ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3490/98

by Luigi Moretti (NI) to the Commission

(25 November 1998)

Subject: Presence of uranium in building cement

Recent scientific research has shown that it is possible to find traces of uranium in the cement commonly used in the construction of buildings, including houses, schools and hospitals.

Is the Commission aware of this scientific research?

What does it intend to do in order to ensure that such buildings are safe?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission

(16 February 1999)

All building materials derived from rock and soil, including cement, contain natural radionuclides of uranium (238U), thorium (232Th) and the radioactive isotope of potassium (40K). The worldwide average concentrations of these nuclides in the earth's crust are about 40, 40 and 400 becquerels per kilogramme, respectively. 238U as well as 232Th are the initial radionuclides of a radioactive decay chain forming radionuclides in sequence, including radon, ending finally with stable nuclides of lead.

Council Directive 96/29/EURATOM of 13 May 1996 laying down the basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the danger arising from ionising radiation(1) in its Title VII lays down a framework for controlling exposure during work activities within which the presence of natural radiation sources leads to a significant increase in the exposure of workers or members of the public. The Member States identify work activities which may be of concern and may in particular identify the use of building materials with enhanced levels of natural radioactivity as a work activity in the meaning of Title VII.

Commission Recommendation 90/143/Euratom of 21 February 1990 on the protection of the public against indoor exposure to radon(2) introduces a design level for radon exposure in future construction. The design level corresponds to an annual average radon gas concentration of 200 becquerels per cubic metre. The design level is to be used to aid the authorities in establishing regulations, standards or codes of construction practices for circumstances under which the design level might otherwise be exceeded.

Council Directive 89/106/EEC of 21 December 1988 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States related to construction products(3) sets down essential requirements for construction work. The construction work must be designed and built in such a way that the emission of dangerous radiation will not be a threat to the health of occupants or neighbours.

The current specific research programme on radiation protection contains seven contracts on radon. They concern assessment of the risk arising from the inhalation of the radon decay products; lung cancer risk and radon exposure in dwellings; radon in construction materials; retrospective estimation of radon concentrations in areas affected by uranium mining activities and intercomparison of passive radon detectors.

(1) OJ L 159, 29.6.1996.

(2) OJ L 80, 27.3.1990.

(3) OJ L 40, 11.2.1989.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3395/98

by Marco Cellai (NI) to the Commission

(17 November 1998)

Subject: Closure of a company in the Florence area

Cerdec, a company located in Castello (Florence), has announced redundancies affecting 101 of its 115 employees. However, this firm, which produces colours for ceramic and similar products, seems intent on actually abandoning the plant and concentrating all its production operations at its other unit in Fiorano (Modena), instead.

The decision is unexpected and has not been the subject of any consultation with the trade union organisations; indeed, a few months ago the managing director had given reassurances about the future employment of the workforce.

The decision by the German-owned company, which had taken over an historic firm in the manufacturing area around Florence, was ostensibly based on reasons - technology, competition, synergies, profitability - which do not actually appear to exist.

In reality, as is happening with increasing frequency (see the recent case of Levi Strauss), company relocation and concentration are carried out in pursuit of the profit motive alone, which often runs counter to the existence of the requisite balance between population and land use and is socially disastrous in the long term.

What steps does the Commission intend to take to ensure that this purely economic and financial logic does not prevail over social interests, in particular in the case in question?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(23 December 1998)

The Commission considers that information and consultation of workers' representatives in restructuring processes is vital.

The Commission has no further detailed information about the redundancies mentioned by the Honourable Member.

The collective redundancies Directive(1) requires that an employer contemplating collective redundancies must begin consultations with the workers' representatives in good time with a view to reaching an agreement. Furthermore, the European works councils Directive(2) provides for transnational information and consultation when an undertaking or group of undertakings falls in the scope of this Directive and a European works council has been established either by an agreement or by applying the subsidiary provisions of the annex.

In order to complete the existing Community and national rules on information and consultation of workers and with a view to reinforcing their dissuasive effect and to refocusing them on the prevention of negative effects of corporate restructuring, the Commission recently adopted a proposal for a directive(3) establishing a general framework for informing and consulting employees in the Community.

(1) Council Directive 98/59/EC, OJ L 225, 12.8.1998.

(2) Council Directive 94/45/EC, OJ L 254, 30.9.1994.

