ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1478/98

by Iñigo Méndez de Vigo (PPE) to the Commission

(13 May 1998)

Subject: Activities of dental surgeons

Can the Commission report on the stage reached in the infringement proceedings initiated against the Kingdom of Spain on the grounds of failure to comply with Directive 78/687/EEC(1)?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(15 June 1998)

The Commission initiated infringement proceedings in connection with the recognition by Spain of dentists' diplomas obtained in third countries and which do not comply with the minimum training requirements set out in Council Directive 78/687/EEC of 25 July 1978 concerning the coordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in respect of the activities of dental practitioners. On the basis of the reply to the reasoned opinion and of the additional information received from the Spanish authorities, the Commission decided on 10 December 1996 to initiate proceedings before the Court of Justice. However, on the basis of information subsequently provided by the Spanish authorities and concerning in particular recent case-law of the Spanish Supreme Court, which handed down an interpretation of the international agreements on the recognition of diplomas which is in line with Community law, the Commission decided on 10 December 1997 to stay proceedings before the Court of Justice.

(1) OJ L 233, 24.8.1978, p. 10.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1218/98

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

(29 April 1998)

Subject: European Central Bank

Pursuant to Article 109a(2)(a) of the EU Treaty the Executive Board of the European Central Bank is to comprise the President, the Vice-President and four other members. Paragraph 2(b) states that they are all to be appointed by common accord of the governments of the Member States at the level of Heads of State or Government, on a recommendation from the Council, after it has consulted the European Parliament and the bank's Governing Council.

Would the Commission say whether or not it is envisaged that representatives of non-EMU countries will be involved in the running of the ECB?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission

(11 June 1998)

The executive board of the European central bank (ECB) comprises the President and the Vice-President of the ECB and four other members. Only nationals of participating Member States may be members of the executive board.

The governing council of the ECB comprises the members of the executive board and the governors of the national central banks of participating Member States. The governing council and the executive board are the decision-making bodies of the ECB which govern the European system of central banks (ESCB).

The general council is the third decision-making body of the ECB. It consists of the President, the Vice-President and the governors of the national central banks of all Member States. The responsibilities of the general council mainly comprise advisory tasks. The general council provides for the link between central banks of participating and non-participating Member States.

The EC Treaty and the ESCB Statute do not prevent the ECB from employing staff members from pre-in Member States.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1147/98

by Panayotis Lambrias (PPE) to the Commission

(24 April 1998)

Subject: Environmental protection - IMPEL network

What proposals has the Commission submitted for the reorganization and improvement of the IMPEL European environment network and what stage has been reached in setting up national coordinating networks and linking them to IMPEL via the national coordinating bodies?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 1998)

In its communication on implementing Community environmental law(1) which was adopted on 22 October 1996, the Commission recognised the need for co-ordination in matters of implementation of Community environmental law not only at the level of the Community and the Member States but also within the Member States themselves. It was acknowledged that the strengthening of existing networks such as IMPEL (the informal Community network for the implementation and enforcement of environmental law) and the setting up of national networks could help diminish the problems which arise from decentralised implementation and enforcement of Community environmental legislation. Thus, it was stated that:

"The Commission will consider the existing position of the informal IMPEL network as a useful instrument of co-operation and capacity building and it will make proposals for improving, developing and reorganising its tasks. It will encourage the creation of national co-ordination networks to be linked with IMPEL through the national co-ordinators".

Since the communication and the associated resolutions of the Council and the Parliament in June and May 1997 respectively, the role of IMPEL has become more and more prominent. Since May 1997 the network consists of plenary meetings, two standing committees and ad hoc working groups for specific topics. Amongst its achievements in 1997 was the adoption of a paper on minimum criteria for environmental inspections which will form the basis of a Commission initiative in the near future. The Commission will give more information on IMPEL's past activities and its 1998 work programme in its annual survey on the environment, which will be published this summer.

The creation of national networks is very much a matter for the Member States themselves, given that it is up to them to decide how best to organise their own internal inspections systems and mechanisms. So far as the Commission is aware, IMPEL itself has not yet undertaken any specific work in this area, though it is known that such networks do already exist in some Member States where inspecting tasks are shared between national, regional and local authorities as, for example, in the Netherlands, and Member States with a federal system, like Austria. The Commission was also informed that Italy is currently organising such a national network. Indeed, representatives from regional and local inspections authorities do participate in IMPEL meetings. The Commission will raise the question of the development of such national networks at the next meeting of the IMPEL plenary in December.

