part of its own nationals, repressive measures or other genuine and effective measures intended to combat such conduct ((CoJEC, Judgment of 18 May 1982, Joined Cases 115 and 116/81, Adoui and Cornauille, ECR 1982, p.1665. )).

Certain problems linked to the application of the public policy reservation by the authorities of the Federal German Land of Baden-Württemberg, with regard to Community nationals, both workers and others, have been the subject of several petitions addressed to the Parliament. In this context, the Commission has contacted the German authorities in connection with the interpretation of the above-mentioned Treaty provisions and the application of national measures for implementing the said Directive.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0857/97 by Spalato Belleré (NI) and Guido Viceconte (UPE) to the Commission (12 March 1997)

Subject: European funds for drama and operetta productions to be granted to resident theatres or companies

Can the Commission say whether funding is granted for plays and operettas put on by resident theatre companies and if so which funds are used?

Can it say whether it does not consider that the emphasis should be on ensuring the quality rather than the quantity of productions?

Does it not consider that a directive should be issued laying down general guidelines on the subject for the Member States?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (28 April 1997)

The Commission would point out that it is in the framework of Community action in the field of culture, subject to the conditions of existing programmes and preparatory initiatives, that cultural projects such as drama and operatic productions can benefit from Community support.

Each year, the Kaleidoscope programme (Decision 719/96/EC) ((OJ L 99, 20.4.1996. )) provides support for several projects relating to the performing arts, such as shows, training projects or projects emerging from European networks aimed at improving the quality of cooperation and exchanges between European theatres and professionals in the field.

As an example, 45 projects in the field of the theatre and six relating to the opera received support under budget heading B3-2001 in 1996 ((Selected multidisciplinary projects (e.g. festivals) may include theatre projects; they are not included in this figure. )).

Furthermore, in the framework of preparatory action under the Ariane programme ((COM(96) 637 final. )), a specific section is devoted to support for the translation of plays, with a view to increasing their audience. This aid is granted for the translation into several languages (at least two) of plays which have already been performed on stage or in audiovisual form and which have already achieved a certain amount of critical and public recognition, and is paid from budget heading B3-2002.

The Commission considers that the quality of artistic and cultural creation in Europe is of great importance, and it endeavours, within the framework of the programmes for which it is responsible, to ensure - with the help of independent experts in various artistic fields - the artistic and cultural quality of projects selected to receive Community support. The Commission would also point out that, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, the management of cultural policy - and particularly the choice of priorities - is primarily the responsibility of the Member States. Moreover, artists and creators in the Community must be able to express themselves completely independently.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1576/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (6 May 1997)

Subject: Charitable associations

The 1997 budget has an extra item, entitled 'Cooperation with charitable associations and with non-governmental organizations and associations dealing with the interests of the elderly' (B3-4101). The ECU 4 million allocated to this item will be used to finance and support cooperation at EU-level with charitable associations and foundations, institutions responsible for social security, institutes and services. Associations working with the elderly or run by the elderly will therefore be able to apply for funding.

Can the Commission give a carefully-drawn-up list of the criteria used for allocating the funds?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (9 June 1997)

The budget commentary for the new budget line B3-4101 (Co-operation with charitable associations and with non-governmental organisations and associations dealing with the interests of the elderly) makes it clear that the 4 MECU total includes an allocation for organisations such as the European anti-poverty network and for Feansta.

The Commission has proposed that the remaining resources for 1997 be used to support actions which will strengthen the capacity of non-governmental organisations, charitable associations and foundations to engage in civil dialogue at European level.

Notice of the call for proposals was published in the Official journal ((OJ C 149, 15.5.1997.)). Guidelines and application forms are available from the Commission (Directorate general for employment, industrial relations and social affairs).

The main criteria for support for actions are that they should:

- be proposed, organised and managed by the charitable associations, foundations or non-governmental organisations directly concerned;

- be designed to promote exchange of experience and of information or to disseminate good practice on key social policy issues at European level;

- be organised on a transnational basis and involve partnership between relevant charitable associations, foundations or other non-governmental organisations from at least three Member States;

- involve significant funding from other sources (as a general rule at least 40% of the total cost of the action, should come from a non-Community source);

- demonstrate clear added-value at European level.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0625/97 by Jesús Cabezón Alonso (PSE) to the Commission (4 March 1997)

Subject: Financial assistance to Agence Europe news bulletin

Does the daily news bulletin Europe-international information (in any of its language versions) receive any financial assistance or subsidy for the purposes of publication or distribution?