(3) COM(98) 612 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3659/98

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

(7 December 1998)

Subject: The millennium bug

It has been established that the "millennium bug", a problem also known as the "year 2000 effect", may affect all types of programmable electronic systems (PESs), ranging from mainframe computers to microchips.

These systems are employed for all nature of industrial purposes at the various stages of the production process, in the transport sector, in the public services and so forth. Furthermore, the said systems are date-dependent and their reaction on the first day of the new millennium will be critical. For those reasons, it would advisable to pinpoint the risks involved.

In the Commission's view, what role can the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work play in preventing and/or lessening the potential impact of computer errors on safety at the workplace?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(10 March 1999)

One of the tasks of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is to collect and disseminate technical, scientific and economic information in the Member States in order to inform Community bodies, the Member States and interested parties, as well as providing technical, scientific and economic information on methods and tools for carrying out preventive activities, with particular attention to the specific problems of small and medium-sized undertakings.

The Commission particularly asked the Agency to raise industry awareness of the potential health and safety implications of this problem.

In this regard, the Agency is undertaking the following actions:

- establishing a special year 2000 information activity on the Agency's Web site with links to information available in the Member States as well as e.g. in the United States and Australia.

- establishing - in connection with this activity - an interactive e-mail forum for exchanging information on this subject.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3777/98

by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

(11 December 1998)

Subject: Standardising qualifications for posts in the European civil service

The Commission does not accept applications for category A posts in the European civil service from holders of Spanish university qualifications issued on completion of a three-year study period comprising two "cycles", since under European legislation they are deemed to fall within category B.

In contrast, holders of university qualifications issued after three years in the remainder of the Member States are entitled to apply for category A posts.

1. What criteria does the Commission employ to differentiate between the university qualifications issued after three years in the various Member States?

2. On what basis does it establish the individual categories within the European civil service

3. What corrective measures does it intend to adopt in order to remove these inequalities?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 1999)

The Commission would first like to clarify the statement made in the Honourable Member's question: candidates with the type of Spanish university qualifications obtained after between four and six years of study are eligible to sit competitions for category A/LA posts in the European civil service, whereas those with the type obtained after three years of university study (Diplomatura, Ingeniería Técnica and Arquitectura Técnica) are not.

Contrary to the Honourable Member's assertion, the Commission does not accept all three-year university qualifications from the other Member States for this purpose.

As stated in Article 27 of the Staff Regulations, the Commission's recruitment policy is directed to securing for the institution the services of officials of the highest standard of ability, recruited on the broadest possible geographical basis from among nationals of the Member States without reference to, inter alia, nationality.

The Commission is careful to ensure that these provisions are strictly complied with. In deciding whether a qualification grants access to the Community civil service, the Commission takes account of the legislation in the Member State where the studies leading to it were carried out.

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answers to other parliamentary questions on the same subject in particular question E-3027/98 from Mr Arias Cañete(1) and question E-4186/97 from Ms Dührkop Dührkop(2), where it explains its overall approach to Spanish university qualifications of both types and whether or not they give access to category A/LA posts in the Community civil service.

(1) OJ C 142, 21.5.1999, p. 73.

(2) OJ C 304, 2.10.1998.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3666/98

by Aline Pailler (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(7 December 1998)

Subject: Persecution at work

Recent studies show that many workers are victims of harassment or bullying at their places of work in enterprises and administrations. In a recent work entitled "Le harcèlement moral. La violence perverse au quotidien" (Mental harassment. Bullying as a daily event) Marie-France Hirigoyen describes bullying or psycho-terror at the workplace as "indirect processes of the insidious destruction of an individual with the aim of attacking his dignity repeatedly, constantly and over a long period". The consequences for the victims are often very serious.

Some Member States, including Germany, Italy and Sweden, have national legislation on such mental harassment at the workplace. Does the Commission have any information on the number of victims of such bullying, and is it prepared to propose a directive that would enable mental harassment at places of work to be combated more effectively?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(24 February 1999)

The Commission is aware of the problem of harassment at the workplace in Europe. Such acts or conduct may violate the employee's integrity and can seriously interfere with the working environment.

At the moment European figures on mobbing at the workplace are not available. The European survey on working conditions, conducted by the European foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions, does give some data for related issues. For instance, it states that 2 % of workers in the Community answer that over the past 12 months they have been subjected to unwanted sexual attention at work.

