ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1308/00

by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 April 2000)

Subject: Rules for third-country shipments

There are frequent problems in Italy for third-country shipments, in many cases leading to confiscation by the Italian authorities of the haulage firms' vehicles.

An administrative agreement between Italy and Germany now says that German haulage firms may bring a third-country shipment on to Italian territory if they have the appropriate bilateral permit and have previously been in transit through the home country of the vehicle concerned. But there is no such option for Austrian hauliers, making it impossible for them to complete a third-country shipment on Italian territory (with the exception of ECMT permits).

Can the Commission answer the following:

- How can the administrative agreement between Italy and Germany on third-country shipments be compatible with the non-discrimination requirement of Article 1(3), first indent?

- By what date may we expect to see non-discriminatory haulage of third-country shipments throughout the EU? In other words, what agreements have been reached and how do negotiations stand on transport agreements between the EU and third countries?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behaf of the Commission

(19 June 2000)

As the Honourable Member rightly points out, third-country road transport relations are still subject to bilateral authorizations when a haulier established in a Member State transports goods between two other states, with at least one of these two other states being a third country.

In fact the relevant Community law, 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(1), expressly states that pending the conclusion of agreements between the Community and third countries the Regulation shall not affect bilateral agreements governing third country transport relations. These bilateral agreements, however, distinguish by definition between hauliers established in a state party to such an agreement and those that are established in another state.

At present, there are no negotiations taking place between the Community and third countries with a view to the conclusion of road transport agreements replacing completely the bilateral agreements concluded between Member States and third countries.

(1) OJ L 95, 9.4.1992.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1148/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(11 April 2000)

Subject: White Paper on Food Safety and the European Food Authority

The White Paper on Food Safety (COM(1999) 719 final) was published in January 2000. Chapter 4 is concerned with establishing a European Food Authority (EFA). Chapter 5 considers legislation on food safety.

There are no harmonised requirements for the frequency of checks on residues of pesticides (section 74). The Commission wants to gradually introduced limits for all pesticides in raw materials. Measures will bed taken to make good the shortcomings ion checks and in laboratory research.

In addition, some pesticides in use have not been evaluated at EU level. Files have been submitted for authorisation for new pesticides. The approval procedure for new pesticides needs to bed speeded up. The review of the approval of existing pesticides needs to be streamlined so as to remove from the market products for which safety data are lacking or for which safety concerns have been identified. This will promote the use of safer pesticides.

1. Is the Commission considering additional requirements for the frequency of checks on pesticide residues? If not, why not, given the adverse effect on humans and the environment?

2. What action is the Commission taking to speed up the evaluation procedures for pesticides in views of the continuing use of unsafe pesticides when newer and possibly safer products are available?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1122/00, E-1127/00, E-1128/00, E-1140/00, E-1141/00, E-1142/00, E-1143/00, E-1144/00, E-1145/00, E-1146/00, E-1147/00, E-1148/00, E-1150/00, E-1151/00, E-1152/00, E-1153/00, E-1155/00, E-1156/00, E-1157/00, E-1158/00, E-1160/00, E-1161/00 and E-1162/00 given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(9 June 2000)

The issues raised by the Honourable Member are being studied with a view to bringing forward proposals for legislation according to the time scale set out in the white paper on food safety.

It would be inappropriate at this stage to anticipate the details of each proposal.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1122/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(11 April 2000)

Subject: White Paper on Food Safety and the European Food Authority

The White Paper on Food Safety (COM(1999) 719 final) was published in January 2000. Chapter 4 is concerned with establishing a European Food Authority (EFA). Chapter 5 considers legislation on food safety.

In the White Paper the Commission says that it seeks a high level of food safety and consumer protection. This objective affects the entire food chain, including imports from third countries. Accordingly, there is an obvious need for an integrated approach to food safety. The White Paper consists of 117 sections and in the Annex it lists 84 legislative measures which have to be implemented as a matter of priority in three years' time.

