1. IstheCommissionawareoftheabove-mentionedNationalCyclingDay?
2. IstheCommissionpreparedtoinvestigatetheprospectsofcreatinganannualEuropeanCyclingDay
andlinkingittotheNationalCyclingDayintheNetherlands?
3. Iftheseprospectsprovepositive,istheCommissionpreparedtoencouragetheorganisationofsuch
aneventand,whereappropriate,toprovidefinancialsupportforit,sothatthepolicyareasmentionedabovecanbefurtherdeveloped?
AnswergivenbyMrsWallströmonbehalfoftheCommission
(15July2003)
The Commission is aware of the Dutch National Cycling Day event, which it regards as a valuable
initiative.TheEnvironmentDirectorateGeneraloftheCommissionsupportscyclinginmanydifferentways.TheMemberoftheCommissionresponsiblefortheEnvironment,launchedtheEuropeanCarFreeDay2000on4February2000inBrusselsandinvitedMemberStatestojointheinitiative.Injustafewmonths,thiseventnotonlyenticed14MemberStatesintheUniontoparticipate,butalso12othercountriesinEuropeandbeyond.In20021446Europeancitiesandlocalauthoritiesparticipatedinthe
EuropeanCarFreeDay.
BasedonthesuccessandlessonslearntfromtheEuropeanCarFreeDay,theEuropeanMobilityWeekwas
launchedon19April2002inBrussels(duringtheGreenWeek).
ThefirsteditionoftheEuropeanMobilityWeek,organisedfrom16to22September2002,consistedofa
whole week of awareness raising events focusing on various aspects of sustainable mobility. PublicTransport,CyclingandLivingStreets/GreenwayswerechosenascommonthemesforthewholeofEurope.AlistofotherthemeswasalsoavailablefortheotherdaysandofcoursetheCarFreeDayonSunday22September2002wasthehighlightofthewholeMobilityWeek.
AtEuropeanleveltheCommissionfeelsthatcyclingisanimportantalternativemodeoftransportandthat
thisishighlighted sufficientlyin the frameworkofthe European MobilityWeek. There is awebsitepromotingtheEuropeanMobilityWeek(http://www.mobilityweek-europe.org/).
Inaddition,theCommissionalsopromotesinnovativeintegratedactionsinurbanmobility/dashincluding
cycling/dashinthecontextoftheCivitasinitiative,whichaimstoencouragetheintroductionofsustainableurbantransportpolicystrategiesinanumberofEuropeancities.Theaimistoachieveasignificantchangeinthemodalsplittowardssustainabletransportmodes.FurtherinformationontheCivitasinitiativecanbefoundat(http://www.civitas-initiative.org).
ThelackofphysicalexercisewillalsobetakenintoaccountinthePublicHealthProgramme(2003-2008),
viatheactivitiesoftheNetworkforNutritionandPhysicalActivity:(http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/nutrition_en.htm).
Inviewoftheabove,theCommissionconsidersthatcyclinganditshealtheffectsaresufficientlyaddressed
andisthereforenotpreparedtoinvestigatetheprospectsofanannualEuropeanCyclingDaylinkedtotheNationalCyclingDayintheNetherlands.Asaconsequence,noCommunityfundingwillbeavailabletosupportsuchaninitiative.
(2004/C58E/109) WRITTENQUESTIONE-1749/03
byErikMeijer(GUE/NGL)totheCommission
(26May2003)
Subject:Partial financing by Europe of the American balance of payments deficit as a result of the
dominanceofthedollarontheoilmarket
1. Is the Commissionaware that, since 1983, the United States ofAmerica has had a permanent
externalbalanceofpaymentsdeficit,withexpenditureandimportshighinrelationtoproductionandexports,thatthedeficithasgrownfrom1%atthattimetoalmost6%orUSD600thousandmillionin6.3.2004EN C58E/93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
2003, and that, even without taking into account the high costs of the war in Iraq, a deficit of
USD680thousandmillionisforecastin2004?
2. CantheCommissionconfirmthattheseAmericandeficitsareonlypossibleaslongasAmerican
importersareabletosettletheiraccountsindollars,whichleavesthosereceivingpaymentinEurope,JapanorAraboilstateswithlittlechoicethantolend,orinvest,theirlargeamountsofdollarsinAmerica?
3. IntheCommission’sview,cantheUScontinuewithitscombinationofover-consumption,lowoil
pricesandlowtaxesifthedollarisnolongertheautomaticmeansofpaymentinworldtradeandasubstantialproportionofpaymentsismadeineuros?
4. ArewetoexpectthattheUS,inordertoavoidthenecessitytodevaluethedollarandcutdomestic
consumption,willdoeverythingpossibletomaintainthedominanceofthedollarandtoreducetherole
oftheeuro?
5. Istherenowadangerthat,forsuppliesofoilfromIraq,therewillbeareturnfrompaymentsin
eurostopaymentsindollars?
6. WhatactionisbeingtakenbytheEUtoensurethatEuropeisnolonger,ornotagain,placedinthe
positionofcontributingtofinancingAmericandeficitsandtoavoidtheunnecessaryflightofcapitalto
America?
Source:Netherlandsdaily‘deVolkskrant’,10May2003
AnswergivenbyMrSolbesMiraonbehalfoftheCommission
(30June2003)
1. TheUnitedStateshassince1983,withashortinterruptionin1991,recordedacurrentaccount
deficit.Thedeficitamountedto4,7%ofthegrossdomesticproduct(GDP)in2002onanationalaccountsbasis.IntheCommission’sEconomicForecastfromSpring2003afurtherdeteriorationoftheUnitedStatescurrentaccountisprojectedfor2003and2004,whenitcouldreach5,6%and6,1%ofGDPrespectively.ThisevolutionhasbeenfollowedregularlybytheCommissioninitsbi-annualEconomicForecasts.
