ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0490/99

by Joaquín Sisó Cruellas (PPE) to the Commission

(5 March 1999)

Subject: Preventive measures at work

Everyone knows how much the application of preventive principles contributes to improving health and safety at work and this is recognised by the Commission in its Fourth Programme on health, hygiene and security at work.

In view of the importance of ensuring that such principles are acquired at an early age, could the Commission say whether or not it has considered the possibility of informing schools (especially vocational training schools) of the existence and the objectives of the above programme?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(19 April 1999)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member's opinion on the importance of raising awareness among young people in the field of prevention, in order to improve health and safety at work.

In this connection the Commission would like to draw the Honourable Member's attention to the fact that the workshops of the vocational schools are covered by the provisions of framework Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work(1), to the extent that they apply to all sectors of activity, both public and private (Article 2(1)), and that Article 3(a) includes trainees and apprentices under the definition of worker. Hence the rules set out in the Directive concerning the information and training of workers (Articles 10 and 12) are fully applicable to apprentices.

Besides, Council Directive 94/33/EC of 22 June 1994 on the protection of young people at work(2) also contains provisions designed to protect children and adolescents against the specific risks resulting from their lack of experience and absence of awareness of occupational hazards.

(1) OJ L 183, 29.6.1989.

(2) OJ L 216, 20.8.1994.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0318/99

by John McCartin (PPE) to the Commission

(19 February 1999)

Subject: Beef and veal prices

Can the Commission indicate the average price for beef and veal paid to farmers in each Member State for the most recent week/month for which figures are available?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(10 March 1999)

The Commission is sending direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat a table containing the information requested.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0516/99

by Jens-Peter Bonde (I-EDN) to the Commission

(8 March 1999)

Subject: Fraud

Does the Commission take the view that there are grounds for dismissing a Commission employee because he has approached a democratically elected member of parliament with information about fraud, and will it ensure that the Committee of Experts and the Committee on Budgetary Control have access to all documents without exception?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(23 April 1999)

The Honourable Member's question appears to refer to the case of Mr Van Buitenen. As the Commission has already stated in its answers to several parliamentary questions (Written Questions E-30/99 by Mr Kaklamanis and E-42/99 by Mrs Piha(1) and E-58/99 by Mr Manisco(2)) the decision to suspend Mr Van Buitenen from his duties was a precautionary measure taken in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 88 of the Staff Regulations, as disciplinary proceedings are under way. The decision is based on failure to comply with the duty of confidentiality and discretion which all public officials must obey.

With regard to access by the Committee of Independent Experts to documents held by the Commission, the Commission can confirm that it has forwarded all the documents the Committee has requested. With regard to information sent to the Committee on Budgetary Control, the Commission would refer the HonourableMember to the interinstitutional agreement on the transmission of confidential information to the European Parliament under the discharge procedure or for any other purpose in connection with the monitoring of the exercise by the Commission of its powers for implementation of the budget, management and administration, which is submitted to Parliament for its approval.

(1) See page 13.

(2) OJ C 341, 29.11.1999, p. 41.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1000/99 by Ian WHITE Article 9 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 of 18 January 1993



Official Journal C 370 , 21/12/1999 P. 0151



WRITTEN QUESTION E-1000/99 by Ian White (PSE) to the Commission (20 April 1999) Subject: Article 9 of Council Regulation (EEC) 95/93 of 18 January 1993 Would the Commission advise what public service obligations are permitted under Article 9 of Council Regulation (EEC) 95/93(1) of 18 January 1993 and whether the South West Region of the United Kingdom currently qualifies? If this Region does not, is the Commission able to confirm the reason for this, since such obligations are vital to obtain the slots needed by such airports for their survival? (1) OJ L 14, 22.1.1993, p. 1.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-0247/99

by ( Hanja) Maij-Weggen (PPE) to the Commission

(5 February 1999)

Subject: Interpol conference on drugs in Burma

1. Is the Commission aware that Interpol's Secretariat-General is organising the Fourth International Heroin Conference in Rangoon, Burma, from 23 to 26 February 1999 in conjunction with the military dictatorship in Burma?

2. Does not the Commission find it absurd that Interpol should be organising a conference of this nature in a country which is generally regarded as being one of the world's major drugs exporters and in conjunction with a military dictatorship which is known to maintain its position by, among other things, the drugs trade?

3. Does not the Commission find that such cooperation seriously besmirches the good name of and confidence in Interpol?

4. Can the Commission indicate how Interpol is financed, which European countries are involved therein and who exercises any political supervision of Interpol's conduct?

5. Does the Commission know whether Europol is involved in this conference and, if it is, in what way?

6. Can the Commission indicate who is politically responsible for Europol's participation in such conferences?

Answer given by Mr Marín on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 1999)

The Commission is aware that Interpol is holding its fourth conference on drugs in Rangoon from 23 to 26 February 1999.

Considering the undemocratic nature of the Burmese regime and its role in the recent cancellation of the 13th (ASEAN) joint co-operation committee meeting (JCC), scheduled for 24-27 January 1999 in Bangkok, the Commission agrees with the Parliament that the choice of Rangoon for this event is unfortunate. The Commission will not be participating in this event.

Various Member States have recently indicated that they wanted not send representatives to the conference.

Interpol is an intergovernmental organisation of which all Community Member States are part. The organisation's resources come from the annual contributions paid by the governments of its members. The secretary general of Interpol, who is responsible for implementing the budget with the assistance of the financial controller, is answerable to the executive committee and the general assembly.

The director of Europol is responsible for decisions concerning the management of the tasks assigned to Europol and is accountable to the management board which consists of representatives of the 15 Member States and the Commission. Europol will not participate at the conference.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-0356/99

by Luigi Florio (PPE) to the Commission

(12 February 1999)

Subject: Violation of the freedom of companies in Italy

The Treviso Chamber of Commerce recently refused to provide many companies in the province with the financial certificates requested on the pretext that they were in arrears with the payment of the annual fee; Law No 449/97 provides that as from 1 January 1999 the fee must be paid before any certificate can be obtained from the companies registry office.

Does the Commission not consider this rule and the subsequent behaviour of the offices authorised to apply it to be in conflict with the principles of the freedom of companies laid down in Community regulations and in particular with Article 10 of Directive 69/335/EEC(1)?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(16 March 1999)

Article 24(35) of Law No 449 of 27 December 1997 (misure per la stabilizzazione della finanza publica) makes issue of certificates by the company registry subject to payment of an annual fee to finance chambers of commerce under Law No 580 of 29 December 1993(Riordinamento delle camere di commercio, industria, artigianato e agricoltura).

Regarding the possible incompatibility of this fee with Article 10(c) of Directive 69/335/EEC concerning indirect taxes on the raising of capital, which prohibits Member States from charging taxes in respect of the registration of capital companies, the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to rulings of the Court of Justice in Cases C-71/91 and C-178/91 (Ponente Carni and Cispadana Costruzioni) and Case C-2/94 (Denkavit). In the Denkavit judgment the Court interpreted Article 10(c) in a way that would not preclude a charge proportional to certain elements of a company's assets

The company register provided for in Article 2188 of the Italian Civil Code would appear to apply to all enterprises regardless of their legal form.

As the legislator has made chambers of commerce responsible for determining the criteria used for calculating this charge the Commission can only give its views on whether the charge is compatible with Article 10 of the directive if it is informed of the decisions taken in that regard by the various chambers of commerce have

(1) OJ L 249, 3.10.1969, p. 25.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0594/99

by Nuala Ahern (V) to the Commission

(12 March 1999)

Subject: Illegal import or export of radioactive materials into or out of the EU in 1998

How many instances were reported to the Euratom authorities of alleged illegal import or export of radioactive materials into or out of the European Union in 1998? What investigations were made into each respective allegation and will the Commission give details of those instances that were substantiated?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(3 May 1999)

The Commission wishes to remind the Honourable Member that, according to the Euratom Treaty, there is no legal obligation for Member States to inform the Commission on legal or illegal imports or exports of radioactive substances. However, if the radioactive substances are also to be classified as nuclear materials in the sense of Article 197 of the Euratom Treaty, they automatically become subject to Euratom safeguards under chapter VII of the Euratom Treaty. In some cases, the supply rules laid down in chapter VI also apply. Therefore any illegal appearance of nuclear material on the territory of the Community must be reported to the Commission.

The majority of the instances in 1998 do not involve nuclear materials but only radioactive substances, sealed sources and contaminated scrap metal. Member States are legally not obliged to inform the Commission about cases of illegal practices involving radioactive substances. Furthermore, while investigations by public prosecutors or court proceedings are under way no detailed information on cases of illicit traffic can be given to the Commission. However, the Commission received information on three cases of illicit trafficking with radioactive substances within the Member States in 1998. Moreover, as far as nuclear materials are concerned, three other instances were reported to the Commission on the basis of chapter VII of the Euratom Treaty. Two instances involved low-enriched uranium and the third case depleted uranium.