Does the Commission acknowledge that in the past the procedure for adopting legislation has usually taken more than three years? If so, how will the Commission manage to meet the proposed deadline? Will this require any procedural changes?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1122/00, E-1127/00, E-1128/00, E-1140/00, E-1141/00, E-1142/00, E-1143/00, E-1144/00, E-1145/00, E-1146/00, E-1147/00, E-1148/00, E-1150/00, E-1151/00, E-1152/00, E-1153/00, E-1155/00, E-1156/00, E-1157/00, E-1158/00, E-1160/00, E-1161/00 and E-1162/00 given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(9 June 2000)

The issues raised by the Honourable Member are being studied with a view to bringing forward proposals for legislation according to the time scale set out in the white paper on food safety.

It would be inappropriate at this stage to anticipate the details of each proposal.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2628/00

by Guido Viceconte (PPE-DE), Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) and Mario Mantovani (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 August 2000)

Subject: Community plan to halt the AIDS scourge in Africa

The 13th International Conference on AIDS, held in Durban, South Africa, has painted an alarming picture of the future for many African countries. The experts listed a series of grim figures which suggest that the population will fall substantially in the next decade (by 0,1 % to 0,3 %; without AIDS it would rise by 1 % to 3 %) and life expectancy slump from 60 to 30 years.

Europe must bring its energies to bear to attempt to halt this scourge, since prevention and anti-viral treatments are now known to work. Political will is urgently needed in order to undertake a range of measures to save the people of Africa.

Could the Commission, as a matter of urgency, draw up a Community plan to be implemented immediately, in collaboration with the drug companies, so that economic aid can be earmarked to launch an information campaign on AIDS in the African countries and at the same time used to carry out preventive measures, based for example on vaccination, and operations to promote universally accessible health care?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(11 October 2000)

The Commission shares the concerns of the Honourable Members about the health crisis in developing countries, badly aggravated by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), particularly in Africa.

The Commission has recently adopted a new communication on accelerated action targeted at major communicable diseases within the context of poverty reduction(1). It sets out the policy framework, which the Commission will use to improve its response to the increasing spread and growing impact of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world. The communication proposes a single coherent set of development, trade and research policies to combat these diseases.

On this basis during the coming months, a plan of action will be prepared following the different lines of proposed interventions.

To consult on these orientations, the Commission hosted a very successful and well attended high level international round table on 28 September to discuss the Community's policy and to steer the development of a programme of action for the implementation of the communication.

(1) COM(2000) 585 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2782/00

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Distribution of tickets for the World Cup in 2006

Will the Commission be in touch with the German organisers of the 2006 football World Cup to ensure that arrangements for the distribution of tickets comply with the EU Treaties and other EU competition law?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(5 October 2000)

In accordance with its obligations under European law, the international football federation (FIFA) and its appointed bodies are required to ensure that ticket distribution and sales arrangements put in place for the 2006 football world cup comply fully with EC Treaty provisions, including European competition rules. While this remains a matter for FIFA in the absence of any ground for concern, the Commission remains at FIFA's disposal to discuss and advise upon any proposed ticket sales arrangements for the 2006 football world cup with a view to ensuring their compliance with European rules.

As the Honourable Member will be aware, the Commission addressed a decision in 1999 to the local organising committee of the 1998 football world cup following the implementation of discriminatory ticket sales arrangements favouring consumers resident in France. While the Commission does not wish to see any repetition of those or indeed the unjustified implementation of other discriminatory ticket sales arrangements, the Honourable Member should be aware that where it is appropriate to do so the Commission will not hesitate to take action against tournament organisers who fail to comply with their legal obligations under the EC Treaty in this regard.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2839/00

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(8 September 2000)

Subject: Increase in open skies agreements between Member States and the US as a result of mergers between national airlines

1. Is the Commission aware of the possibility of the threat to merger talks between British Airways and KLM from the American demand that, if the merger goes ahead, the United States and the United Kingdom would have to conclude a liberal aviation agreement on the lines of the open skies model which already exists for the Netherlands (source: De Volkskrant of 10 August 2000)?

2. Does the Commission agree that such open skies agreements prevent both the national governments of the Member States and the European Union from pursuing an active policy of curbing further expansion in aviation and strengthening the competitive position of railways for transport over medium distances of up to 2 000 km?

3. What action does the Commission intend to take to prevent a further increase in open skies agreements?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(31 October 2000)

1. The Commission is familiar with the position of the American administration as regards the KLM/British Airways merger negotiations. As the Honourable Member will be aware, these negotiations have been discontinued.