(1) COM(96) 500 final..
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1215/98

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

(29 April 1998)

Subject: Competitiveness

In Parliament's report (A-0113/97) on the Commission Communication to the Council on benchmarking the competitiveness of European industry (COM(96) 0463 - C-0622/96) and the Commission staff working paper concerning European quality promotion policy for improving European competitiveness (SEC(96) 2000), the Commission is asked to submit conclusions explaining why certain European sectors, such as tobacco, outperform their US and Japanese counterparts in terms of industrial added value.

When is it intending to submit these conclusions?
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0367/98

by Stefano De Luca (ELDR) to the Commission

(24 February 1998)

Subject: Free competition and market rules in the Italian civil aviation sector

The airline Alitalia enjoys rather unusual conditions in the Italian aviation sector. The Italian airline has financial assets in excess of 3 000 billion lire, including state aids, changes of flag completed or pending, and financial benefits deriving from management reorganization involving capitalization of labour costs through the distribution of around 20 % of share capital to employees.

This financial position has enabled Alitalia to conclude a series of agreements with small operators under "code-share" arrangements. However, other airlines such as Air One and Air Europe have been unable to expand their operations since they do not possess financial assets on the same scale.

1. Is the Commission aware of this anomalous situation?

2. Does it consider that the capitalization of Alitalia was carried out in accordance with the rules of competition laid down in the Treaty?

3. Does it consider that small Italian airlines are fully enjoying the benefits of free competition and the free market?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(20 April 1998)

On 15 July 1997, the Commission authorised the granting of 2 750 billion Italian lira State aid to Alitalia. All aspects of the case were very thoroughly taken into consideration by the Commission before taking its decision. In accordance with the guidelines published by the Commission(1), and since the aid was considered to be purely for the purpose of restructuring that would secure return to viability, eight strict criteria had to be fulfilled by Alitalia. The Commission insisted, in particular, on the need to prevent the aid from distorting competition and the authorisation is, therefore, conditional on Alitalia respecting ten conditions which include restrictions on the number of seats offered and on its pricing freedom. The Commission will ensure that these conditions, which are intended to prevent Alitalia from having unfair competitive advantage in any market, including the Italian domestic market, are fully respected.

(1) OJ C 350, 10.12.1994.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0483/98

by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission

(27 February 1998)

Subject: Community Initiatives and the Structural Funds

Why did the Commission propose an increase in Community Initiatives from 6 per cent to 15 per cent of the Structural Funds in 1993? Given that it now proposes a reduction from 9 per cent to 5 per cent, why has the Commission changed its mind? In what sense was it wrong in 1993?

Answer given by Ms Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(2 April 1998)

Being aware of the importance Parliament attached to the Community Initiatives, in its 1993 Structural Fund reform proposals the Commission proposed granting 15 % of available resources to these Initiatives. The Council ultimately agreed on the figure of 9 % for the current programming period.

This 9 % was split between thirteen Community Initiatives. The implementation of these Initiatives in the Member States, with relatively small amounts of financing compared with measures carried out under the Community Support Frameworks (CSFs) and Single Programming Documents (SPDs), involved serious management and administration problems and sometimes impaired the effectiveness of the planned measures.

Nevertheless, experience of the approaches used in many Community Initiatives currently under way could be put to use and indeed consolidated when they are incorporated in the CSFs or SPDs under the new Objectives 1, 2 and 3.

In order to improve the effectiveness, visibility and innovative character of future Community Initiatives, the Commission plans, in its proposal for a regulation on the next programming period for the structural funds(1), to focus solely on three topics of common interest to be allocated 5 % of funding: cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation; rural development; and human resources, paying special attention to equal opportunities. Despite a relative decrease in the share allocated to the Community Initiatives, the increased Structural Funds budget should facilitate better quality measures.

While reducing the number of topics, the Commission is aware that the quality of the method and the approach used by the Community Initiatives must be maintained in order to preserve, and indeed bring out more clearly, the innovative character of these measures and the value added by the Community, and to develop stronger partnerships.