The Commission is examining the issue of harassment in the context of its preparatory work for the implementation of the new Article 13, when the Amsterdam Treaty will come into force.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3569/98

by Manuel Escolá Hernando (ARE) to the Commission

(1 December 1998)

Subject: Rural exodus

The rural exodus affecting large parts of the Autonomous Community of Aragon has resulted in the total abandonment of over one hundred villages in recent decades. Many of the former inhabitants of these villages migrated to cities in view of the lack of prospects in their places of origin whilst others had to leave their homes as a result of expropriations in connection with water management works or other projects.

At present, new sources of income provided by the tourism, leisure and outdoor pursuits industry and the growth in second homes have allowed some of these villages to be brought back to life. In fact, there are already over a dozen projects in the Aragonese Pyrenees, supported by various citizens' associations and by the former inhabitants of some of these villages who have requested the return of their former homes, which show that this is viable.

However, in most cases, the lack of basic infrastructure such as the supply of drinking water and electricity, access roads, waste tips etc. constitutes an obstacle to the realization of such rehabilitation projects.

In view of the implications of such projects in terms of town and country planning, the repopulation of run-down areas, job and wealth creation and environmental protection, does the Commission consider that it would be possible to lend support to such social initiatives, particularly given the potential benefits to society as a whole?

Does the Commission currently provide any support?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(18 January 1999)

Infrastructure renewal for abandoned villages can be part-financed from the Structural Funds, notably the Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund under Article 5(c) of Council Regulation No 2085/93(1). It is however necessary to demonstrate the value of the investments for rural development, their cost-effectiveness in securing the objectives set out in the single programming document (SPD), their viability and their contribution to job creation. The purpose of village renewal is to develop the area in question and improve the living conditions and quality of life of its inhabitants. This does not rule out a spillover benefit to owners of second homes or to the pursuit of other activities from infrastructure improvement under a project of general scope.

Under the SPD for the Aragon Region, the Structural Funds are part-financing some village renewal and development projects. Projects are selected, in line with the priorities set in the SPD, by the national, regional and local authorities responsible for the Member State's financial contribution.

It is up to these authorities to select the projects of greatest interest. There is no specific bar on renewal of abandoned villages.

(1) OJ L 193, 31.7.1993.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3648/98

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(3 December 1998)

Subject: Exercise of power, Community fraud and political malpractice

The 5 November issue of an authoritative Italian weekly news magazine contains a report on a series of acts of corruption in which the European Commission is said to be directly implicated, the very institution which regularly condemns inefficiency, delays and cases of corruption in Member States.

According to the weekly magazine "Panorama", the former French prime minister Mrs Cresson, now the commissioner for scientific research, is caught up in a complex web of business and political interests.

It appears that Mrs Cresson's dentist assisted her in her work in Brussels, without a regular salary but with support from the businessman Perry, the owner of Perry-Lux, the agency now famous for being involved in cases of Community fraud, and the prospect of possible consultancy work, which, it should be pointed out, Cresson did not facilitate. Instead, Mrs Cresson appointed the dentist and his son under contracts as scientific researchers. These contracts had previously been given only to the most eminent medical and scientific authorities in Europe commissioned to write important reports.

Does the Commission intend, as a matter of urgency, to respond to these accusations, and to provide all the explanations necessary to clarify a situation which discredits all the institutions of the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 1999)

The person referred to by the Honourable Member is an odonto-stomatologist who has practised, in particular, as a head of service in hospitals. The periods he spent on special assignment to the Minister for Social Affairs and with the National Association for the enhancement of research have broadened his scientific background, making him suitable for the function of visiting scientist.

The person in question does indeed have contracts with private companies (in particular, those mentioned in the article), but they have nothing to do with the Commission, as acknowledged by the article and the Honourable Member.

This person's son had a one-year contract (now expired) with the Commission in order to carry out specific analysis and administrative management tasks. The Directorate-General which recruited him has 170 auxiliary posts which it renews regularly.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3922/98

by Hilde Hawlicek (PSE) and Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Support for sporting activities for the disabled

In accordance with a ruling of the European Court of Justice, budget lines which have no legal basis have been deleted. This affects, inter alia, support for sporting activities. Sporting activities for the disabled are particularly badly hit by that ruling.