2. The Commission has made a proposal to the Council to establish a common position as regards the United States with the aim to conclude a transatlantic common aviation area (TCAA) between the European economic area (EEA) and the United States. Clearly, individual open skies agreements substantially hinder both the establishment of a common position and effective Community negotiations with the United States.

It is noted that the competitive position of railways cannot be a major factor in the discussions on transatlantic air transport links. A TCAA would however facilitate air and rail intermodality for intra European and intra American transport, particularly as regards high speed rail links.

3. With the adoption of the so-called third package, the establishment of the internal air transport market of the Community, the Commission takes the view that such agreements can only be concluded at Community level. The Commission starts infringement proceedings (Article 226 of the EC Treaty (formerly Article 169)) against every Member State that concludes or has concluded a bilateral air transport arrangement with the United States after June 1992 (the adoption of the third package). For eight Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) this procedure has now been completed. Because these Member States did not comply with the reasoned opinion of the Commission, the Commission brought these eight Member States before the Court of justice in 1998. Against France and the Netherlands an infringement procedure is still pending.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3103/00

by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(26 September 2000)

Subject: Developing countries and farm animal welfare

In its Answer of 16 June 2000 to Written Question P-1325/00(1), the Commission acknowledged that the welfare of farm animals was one of the factors that should be taken into account when framing Community policy on agriculture in developing countries. Industrial livestock production not only results in poor welfare for animals, but it is also detrimental to poverty reduction, as it undermines smallholder farmers and can cause massive damage to the environment.

Does the Commission intend to devise a written policy on farm animal welfare:

(a) to guide the Community when giving aid or advice to developing countries; and

(b) to help the Community to use its influence with bodies such as the Food & Agriculture Organisation and the World Bank in order to persuade them to take the welfare of farm animals into account when giving advice and aid to developing countries?

(1) OJ C 72 E, 6.3.2001, p. 45.

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(30 October 2000)

As indicated in the Commission's answer of 16 June 2000 to the Honourable Member's Written Question P-1325/00(1), the Community's development aid does not support financially the creation or promotion of industrial animal farming in developing countries, since the Community aims first at helping poor small scale farmers.

Being equally part of the livestock, environment and development (LEAD) initiative, the Food and agriculture organisation (FAO) and the World Bank are considering animal welfare issues jointly with the Community. It is expected that the study to be carried out in Asia and Latin America(2), as well as other works carried out by various organisations on the same subject, will give strategic guidance to both national and international decision-makers.

Possible next steps will then be envisaged in the context of LEAD as co-ordination body.

(1) OJ C 72 E, 6.3.2001, p. 45.

(2) OJ C 72 E, 6.3.2001, p. 45.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3109/00

by Freddy Thielemans (PSE) to the Commission

(27 September 2000)

Subject: Implementation of project ALA/92/47 and ALA/92/35 to protect the town of Montero against flooding

EC funding (project No ALA/92/47 and ALA 92/35) and an agreement between Bolivia and the EC mean that the town of Montero could enjoy better protection against flooding. The requisite work has however fallen behind schedule, and will not be completed by 30 September 2000, when the technical assistance contract expires, although the funding agreement with Bolivia has not yet run out. I am informed that the Commission's services refuse to extend the deadline for completing the work (for which funding is guaranteed), a refusal which might make all the effort invested hitherto entirely pointless.

Is the Commission aware of the fact that a possible refusal to extend the deadline will mean that all the work already carried out will come to nothing? Why are the Commission services refusing to extend the project until the work is completed?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(24 October 2000)

The essential aim of the project was to involve the national authorities in developing a working method and management policy to guarantee the maintenance and durability of the works, on the obvious assumption that improvement and repair works would still be needed and would continue well beyond the lifetime of the project. Since it was necessary, among other things, to protect large areas of the banks of a river the morphology of which was constantly changing, the general objectives of the project included a dynamic approach, based on observation and study of the development of the watercourse following the various operations carried out, in order to draw the necessary conclusions for improving future operations.

This is the basis on which the national administration was prepared for taking over the project and carrying out with its own means and capacities the successive adjustments which would be needed.