(1) COM(98) 131 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1210/98

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

(24 April 1998)

Subject: Competitiveness

Parliament's report (A-0113/97) on the Commission Communication to the Council on benchmarking the competitiveness of European industry (COM(96) 0463 - C-0622/96) and the Commission staff working paper concerning European quality promotion policy for improving European competitiveness (SEC(96) 2000) makes the point that prices for key services are higher in Europe than in Japan and the USA and that, despite the progress made since the establishment of the single market, there are still sectors, such as energy, to which access is restricted.

What action is the Commission intending to take in order to eliminate such restrictions?
WRITTEN QUESTION P-0889/98

by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission

(11 March 1998)

Subject: Illegal slaughter of sheep in France at the Eid-El-Kabir Festival

In my Question No 90 (H-0013/98)(1), I drew the Commissioner's attention to the fact that he had already agreed with me that the French authorities had infringed Community law by allowing thousands of sheep to be brutally slaughtered in fields outside Paris as part of the Eid-El-Kabir Festival in April 1997. I went on to ask the Commission to state what guarantees it had now obtained from the French authorities that they will comply with the European law and ensure that this barbaric and illegal slaughter will not be allowed to happen against this year.

In its reply, the Commission said "it is quite possible for the celebration of 'Eid-El-Kabir" to take place in a manner which respects the relevant animal welfare rules,' which do not allow such slaughter to be carried out in the open air or other places outside slaughterhouses. However, although it says that "the Commission has intervened further with the French authorities", it has failed to answer my specific question about the guarantees that the French authorities have provided.

Will the Commission now provide as a matter of urgency details of the guarantees that it has received from the French authorities that they will ensure that Community law is not broken and of the steps that the French authorities will take against any persons who break the law?

Will the Commission also state precisely the action it will take against the French authorities under Article 100 of the EC Treaty, and with what consequences, if it receives evidence that any breaches of the law take place at this year's festival?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 April 1998)

The Commission continues to monitor the situation with regard to the problem of illegal slaughter of sheep outside slaughterhouses in connection with the Moslem festival mentioned by the Honourable Member. At the end of 1997 the Commission intervened with the French authorities indicating that it would expect France to ensure that the relevant Community rules were correctly observed in respect of the slaughter of sheep during the celebration of the festival in 1998. A follow-up letter was sent on 13 March 1998, giving a deadline of two weeks to reply. So far the Commission has not received the information requested.

France was also warned that failure to ensure the respect of the rules would lead to the opening of the Article 169 EC Treaty procedure. The Commission has not up to the present time received any complaint concerning the celebration of the Eid-el-Kabir during the current year.

(1) Debates of the European Parliament (February 1998).
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1755/98

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(5 June 1998)

Subject: Strike by Commission staff

Can the Commission confirm that its staff was out on strike on 30 April? Is it true that this strike was not over any specific proposal but over a consultation document on which staff views were sought and welcome? Does the Commission consider that a strike is warranted in such a situation? Is it aware of the impact on public opinion, in particular as the date of the strike, immediately prior to a public holiday, effectively gave staff a 4 - day weekend? What was the result of the ballot on whether to strike?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(29 June 1998)

There was a strike in the Commission on 30 April 1998.

At the heart of the conflict was an issues paper, which had no official status. There was no Commission proposal concerning the staff regulations. Comments were welcomed on the issues paper, which was made available to the staff via the Intranet of the Commission.

Because the strike was directed at the Commission, the Commission declines to say whether it was warranted.

The strike preceded a public holiday and the weekend when the European Council decided on the participants in the third phase of economic and monetary union. There were some critical articles in the media about the staff issues of the Commission.

The resolution to strike in case of failure of the negotiations was voted by a general assembly of the personnel organised by the trade unions. To the knowledge of the Commission, the clear majority of the personnel present at the general assembly voted for the resolution. The exact result is unknown, however, since no ballot papers were used.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1554/98

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(19 May 1998)

Subject: Extension of docks at port of Preveza

Work has begun in the port of Preveza to extend the eastern docks by 64 metres, a project for which there is no environmental impact assessment (EIA). The present EIA relates to an extension of 37 metres and is deficient (in that it makes no mention of the impact on the marine environment), while previous studies indicate that the effects on the internationally important wetland of the Amvrakikos Gulf will be severe at the least both in terms of the flow of surface water and the movement of fish spawn which thrives in shallow coastal waters. Moreover, one of these areas of shallow water has already been destroyed by excavations to extend the docks and construct a basin and the only shallow area of water remaining lies opposite Aktion, which will also be destroyed by the increase in the speed and volume of the sea current as it enters the Gulf.