A new social chapter was incorporated into the European treaties when the Treaty of Amsterdam was signed. Article 13 of the consolidated version of the EC Treaty expressly provides for action to combat discrimination on a number of grounds, including disability.

Can the Commission say:

- what opportunities will the Commission have in 1999 in its various programmes to support sporting activities for the disabled?

- what will be done to ensure that European projects to support sporting activities for the disabled will not be downgraded compared with other projects?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(23 February 1999)

The 1999 budget carries a number of headings which could be used by organisations dealing with sport for the disabled. A case in point is Item B3-4111 (Preparatory measures combating and preventing discrimination.)

As the Honourable Member states, the Commission no longer has a legal basis for granting subsidies for the promotion of sport. It should be emphasised that projects carried out in 1998 cannot be repeated under some other budgetary cover.

Sports organisations should see how their activities match up with the objectives and selection criteria of the programmes and projects referred to above.

It goes without saying that applications made by sports organisations will be treated in the same way as those from organisations of any other kind in accordance with the award criteria set out in the conditions for participation in various projects which are published in the Official Journal.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2299/98

by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE) to the Commission

(22 July 1998)

Subject: Measures to prevent depopulation

In the EU there are regions whose development is seriously threatened by depopulation. These include the EU's northern peripheral regions. The population becomes concentrated in the cities and conurbations, where even greater social problems then develop.

How does the Commission propose to increase the effectiveness of its existing policies in halting this depopulation? How will the Commission target its regional policy funding to these areas? The current programmes have not done enough to achieve this.

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

(30 September 1998)

A high level of outward migration is generally taken as a sign of a lack of economic opportunities in any given region. Within the Community as a whole, the evidence is, however, that migration between regions and between Member States today is only on a limited scale.

The Community specifically targets the less prosperous areas under objective 1 of the Structural Funds, the problem rural areas under objective 5b and the least densely populated areas under objective 6. These are the areas most at risk from outmigration especially of the young and those with the most marketable skills and qualifications. The Community's policies under the Structural Funds seek to create new opportunities in the assisted regions for the benefit of the resident population. The evidence suggests that they have had some success in the past decade in terms of reducing inter-regional disparities in income and unemployment. In that sense, the policies have contributed, alongside national policies, to limiting the scale of migration flows.

In its proposals for the future of the Structural Funds(1), the Commission proposes to maintain help to the less developed areas under objective 1 which, in the future, would also include the former objective 6 regions. Outside these areas, the Commission's proposal for a new objective 2 would offer support to rural areas undergoing restructuring, for which depopulation has been included among the eligibility criteria. In addition, the Commission's proposals for the reform of the common agricultural policy would allow for areas outside Objective 1 and 2 to be supported by rural development measures which would help to counteract the exodus of population from these areas.

(1) OJ C 176, 9.6.1998.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3855/98

by Anita Pollack (PSE) to the Commission

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Renewable energy

Has the Commission made any progress in setting up a specialist Task Force on renewable energy which could develop clear and transparent guidelines for the connection, operation and commercial terms for small plants and give energy efficiency a prominent role in an integrated European energy and environmental strategy?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 1999)

Concerning renewable energy sources, as part of the effort towards implementation of the action plan to 2010 contained in the white paper on renewable energies(1), and in accordance with the Parliament's and Council's Resolutions following this document, the Commission has set up a "renewable energies working party", composed of Member States' representatives with a strategic responsibility for renewables. This group met once already in 1998 and reviewed the current situation as regards national programmes, actions, measures, and plans in this area. It will continue to meet at intervals to review and guide progress. In particular, its first meeting received a summary overview of national activities in favour of renewables, and this first debate has been followed up by a more detailed review based on written replies to a questionnaire addressed to Member States by the Commission.

Moreover, as a result of Commission Decision 96/642/CE(2), an energy consultative committee was formed, which among other subjects also covers questions concerning energy efficiency. Efficiency issues will be specifically addressed when covering the energy/environment interface.

In January 1999, an experts' group meeting was held in Brussels to help prepare the energy efficiency action plan. This group, comprising Member States and Commission representatives is expected to play an important role in providing Member State policy opinion and technical input for the development of the action plan and its subsequent implementation.

(1) COM(97) 599 final.

(2) OJ L 292, 15.11.1996.