2. Largecurrentaccountdeficitsdonotonlyoccurincountrieswhosecurrenciesareusedwidelyin
internationaltrade. The sustainability ofacountry’scurrent accountdeficit dependsonmanyfactors,includingthesizeofthedeficitinrelationtoGDP,thegrowthrateandtheotherfundamentalsoftheeconomy.Italsodependsonthewillingnessofinternationalinvestorstocontinuetofinancethedeficit.Thiswillingnessisafunctionoftheriskassessmentandtherelativerateofreturnoninvestmentinthatcountry compared to the rest of the world. In the end, investors can freely convert their US Dollarholdingsintoothercurrenciesthroughforeignexchangemarkettransactions.
3. Changesintheinternationalroleofacurrencyusuallytakeplaceonlygradually.Neithereconomic
theory nor historical experience show that the international status of a currency affects domesticconsumptionanddomestictaxesinthatcountry.
4. Sincetheearly1970stheexchangerateoftheUSDollarisnotfixedbutistheresultofmarket
forces. The strength of the exchange rate of a currency should not be mistaken with its use as aninternationalcurrency,thoughinvestorsmightprefertoinvestinanappreciatingcurrency.
5. Iraq’soilexportsweredenominatedineurofromJanuary2001undertheOil-for-Foodprogramme.
WiththeliftingofsanctionsinMay2003throughResolution1483,andtheterminationoftheOil-for-Foodprogrammewithinsixmonths,Iraq’sexportsofoilmightbedenominatedindollarssincethisisthemain invoicing currency for trade in oil and primary commodities. However, in any particular tradeagreementforoil,thereiscontractualfreedombetweenthebuyerandsellersuchthatacontractmaybedenominatedinwhichevercurrencytheprivatepartiesdeemappropriate.C58E/94 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
6. UnioncompanieshaveoverthelastdecadeinvestedheavilyintheUnitedStates,contributingtothe
financingoftheUnitedStatescurrentaccountdeficit.Theseinvestmentswerebasedonanassessmentofrelativerisksandreturns.TheattractivenessoftheUnionforbothdomesticandinternationalinvestorsneedstobeenhanced.Tothisend,theMemberStatesarecommittedtopursuestablemacroeconomicpolicies to ensure sustainable growth, to creating a single financial market by 2005 and to furtherimplementstructuralreformstoimprovethegrowthpotentialoftheUnion’seconomy.
(2004/C58E/110) WRITTENQUESTIONE-1773/03
byClaudeMoraes(PSE)totheCommission
(28May2003)
Subject:ThessalonikiJuneCouncilmeeting
WilltheCommissionpleasegiveitsviewoftheagendaoftheJuneCouncilmeetinginThessaloniki?
WillthemeetingdiscussthequestionofEUborderpolice,policingresourcesforthenewEUexternalborders post-enlargement, coordination of integration issues in relation to migrants, and the issue ofcoordinationofmanagedeconomicmigration?
AnswergivenbyMrVitorinoonbehalfoftheCommission
(14July2003)
The Commission presented a package of initiatives on immigration, asylum and the management of
externalborderstotheThessalonikisummit.TheseprovidedanoverviewoftheworkaccomplishedsinceTampere together with proposals designed to pave the way for new policy initiatives. The packageconsistedofthreeCommunications(
1),adoptedbytheCommissionon3June2003,dealingwithillegal
immigration, border controls, more accessible asylum systems and immigration, integration andemployment.Thesewereaccompaniedbyaproposalforaco-operationprogrammewiththirdcountriesintheareaofmigration,buildingonthepreparatoryactionsfinancedsince2001underthecurrentbudgetlineB7-667.
The first of the three Communicationsgives particular attention to burden sharing and to the more
efficientmanagementoftheexternalbordersoftheUnion.TheEuropeanCouncilnotedtheCommission’sestimatethatEUR140millionwerenecessaryforthispurposefortheperiod2004to2006andacceptedits proposalstomake useofthe margin available (heading 3ofthe financial perspectives) toobtainadditionalfunding.Italsoagreedthatthepost2006budgetaryperspectivesshouldreflectmoreadequatelypoliticalprioritiesinthisarea.Therewillthusbeafirsteffortofsolidarityinthefieldofexternalborders,returnandtheinitialinvestmentrequiredforthedevelopmentofavisainformationsystemthatwillbecovered.TheCommissionwillreportinduecoursetotheCouncilontheneedtoestablishaCommunitystructure,withthenecessaryhuman,materialandfinancialresources,tobeinchargeofoperationalco-operationamongthenationalservicesandspecialisedcentresresponsiblefortheexternalbordersoftheUnion.
The European Council welcomed the Commission’s proposals in its Communication on immigration,
integrationandemploymentforstrengtheningintegrationpoliciesforthirdcountrynationals,inthelightofthegrowingimportanceofimmigrationinthecontextofdemographicageinganddecline.Itagreedonthenecessitytoreinforcepolicyco-ordinationbothatUnionandnationallevelinteraliaintheformofanannualreporttobepresentedbytheCommissiononthedevelopmentofthecommonimmigrationpolicyandtodevelopexchangeofinformationandgoodpracticeatUnionlevelviathenationalcontactpointson integration, established by the Council in October 2002 and through the work of the EuropeanMigrationNetworkwhichshouldbestrengthened.
With the Communication ‘towards more accessible, equitable and managed asylum systems’, the
CommissionrespondedtotheMarch2003EuropeanCouncilinvitationtoexplorefurthertheideasputforwardbytheUnitedKingdomonnewapproachestointernationalprotection,andtoreporttotheEuropean Council meeting in June 2003. This Communication sets out the Commission’s views and6.3.2004EN C58E/95 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion