ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0355/03

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 February 2003)

Subject: Allegations concerning Greek carriers

The Hellenic Federation of International Road Transport Operators alleges that some Greek carriers are mounting operations in a foreign country of their choice in order to obtain an authorisation there to pursue the occupation of road transport operator, together with approval for registration of their goods vehicles.

Specifically, they rent offices, nominate a location as their headquarters, have the required books and data certified and fulfil any additional requirements in the country of establishment with the aim of obtaining registration documents, plates and Community level 5 permits for their lorries. To conclude the procedure, they leave the country, discontinuing all the above-mentioned activities, and return to Greece, their real country of establishment. With lorries which are not registered in Greece, they operate both international and national transport illegally. In addition, it appears that they do not pay income tax, road tax or other taxes in any country, that their books and other data cannot be checked, since these are not kept in the undertaking's head office, and that checks cannot be carried out to verify whether the technical checks have been completed.

Does the Commission have any information confirming these allegations? What steps does it intend to take to verify the facts and to combat the phenomenon, if it is proved to exist?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(14 March 2003)

The Commission is aware of the situation reported by the Honourable Member.

The Honourable Member refers in particular to cabotage operations that are lawful if carried out in accordance with Council Regulation (EEC) No 3118/93 of 25 October 1993(1). Article 1(1) of this Regulation provides that any road haulage carrier for hire or reward who is a holder of the Community authorisation provided for in Regulation (EEC) No 881/92(2) must be entitled to operate on a temporary basis national road haulage services for hire or reward in another Member State.

It is the task of the national authorities to verify compliance with the Community rules on access to the road transport market and to put an end to any illegal practices. According to the information at the Commission's disposal, the Greek authorities are taking action to this effect.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3118/93 of 25 October 1993 laying down the conditions under which non-resident carriers may operate national road haulage services within a Member State OJ L 279, 12.11.1993.

(2) Council Regulation (EEC) No 881/92 of 26 March 1992 on access to the market in the carriage of goods by road within the Community to or from the territory of a Member State or passing across the territory of one or more Member States OJ L 95, 9.4.1992.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1363/03

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 April 2003)

Subject: Troubled Waters

1. Can the Commission confirm how much the recently published Troubled Waters comic cost to produce?

2. Where has this comic been circulated? Where will it eventually be circulated?

3. What is the intention of this publication?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2003)

For all information concerning the Troubled Waters comic, the Honourable Member should contact the Directorate-General for Information and Public Relations of the European Parliament's Secretariat.

The Publications Office was responsible only for printing and binding the comic in question on behalf of the Parliament.

1. The Publications Office does not know the total cost of producing the publication.

2. The copies produced were delivered to the requesting department.

3. The Publications Office is unable to answer the Honourable Member's third question.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0388/03

by Markus Ferber (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 February 2003)

Subject: Appointment of Morten Jung-Olsen as Head of Unit and Chief Negotiator for Bulgaria

1. Is it true that the Commissioner for Enlargement, Günter Verheugen, has appointed Morten Jung-Olsen Head of Unit and Chief Negotiator for Bulgaria?

2. Is there any truth in the allegations that Mr Olsen was held in custody in Denmark over alleged activities for the State Security Service of the former GDR?

3. If so, what is the Commission's view of these facts?

4. Does the Commission hold a general position regarding its employees' past secret service activities?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(31 March 2003)

1. Mr Morten Jung-Olsen was appointed Head of Unit for Unit C/1 Bulgaria of General Direction Enlargment (ELARG) in November 2001, in full compliance with the existing rules regarding appointments.

He was appointed by the Director General for Enlargement, in line with the decentralised procedure on selection and appointment of Heads of Unit which has been in operation in the Commission since April 2001 and which provides that the appointing authority is the Director General concerned.

2. Mr Jung-Olsen has been acquitted of any allegations against him. As the Honourable Member will know, it is a basic rule in democracies that detention does not carry a presumption of guilt and that legal acquittal gives valid proof of the standing of an individual.

3. The Commission has full confidence in Mr Jung-Olsen.

4. Article 27 of the Staff Regulations provides that recruitment shall be directed to securing for the institution the services of officials of the highest standard of ability, efficiency and integrity []. To this end, officials must, upon entry into service, produce, inter alia, the appropriate character references, which are generally provided by the relevant authorities of the Member State of which he or she is a national. Recruitment does not take place if the person concerned is not able to produce these references.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0083/03

by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(23 January 2003)

Subject: EU/Morocco policies

Bearing in mind that Andalusia is among the EU regions with the highest unemployment, is the Council aware that, in one way or another, all the negotiations conducted with Morocco in recent

years in whatever field agriculture, fisheries or diplomatic matters, immigration and drug trafficking directly affect Andalusia, either in economic or social terms or in terms of its image in the outside world?

Does the Council not consider it necessary that the EU should consult or at least ascertain the opinion of the Andalusian authorities and government with regard to negotiations in these specific cases?

Is the Council familiar with the political landscape in Andalusia? Is it aware of the level of on-going confrontation between the autonomous and state governments in Spain? Is the Council aware that many of its decisions deepen the political breach between the two levels of administration and that this breach is already having direct adverse effects on Andalusia's development and economy? Does the Council not believe that many of its decisions are having a negative impact on the development of a region whose unemployment rate is among the highest in the EU?

I should be grateful not to receive a reply based on the European Union's lack of competence in these matters, on the grounds that each Member State is responsible for relations with its regions. Seven and a half million Andalusians and Europeans are tired of being used as a bargaining counter for the EU in its agricultural and fisheries negotiations with Morocco.

Reply

(8 May 2003)

The Council can only confirm that it is not competent to pass judgement on the extent to which Member States take account of regional or other interests when negotiating in the Council.

More generally, as far as relations at the European Union level are concerned, the Council would recall that the voice of the regions is, notably, given expression through the Committee of the Regions, on which it notes Andalusia is represented by the President of its Government and its Director General for European Affairs and External Cooperation.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0817/03

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(17 March 2003)

Subject: Freedom of movement of persons within the European Union

The freedom of movement of persons is a fundamental principle underpinning the European Union. Regional policy, on the other hand, may in a sense be viewed as a derogation from this principle, and is likewise of great importance to the Union.

On the island of São Jorge, in the Azores Autonomous Region, the problem has yet again arisen of pupils attending the local vocational school finding themselves excluded from Community funding under the European Social Fund because they are not natives of the region, the argument being that the aid is regional, and available only to the residents of the Autonomous Region.

The possibility that training support for young people who, for one reason or another, while not being natives of the Azores, wish to follow courses on the island of São Jorge, may infringe competition rules or the objectives of regional development strikes me as unrealistic, given that on the contrary, the impossibility of providing such support clearly prejudices both the free movement of citizens within the European area, and a small geographical unit like the island of São Jorge.

This being so does the Commission not believe that a correct interpretation of the Treaty means that Community regional support from the European Social Fund should be freely available to citizens who are not natives of the Azores, provided that the courses are provided in the Region and are clearly aimed at its residents?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(23 April 2003)

Community support given by the European Social Fund has, amongst others, the objective of strengthening economic and social cohesion and aims at reducing disparities between the different levels of development of the various regions.

In this regard, the Comission believes that training support to young people provided by the local vocational school of São Jorge island and financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) should be directed to residents of the Region, independently of their origin.

Final beneficiaries of community financing in the Região Autónoma dos Açores must therefore be in a position to prove their residence in the Region. This rule cannot involve a discrimination on the grounds of nationality as the obligation to prove residence in the region concerns all persons, be they Portuguese or from any other country of origin.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1596/03

by Regina Bastos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 May 2003)

Subject: Closure of Schuh-Union located in Ponte de Lima, Portugal

The German shoe company Schuh-Union closed its factory in Ponte de Lima and more than 180 workers lost their jobs. Management informed staff about the definitive closure by simply putting up a notice at the entrance to the factory.

The company had drawn up a protocol guaranteeing that it would stay in Ponte de Lima for at least 20 years, but it closed down after only 12 years.

Management blamed the closure on a shortage of orders, but in actual fact the orders had been passed on to other factories in Romania and Turkey, where labour is cheaper.

In May 2002 Schuh-Union already closed the factory at Maia (Portugal) in order to relocate to Romania, depriving 460 workers of their jobs. At that time management claimed that the closure would enable the factory at Ponte de Lima to maintain its full production capacity and retain all the staff.

Nevertheless, in October 2002 Schuh-Union closed the cutting and stitching section of its Ponte de Lima factory, which immediately made 172 workers redundant.

It should be noted that 97 % of the staff are women aged between 40 and 50, who will naturally find it difficult to find other jobs, especially in a town where there are few job opportunities.