Does the Spanish version receive any subsidy?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (28 April 1997)

The Agence Europe news bulletin receives no subsidies or financial assistance from the Commission, whether for the purposes of publication or distribution. This is true for all the different language versions of Agence Europe.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1565/97 by Jan Mulder (ELDR) to the Commission (6 May 1997)

Subject: Aid granted under the 'Action plan 16:9'

1. Does the Commission agree that an inquiry into the creditworthiness and management of applicants for financial aid is essential for the effective and efficient implementation of aid programmes such as the 'action plan 16:9', and that such inquiries are best carried out in advance in order to protect the financial interests of the Union and to prevent any harm to the European budget, rather than having to launch procedure to recover money afterwards? Can the Commission confirm that this is the standard procedure for the evaluation of all applications?

2. If not, is the Commission prepared to include, in future proposals for programmes for financial aid on the lines of the action plan mentioned above, the creditworthiness and management of the applicant as explicit criteria for the granting of financial aid?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (4 June 1997)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member's view that a creditworthiness inquiry is necessary before a contract is awarded to an applicant under the 'action plan 16/9'. Such inquiries are carried out systematically as candidates are asked to include their latest official annual balance sheet in their proposal. In addition to their normal duties of appraising the proposal, the evaluators are required to inform the Commission whether the candidate is creditworthy. Although this involves considerable work, the Commission, like the Honourable Member, believes this is the most appropriate way to protect the Community's financial interests.

However, if a candidate is in what seems to be a difficult financial situation, he cannot be systematically rejected on the basis of rigid selection criteria. This would put small and medium-sized enterprises, among others, at a disadvantage and new television companies, which are very promising as far as the programme is concerned, generally make losses during their first four or five years. In these cases, the Commission limits the risks by having additional financial inquiries carried out which take account of the project size and the investment to be made by the aid recipient and by demanding bank guarantees and not making payment until the work has been carried out.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1839/97 by Pasqualina Napoletano (PSE) to the Commission (28 May 1997)

Subject: EU aid to Italy

What aid did the EU grant to Italy in 1994, 1995 and 1996 in the form of allocations in principle and commitments and payments in respect of policies relating to the following?

CAP - Guarantee Structural Funds R& TD TENs Environment SMEs Culture

Can the Commission provide details of exemplary and successful measures, if necessary with the aid of brochures which have been published about the various policies, to illustrate such data?

What technical resources (e.g. databases, Internet-Europa) does it have at its disposal in order to bring these financial operations to the notice of the general public?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (12 June 1997)

The Commission has asked the Member State concerned for information regarding the facts raised to by the Honourable Member. It will inform her of its findings.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2036/97 by José Apolinário (PSE) to the Commission (13 June 1997)

Subject: Promotion of tourism in operational programmes

Can the Commission supply a list of the budget items earmarked for the promotion of tourism under the ERDF throughout the European Union, identifying the operational programmes they come under (either national or regional operational programmes)?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (25 July 1997)

The Commission is sending direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat a table containing the information requested.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1602/97 by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission (5 May 1997)

Subject: Subsidizing the cost of shipping raw materials to the Greek islands

The Greek archipelago of the Aegean, like other island regions in Europe, presents a number of important particularities, and faces problems owing to its geographical fragmentation, its remoteness from the centre of the European Union and its island character.

A serious obstacle to the economic development of the islands is the cost of shipping products and raw materials. Given that the regional operational programmes within the framework of the CSF seek, inter alia, to strengthen existing small and medium-sized processing units in order to make them viable and more competitive so that they can contribute to the economic and social development of remote regions in the European Union;

Will the Commission say:

What measures it intends to take to reduce the cost of shipping raw materials and to strengthen the economic competitiveness of island regions?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (4 June 1997)

The Commission does not at present intend to propose measures under which the Structural Funds would cover part of the cost of transporting raw materials in the way suggested by the Honourable Member. However, with regard to transport in the Greek islands, the port, airport and road infrastructure part-financed both by the European Regional Development Fund and by the Cohesion Fund, in particular in the context of the trans-European transport network, is contributing to a steady improvement in the quality and the possibilities of transport in these regions. This facilitates the movement of goods and persons and indirectly reduces the cost of transport, with a positive effect on competitiveness.

It should also be noted that aid from public funds, of which 90% comes from the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), is granted to improve supplies of certain foodstuffs and raw materials to the smaller Aegean islands (all the islands except for Crete and Euboea). This aid, which comes under Council Regulation (EEC) No 2019/93 ((OJ L 184, 27.7.1993. )), aims to reduce transport costs and, consequently, the prices of these products to consumers on the islands. According to the Commission Report on the implementation of this Regulation ((COM(96) 387 final. )), the total aid allocated by the EAGGF for the initial period of implementation of the measures (1994-95) was ECU 2.94 million. This amount should grow as the Regulation moves from the start-up to the operational phase.