The financing agreement has to have a longer period of validity than the project and attendant contracts in order to allow the administrative conclusion of the project before the agreement expires. The Community funding provided for protecting the town of Montero has formed the subject of two financing agreements, signed in April 1993 (emergency works) and July 1993 (protection of the town of Montero). The project was due for completion in six years. The technical assistance contract was extended by a rider for a further six months up to 30 September of this year.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3401/00

by Nicole Thomas-Mauro (UEN) to the Commission

(7 November 2000)

Subject: Status of spouses of self-employed workers

In 1997 the European Parliament adopted the report by Mrs Astrid Lulling (A4-0005/97)(1) on the situation of spouses assisting self-employed workers, in which, while giving due regard to the subsidiarity principle, it proposed the adoption of some useful measures aimed at improving the situation of women working with their husbands in agriculture, crafts, commerce and the professions.

The report proposed remedies for the inadequacies of the 1986 Directive, which had fallen far short of its declared objective of giving assisting spouses a clearly defined professional status and establishing their social security entitlements.

The French association that represents spouses of self-employed workers estimates the number of people concerned at 8,2 million in the whole of the European Union. The Commission's estimate in 1995 was 3,3 million.

Does the Commission have recent studies on the social situation of spouses of self-employed workers in the European Union?

Does it envisage recommending to the Member States that they adopt the measures, particularly those of a fiscal nature, needed to give spouses of self-employed workers a stable social status?

(1) OJ C 85, 17.3.1997, p. 186.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(14 December 2000)

The Commission does not have any statistical information or recent studies on the social situation of spouses of self-employed workers and is not currently planning to make any specific proposals of a fiscal nature relating to the situation of spouses of self-employed workers.

However, the situation of this category of people could be tackled as part of the more general debate which has started at European level on the modernisation and improvement of social protection in Europe.

Questions of a fiscal nature relating to the situation of spouses of self-employed workers will also be examined as part of a study on the individualisation of rights in the areas of tax and social security.

In the agricultural sector, the spouses of farmers (who represent 22 % of workers in this sector) have had their status defined in some Member States which has improved their situation. But the situation varies from one Member State to another. This is also the case for training opportunities and facilities and services available, as shown by a recent publication(1).

(1) Women active in rural development, EEC, 2000 the text of the brochure can be found on the Europa web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg06/publi/women/broch_en.pdf.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2924/00

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 September 2000)

Subject: Food labelling rules

Does the Commission agree that it would be helpful to take steps at EU level to facilitate the provision of more positive information about food (in parallel with current efforts on food safety) in an effort to help restore overall consumer confidence in food in Europe, and does the Commission agree that such action would be fully in line with its May 2000 Communication on Health Strategy in the EU, and that it would help support Member States' efforts to contain the rising costs of health services?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(13 November 2000)

The Commission indeed agrees that it is helpful to take steps at the Community level to facilitate the provision of more positive information about food. In that regard, the white paper on food safety(1) states that the importance of a balanced diet, and its impact on health will be presented to consumers. The specific actions to address this goal are a communication on an action plan on nutrition policy (action No 18), and a proposal for Council recommendations on European dietary guidelines (action No 74).

Regarding action no. 18, the white paper states that the Commission is considering the development of a comprehensive and coherent nutritional policy and will present an action plan for that purpose. The Commission communication on an action plan on nutrition policy is currently under preparation and is anticipated to be available in the coming months.

The proposal for Council recommendation on European dietary guidelines is also under preparation. The aim of this proposal is to provide a scientific consensus on nutrition, diet and healthy lifestyles. Appropriate communication of the recommendations to consumers will be ensured.

Further under paragraph 100 of the white paper on food safety, the Commission announced that it intends to propose a new amendment which would remove the current possibility not to indicate the components of compound ingredients, where they form less than 25 % of the final product.

Full ingredient labelling will not only ensure optimal consumer information as to the composition of a food product but will at the same time ensure the necessary information for those consumers who for health or ethical reasons have to, or want to, avoid certain ingredients. Furthermore, the Commission believes it is advisable to assist consumers who have allergies or intolerance as much as possible by giving them more comprehensive information about the composition of products. To that end, it will also propose that certain substances, recognised scientifically as being the source of allergies or intolerance, should be included in the list of ingredients without any possibility of derogation. This proposal is also at an advanced stage of preparation within the Commission.

Actions in the area of nutrition are a component part of the public health strategy announced in May 2000 by the Commission.

(1) COM(1999) 719 final.