Given that:

- the work is receiving Drs 1 billion in funding under the Delors II package,

- local organizations, environmental groups and the fishermen's association have expressed their deep concern for the future of the Amvrakikos as a result of the construction work,

- the Amvrakikos Gulf is protected both by the Ramsar Convention and by Community Directives 79/409/EEC(1) and 92/43/EEC(2), and

- the present EIA is deficient and makes no mention of the impact on the marine ecosystem at the entrance to the Gulf or in the Gulf itself and is therefore in breach of Directive 85/337/EEC(3),

will the Commission say how it will intercede with the relevant Greek authorities to secure the suspension of the work on the port at Preveza until a new and complete EIA has been drawn up which includes the new data (64 metre extension) and takes into account all the factors involved in the project (the sea and its biological, physical and chemical characteristics, the seabed in the excavation area etc.

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(1 July 1998)

The project in question is cofinanced under the Epirus operational programme (OP).

The information available to the Commission indicates that an assessment of the project's environmental impact has been carried out, in accordance with national and Community legislation.

The Amvrakikos Gulf is an important wetland, a large part of which has been classified by Greece as a special protection area (SPA) under Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds (and also proposed as a Site of Community Importance under Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora). Given that the extension of the port of Preveza, owing to its location, is a project liable to have a significant effect on the area, the Commission has already written to the Greek authorities to check whether the ecological impact of the project on the designated site has been sufficiently studied and whether appropriate measures were taken before the authorisation was granted.

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

(3) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1019/98

by Freddy Blak (PSE) to the Commission

(6 April 1998)

Subject: Alcohol consumption amongst young people in Denmark

Is the Commission aware that young people in Denmark are amongst the world's heaviest drinkers?

What steps has it taken to combat alcohol abuse amongst young people in the Member States?

Will it take specific action to remedy the situation in Denmark, where the problem is seemingly more acute than in the other Member States?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(11 May 1998)

The Commission is well aware of the alcohol consumption figures in the Member States, including the situation in Denmark.

Alerted by the increasing problems of alcohol abuse amongst children and young people in many Member States, especially in relation to alcopops, the Commission has been discussing with Member States a code of practice on sales, marketing and advertising of alcohol to address the problem of underage drinking. This is considered as the soundest way to deal with the problem at this stage.

The Commission has no competence to take specific measures in individual Member States.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1441/98

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

(11 May 1998)

Subject: Euro 1999

The Commission Report on progress towards convergence and recommendation with a view to the transition to the third stage of economic and monetary union (COM(98) 1999 final, 25.3.1998, p. 78) points out that:

"In the course of the second stage of EMU, all Member States, with the exception of Greece, have succeeded in achieving and/or maintaining low and convergent inflation rates. While cyclical factors such as the prolonged period of sluggish economic activity certainly contributed to easing price and cost pressures, a number of structural changes played a key role in the impressive performance on the inflation front."

Will the Commission say what other cyclical factors were involved?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission

(3 July 1998)

The quotation by the Hounorable Member from the convergence report is extracted from the section on the sustainability of price performance in the Community (section 3.5). In this section, the Commission stressed that the achievement of a high degree of price stability and the sustainability of the price performance were primarily due to structural factors.

The convergence report also indicated that some cyclical factors had played a role in the disinflation process in the Community during stage II of economic and monetary union (EMU). The report mentioned "sluggish economic activity", which exerted a downward pressure on price inflation through different channels. First, the weakness of demand exacerbated competition between suppliers. Secondly the rise and the high level of unemployment resulting from the low level of activity curbed wage growth, which is one of the key factors shaping price inflation.

Two other cyclical factors may be mentioned. First, the increase in international commodity prices was very moderate during most of stage II of EMU. Secondly, the dollar was rather weak during the same period. These two factors contributed to the subdued growth of import prices in most Member States.