Can the Commission therefore say:

- whether Schuh-Union has received any Community funding;

- if so, how much it received, when, and what conditions were imposed on the company?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(4 June 2003)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1477/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 May 2003)

Subject: Refunds on exports from Member States to the Vatican City State of butter and other fats and oils derived from milk, milk products

A table containing data on the quantities and value in euro of products eligible for export refunds was appended to the supplementary answer to question P-3202/02(1).

Examination of this table shows that, for exports to the Vatican City State of butter and other fats and oils derived from milk, milk products (code 0405):

(a) in 1998 exports from Austria totalled 155 kg for a refund of EUR 272 200,57, equivalent to aid of EUR 1 756,13 per kg of butter exported;

(b) in 1999 exports from Italy totalled 0,064 kg for a refund of EUR 402,90, equivalent to aid of EUR 6 295,31 per kg of butter exported;

In all likelihood, 155 000 kg were exported in 1998 and around 230 kg in 2000, at a more credible level of aid of between EUR 1,76 and EUR 1,75 per kg of butter exported.

If one were to make these corrections, total exports would be 174 215,50 kg for 1998, 156 230 kg for 1999, 145 560 kg for 2000 and 146 200 kg for 2001.

Under Regulation (EC) No 419/2002(2), it should also be possible for the tabular data, extracted from the CATS database, to be used for monitoring and forecasting purposes.

It is specified in the table that the units of measurement, weights or quantities and the amounts in euro are provided by the Member States.

In the light of the above, could the Commission indicate:

- whether the data supplied by the Member States are checked and who is responsible for doing this;

- whether the quantities of butter and other fats and oils derived from milk, and milk products exported from Member States to the Vatican City State were subject to any monitoring, what form that this took, and what forecasts were made in respect of these quantities;

- whether it does not consider the level of imports to the minuscule Vatican City State to be too high, or in other words that it can be assumed these products are sold in Italy?

(1) OJ C 137 E, 12.6.2003, p. 172.

(2) OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 8.

Joint answerto Written Questions E-1477/03, E-1478/03, E-1479/03 and E-1480/03given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(21 May 2003)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1025/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(28 March 2003)

Subject: Use of funds from the 2000 City Twinning Programme by the municipality of Pisa

In September 2002, the monitoring committee of the Italian Ministry for Economic Affairs issued a report on the spending of EU funds.

The report reveals the alarming slowness and inefficiency with which EU funds are allocated to projects by some regional authorities.

The grave concerns about the inadequate use of European funds by local authorities have frequently been echoed by the Commission.

Bearing in mind that EU subsidies include a support programme to foster the twinning of European cities and that many Italian cities, including the municipality of Pisa, would be particularly appropriate for events of this kind,

Can the Commission say:

1. whether the municipality of Pisa has submitted projects to benefit from funding under the 2000 City Twinning Programme?

2. whether the municipality of Pisa has secured funding for these projects?

3. whether this funding has been used?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-0864/03, E-0886/03, E-1017/03, E-1018/03,E-1019/03, E-1020/03, E-1021/03, E-1022/03, E-1023/03, E-1024/03,E-1025/03, E-1026/03, E-1027/03, E-1028/03 and E-1029/03given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(8 May 2003)

Twinning is funded centrally.

The grants are awarded by the Commission on the basis of projects presented by local authorities or twinning committees.

The grants are not paid until after the event, following submission of supporting documents.

The participation of local authorities in town-twinning activities is arranged via the publication of an annual call for proposals in the Official Journal of the European Union.

With regard to the Honourable Member's questions the municipalities of: Fiumicino (E-0886), Frosinone (E-0864), Ancona (E-1017), Florence (E-1019), Livorno (E-1020), Macerata (E-1021), Perugia (E-1023), Pesaro (E-1024), Pisa (E-1025) Pistoia (E-1026) Siena (E-1028) and Terni (E-1029) did not obtain funding for the organisation of twinning events in 2000.

The municipalities of Carrara (E-1018) Massa (E-1022) Prato (E-1027) received funding for twinning in 2000. These funds were used.

The Honourable Member might wish to contact the local authorities for further information.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0644/03

by Koldo Gorostiaga Atxalandabaso (NI) to the Council

(4 March 2003)

Subject: 2002 annual debate on an area of freedom, security and justice

On February the 12th, during the 2002 annual debate on an area of freedom, security and justice, I asked the Council Office and Commissioner Vitorino the following questions, without receiving any response from them.

In the Kingdom of Spain on 13 February 1981, that is to say 22 years ago, Joseba Arregi, a Basque political prisoner, died under torture while he was in police custody.