For details of these instances the Honourable Member should contact the competent authorities of Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom as the Commission, pursuant to Article 194 of the Euratom Treaty, is not at liberty to disclose further details.
(2000/C 27 E/084) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1443/99
by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission
(1 September 1999)
Subject: Introduction of a pilot job creation scheme in Galicia pursuant to the Treaty of Amsterdam
Although the unemployment rate in Galicia stands at 17 % of the active population, neither the regional
government nor the central government of the Spanish state has instituted a job creation plan for Galiciaunder the policy enshrined in the Treaty of Amsterdam and agreed by the Luxembourg European Council.Both governments have merely submitted job creation plans to the EU which simply re-present budget
headings already accounted for, relabelling them to bring them into apparent line with the Unions
requirements while introducing no significant innovations which might entail any real change in policy ona matter of crucial importance for the Galician economy.
In view of this, does the Commission consider it possible to introduce a pilot job creation scheme in
Galicia for 2000-2006, pursuant to the Treaty of Amsterdam?
Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission
(24 September 1999)
The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the reply it gave to his oral question H-442/99
during question time at Parliaments September 1999 part-session (
1).
(1) Debates of the Parliament (September 1999).
(2000/C 27 E/085) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1444/99
by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission
(1 September 1999)
Subject: Cultural development of the less-used European languages
Actions in the cultural field contribute to the promotion of cultural pluralism in Europe, as well as to its
diversity and variety. The so-called minority languages are, however, still badly served by the EU budget.
What is the Commissions position regarding the need for equitable budget treatment of the cultural
programmes based on the EUs less-used languages?
Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission
(16 September 1999)
Learning and disseminating minority languages does of course help to maintain linguistic and cultural
diversity of the Community. The Commission has contributed to the promotion of regional and minoritylanguages in the Community by the implementation until 1998 of an action  Promotion and safeguardof regional and minority languages and culture  funded by a specific item (B3-1006). The budget for thisitem rose from 100 000 € in 1993 to 4 million € in 1988. The main activities involved in promotingthese languages were funding for projects presented by the language minorities concerned and forinformation activities (Mercator information network), language research and funding for the EuropeanBureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL).C 27 E/70 EN 29.1.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0342/99

by Nelly Maes (ARE) to the Commission

(23 February 1999)

Subject: European Commission complaint against Belgium for failure to comply with the directive on waste incineration

May I ask the Commission to state in what respect it considers Flemish legislation on waste incinerators to be unsatisfactory?

Answer given by Ms Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(9 April 1999)

The Commission has indeed decided to bring the matter before the Court of Justice, in order to obtain confirmation of undue transposition of Council Directive 89/369/EEC of 8 June 1989 on the prevention of air pollution from new municipal waste incineration plants(1), and of Council Directive 89/429/EEC of 21 June 1989 on the reduction of air pollution from existing municipal waste-incineration plants(2).

Under the rules governing the publication of infringement procedures, details of the procedure are confidential. A rule such as this ensures the smooth handling of the case by the Court of Justice, and upholds the rights of the defence of the defending Member State.

(1) OJ L 163, 14.6.1989.

(2) OJ L 203, 15.7.1989.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0075/99

by Jan Andersson (PSE) to the Commission

(27 January 1999)

Subject: Commission correspondence with the Prime Minister of Sweden

In a letter dated 8 January 1999, the President of the Commission criticised the Prime Minister of Sweden because of what he had said in an interview on the Swedish news programme Rapport on 6 January concerning certain revelations about irregularities in the Commission. This letter received significant coverage in the Swedish media because it said that the Prime Minister should not have examined the facts of the case and that his comments could harm the European Union. It is an astonishing letter, firstly because the Commission President refers to an opinion which the transcript of the programme shows the Prime Minister never expressed, and, secondly, because the Commission President is objecting to a head of government's obvious right to comment on these details of irregularities which have become the focus of attention.

In view of this, will the Commission state whether it is normal Commission practice, in relations with Member States' heads of government, to write to them telling them what they have, or have not, the right to say in the media about incidents within the Commission that have come under the spotlight and, as regards the drafting of such letters, not to be completely clear about what the heads of government concerned actually said to the media?
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0616/99

by Peter Crampton (PSE) to the Commission

(12 March 1999)

Subject: International fishing agreements

Can the Commission list the current EU international fishing agreements, whether active or not, with the expiry date? What negotiations for renewal are currently in progress? Are there any new negotiations in progress or planned for countries with which the EU has not had a fishing agreement?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(5 May 1999)

The European Community currently has fisheries agreements with Angola (expiring on 2 May 1999), Argentina (23 May 1999), Cape Verde (5 September 2000), The Comoros (27 February 2001), Côte d'Ivoire (30 June 2000), Estonia (31 December 2006), Gabon (3 December 2001), The Gambia (30 June 1996), Greenland (31 December 2000), Guinea-Bissau (15 June 2001), Equatorial Guinea (30 June 2000), Faeroe Islands (12 March 2003), Iceland (11 January 2004), Latvia (5 February 2003), Lithuania (12 October 2003), Madagascar (20 May 2001), Morocco (30 November 1999), Mauritius (30 November 1999), Mauritania (31 July 2001), Norway (16 June 2003), Poland (bilateral agreement with Sweden) (31 December 2005), Guinea (31 December 1999), Russia (bilateral agreement with Sweden and Finland) (31 December 2002), São Tomé and Príncipe (31 May 1999), Seychelles (17 January 2002) and Senegal (30 April 2001).

Negotiations are planned to renew the protocols to the agreements with São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea and Mauritius, which are set to expire in the course of this year. The possible extension of the Protocol to the Fisheries Agreement between the European Community and Angola is also under examination. In addition, the negotiations entered into in November 1997 to renew the Protocol to the Fisheries Agreement with The Gambia, which have been stalled since June 1996, might be resumed in the course of this year. Exploratory discussions will take place in 1999 with the Argentine and Moroccan authorities with a view to identifying new forms of cooperation in the fisheries sector.

The Commission also has a negotiating mandate to try and conclude agreements with Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Russia and Poland.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0699/99

by José García-Margallo y Marfil (PPE) to the Commission

(26 March 1999)

Subject: Structural Funds

The regions whose level of income per inhabitant is less than 75 % of that which corresponds to the average Community inhabitant are classed as "Objective 1 regions" and are entitled to substantial Community aid.

In order to work out whether this threshold has been crossed or not, the draft Council Regulation, COM(98) 0131 final(1), laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds, stipulates that the figures corresponding to the last three years on which Eurostat has information will be taken into account.

The Director-General of the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) disclosed at the meeting of Parliament's Subcommittee on Monetary Affairs of 17 February 1999 that the statistical data corresponding to the financial years 1994, 1995 and 1996 already included the data corresponding to the hidden economy of the regions analysed, although he did not say exactly what criteria had been followed in order to estimate or assess this type of activity.

What proportion of the regional income corresponds to the "hidden economy" and what proportion to the "regular economy" in Andalusia in each of the years in question?

(1) OJ C 176, 9.6.1998, p. 1.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0468/99

by Riccardo Nencini (PSE) to the Commission

(5 March 1999)

Subject: The Luna Park in Rome and the Treaty provisions on free competition

Through a former Commissioner and two years after the normal expiry date, the EUR organisation (Rome) has offered the previous concession-holder a draft agreement for the renewal of the concession on the area on which the Luna Park stands in Rome.

A nine-year contract worth an average of ITL 750 000 000 per annum is involved and, given the size of that contract, a invitation to tender should be issued at European level. The above arrangements are therefore in breach of the Treaty provisions on free competition.

In view of this fact, would the Commission not agree that it should take action on this matter without delay?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(20 April 1999)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0398/99

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 March 1999)

Subject: Rehabilitation of Lake Karla

The draining of Lake Karla in Thessaly in 1963 bears out the theory that nature punishes human intervention when it does not take account of all the environmental implications involved; it has caused enormous problems such as climate change in the area, a sharp fall in water table and groundwater levels, faults in the earth and severe pollution of the Pagassitic Gulf.

In order to tackle all these problems and restore the ecological balance in the area, the regional authorities of Larissa and Magnesia decided, with the approval of the public at large, to start work on recreating Lake Karla.

Greece has submitted a proposal to the Commission for the inclusion of the project to rehabilitate Lake Karla in the 2nd CSF. Is the Commission considering jointly funding the project and providing support immediately from the present CSF?

Joint answer

to Written Questions E-0217/99 and E-0398/99 given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(15 March 1999)

The Commission has recently examined an application from the Greek Government for part-financing of a large-scale project for restoration of Lake Karla, to form part of the Environment operational programme (OP) of the 1994-1999 Community support framework (CSF) for Greece.

The project as presented poses environmental problems and the Commission, aware of the consequences of the large-scale drainage work that caused the lake to dry up, has asked the Greek authorities for a revised and supplemented proposal focusing primarily on protection of the environment and at the same time obviating intensification of crop-growing in Thessaly.

This new proposal, aimed at restoring the Lake Karla biotope, will require fresh studies that can, if the Greek authorities request, be part-financed under the Environment OP of the present CSF.

If the new project is found acceptable for part-financing the work on the ground could fall within the CSF for the 2000-2006 programming period.