In 2002, 634 politically motivated people were arrested. 127 of them subsequently claimed in court that they had suffered ill treatment or torture.

Has the Council received clear information about this issue from the Spanish Government?

Does the Council consider that the transparency principle has been respected by the Spanish Government?

Last year the Spanish Government proposed banning several social organisations media and cultural associations that had denounced the political repression suffered by Basque dissidents. As a result of a Spanish initiative, the European Union has drawn up a black list of associations and individuals accused of specific or tacit support for terrorism. The accused have neither legal means of defence nor effective access to the courts.

Does the Council consider there has been real enforcement of the democratic control principle with regard to Spain?

Will the Council put forward a judicial instrument, in the new texts being drafted, for those included on the European Union's black list?

Reply

(13 May 2003)

The Council is not able to take any position as far as individual criminal cases as well as the maintaining of public order in the Member States are concerned.

As for the last question raised by the Honourable Parliamentarian, the Council invites the Honourable Member of the European Parliament to note that the Council has adopted the Council Decision 2003/48/JHA of 19 December 2002 on the implementation of specific measures for police and judicial cooperation to combat terrorism in accordance with Article 4 of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP which is published in the Official Journal L 16 of 22 January 2003, p.68.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0747/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(11 March 2003)

Subject: Public procurement information

What system does the Commission use to award contracts to official services providing information in the Member States on EU public procurement opportunities?

One such service, Tenders Direct (www.tendersdirect.co.uk), appears to be a commercial operation which charges users for access to information on public tenders. Can the Commission clarify the status of Tenders Direct and whether it has a contract with the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities to provide access to information on tenders?

Is Tenders Direct in a monopoly position as a supplier of information in the United Kingdom on EU public tenders, and if so, how can the Commission justify this situation?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(14 April 2003)

All public procurement opportunities exceeding specific contract values must be published in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (S series, Official Journal S or OJ S) and published throughout the Union. The contract value thresholds above which an invitation to tender must be published throughout the Union are laid down in Union Directives.

The Supplement to the Official Journal is published by the Publications Office both on-line Tenders Electronic Daily (TED http://ted.publications.eu.int) and off-line (CD-ROM OJS). The TED service is free of charge for all users searching for business opportunities while the CD-ROM is for sale. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged (see TED copyright notice).

Anyone wishing to download the contents of TED, e.g. to offer services allowing to alert potentially interested suppliers on Union public procurement opportunities, is invited to sign a licence agreement. Ninety-nine licence holders have signed such a licence agreement with the Publications Office; they are located in all Member states (except Greece) and also outside the Union.

The prices for these licence agreements currently are:

- 1 language: EUR 3 000 per year;

- 2 languages: EUR 3 600 per year;

- 3-11 languages: EUR 3 900 per year.

Tenders Direct is operated by Millstream Associates Ltd, one of the 99 licence holders. On the basis of the bulk data, licence holders often develop their own services such as notification and alert systems for which they may charge users.

Tenders Direct is not in a monopoly position since there are at the moment 25 licence holders in the United Kingdom.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-0353/03

by Marco Cappato (NI) to the Council

(6 February 2003)

Subject: Statement by the Italian Minister for Health on EU Member States guilty of crimes against humanity

Girolamo Sirchia, the Italian Minister for Health, stated publicly at the official opening of the High Technology Centre for Biomedical Sciences at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Campobasso on 28 November 2002 (as reported by all the news agencies that day) that reproductive cloning was without doubt a crime against humanity and that laws should be passed qualifying it as such. He also said that therapeutic cloning was no better than reproductive cloning because it did not differ substantially from it and that the two could only be differentiated on a philosophical level (AGI news agency, 28 November 2002). On the same occasion, the Minister stated that he viewed both reproductive and therapeutic cloning as crimes on a par with slavery, child abuse and the atrocities committed by the Nazis (ANSA news agency, 28 November 2002).

What is the Council's reaction to the fact that the Minister for Health of an EU Member State has indirectly accused other Member States that authorise and practice therapeutic cloning in the hope of curing and extending the life of millions of sick people in Europe of besmirching themselves with crimes against humanity?

Should the Council not ask the Italian government, especially with an eye to Italy's presidency of the EU Council, to clarify a statement accusing Member States of the same types of crime committed in Nazi Germany, in order to establish whether this stance represents the Italian government's official line?

Reply

(13 May 2003)

It is not the Council's intention to comment on public statements by the Minister for Health in the Italian Government.