ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2113/02

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(17 July 2002)

Subject: Digital radio serving the information community throughout the European Union

Radio faces a major challenge at the start of the 21st century: that of adapting to the digital revolution. The fact that, in most of the EU Member States, public radio is firmly committed to acting as the driving force behind digital radio makes that challenge unavoidable, despite the associated difficulties.

This is, therefore, a suitable occasion for the EU to propose using the kind of radio which emerges from the digital revolution as a means of increasing the amount of information which it provides to the general public regarding its various activities, so that radio can act as a special link between the EU institutions and the man in the street.

Will the Commission say whether or not its programme for increasing the frequency with which the EU provides information to the general public contains any provision for taking advantage of the benefits to be derived from the widespread adoption of the kind of radio which emerges from the digital revolution such as using radio as a general means of communication regarding EU activities?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(11 September 2002)

In the Communication on An information and communication strategy for the European Union(1) adopted on 2 July 2002, the Commission recognises that the role of radio is set to increase and that presentation of information must be adapted to take account of the communications vector used. Efforts are now being made to rebalance the information policy so that more emphasis is put on the provision of information by radio and television for these are clearly the sources preferred by the citizens of the Union.

With respect to the system of radio used, it is a matter for the market to decide on the speed with which digital radio services are made more widely available. The Commission has actively aided the development of the new technology and ensures that its own information product (including Europe by Satellite (EbS) is always available in digital form. If more people have access to radio as a result of the digital revolution, information about the Union should reach a greater number of citizens.

(1) COM(2002) 350 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2613/02

by Sérgio Marques (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(18 September 2002)

Subject: Convention on the future of the European Union

The European Council in Laeken decided to convene a Convention to which it assigned the task of outlining the future shape of the European Union. The conclusions of the Convention will serve as a basis for the deliberations of the Intergovernmental Conference on the revision of the Treaties scheduled for 2004.

During the first phase of the deliberations the listening phase various bodies submitted contributions. The Commission itself submitted to the Convention last May its thoughts on the fundamental tasks of the Union and the constitutional framework appropriate for carrying them out. These observations were far-ranging and highly relevant.

The various contributions received by the Convention during the listening phase, which came to an end last July, already suggest specific guidelines for the ultimate approach to the various issues under debate.

Can the Commission therefore say:

1. what its position is on the guidelines which are beginning to emerge regarding the various issues to be tackled by the Convention;

2. whether it intends to express an official opinion at this stage in the deliberations and send the Convention further observations on the specific issues raised in the context of the broad listening exercise carried out?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(11 October 2002)

The Commission gives its opinion on the various questions which the Convention is called on to consider when they are raised in the plenary session or in the working parties, via statements by its representatives in the Convention. The Commission is planning to follow up its Communication of 22 May 2002, A Project for the European Union(1), with a Communication dealing more specifically with institutional matters.

(1) COM(2002) 247 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2474/02

by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Council

(6 September 2002)

Subject: Disaster fund for flood victims

In recent weeks, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic have all been hit by unprecedented flooding.

Thousands of people have seen their homes wrecked and their livelihoods destroyed.

The damage caused by the floods runs into several billion euros.

In the face of this disaster, can the Council answer the following questions:

1. Is the Council in favour of creating a specific EU disaster fund so that the damage caused by disasters in the Member States can be repaired as quickly as possible?

2. If so, what steps are being considered on the Council's part with a view to setting up a disaster fund?

3. When are the first concrete measures for the fund's creation likely to be taken?

Reply

(18 February 2003)

As the Honourable Memer is aware, the European Union has acted very quickly so as to be able to give a rapid response, in particular in financial terms, to the terrible disasters caused by the flooding in Austria, Germany and some of the candidate countries in August 2002. The Council would remind her that the debate held by the European Parliament on the flooding on 3 September 2002, the President of the Council informed the European Parliament of its political support for setting up such a fund.

The European Commission presented a draft Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the financing of the European Union Solidarity Fund on 11 September 2002, and a proposal for a Council Regulation establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund on 18 September 2002.

The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission held a trialogue meeting concerning the Interinstitutional Agreement in Strasbourg on 23 September 2002. All parties showed considerable flexibility in the light of the urgency of the matter and committed themselves to reaching agreement on the full mechanism as soon as possible in order to allow effective assistance to be given to the populations affected by the flooding as quickly as possible in 2002.

On 16 October 2002 a joint guideline concerning the abovementioned Regulation was agreed by the Council's preparatory bodies.

Lastly, the Council would point out that the question of the financing of the European Union Solidarity Fund was resolved under an Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 November 2002 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission(1). The Fund was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002(2).

(1) OJ C 283, 20.11.2002, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3429/02

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(2 December 2002)

Subject: Utilisation by the Municipality of Frosinone of appropriations from EQUAL, the ESF and the IVth Action Programme on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men

In September 2002, the monitoring committee of the Italian Ministry of Finance published a statement showing expenditure of funds provided by the EU.

The outcome of the survey gave particular cause for concern regarding the slowness and inefficiency of local authorities in selecting projects, with funds earmarked for the year 2000 amounting to only 2 % of total CSF appropriations.

The Commission also has repeatedly expressed serious concern regarding the inadequate take-up of European funds by local authorities.

Given that it is particularly important for certain local authorities, for example, the Municipality of Frosinone, to utilise Community funding for professional training and employment, equal opportunities and social integration, can the Commission provide the following information:

1. Has the Municipality of Frosinone submitted projects under the Equal Programme, the ESF and the IVth Action Programme on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men?

2. Was the Municipality of Frosinone awarded funding for these projects?

3. Were the funds in question utilised?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(20 January 2003)

Within the framework of the Structural Funds for the period 2000-2006, the Commission approved the Objective 3 Operational Programme for the Lazio Region on 21 September 2000. The budget available is EUR 884 million (45 % European Social Fund, 44 % national resources and 11 % regional resources), of which EUR 90 million (10,3 %) are earmarked for equal opportunities.

Few projects have been selected at this early stage of the programming period, which explains the low rate of completion. Nevertheless, during the 2000-2001 period, 740 projects were submitted under the equal opportunities heading, of which 188 were approved and funded.

The EQUAL initiative, which is also financed by the European Social Fund, enables experimentation with new approaches to tackling the discrimination and inequalities suffered by employed persons and jobseekers alike. EQUAL comprises nine thematic fields, one of which is equal opportunities for men and women. The Municipality of Frosinone has not, at this stage, taken part in any EQUAL projects.

The Municipality of Frosinone has not received any funding under the Fourth Action Programme on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3286/02

by Carlos Coelho (PPE-DE) to the Council

(20 November 2002)

Subject: Principle of non-discrimination and respect for different cultures and traditions

A Portuguese citizen has complained that the law on registration of names currently in force in Spain (Law 40 of 5 November 1999) discriminates against the children of marriages between Spanish and Portuguese people, since the names and order of names of the children are altered without the parents' consent.

The problem arises when a child born of a Spanish mother or father is registered at a Spanish registry office or consulate in order to obtain Spanish nationality. When registering the child both registry offices and Spanish consulates alter children's names (by changing the order of the surnames) without authorisation, almost always against the parents' will and without recognising identity cards, birth certificates or any other Portuguese official document.

In view of the principles underpinning the European enterprise, namely a Europe where people have freedom of movement and there is mutual recognition of educational qualifications and court judgments, does this not constitute an infringement of a basic right, i.e. people's right to choose what name to give their children? Does it not constitute lack of respect for a person's identity (name), culture and traditions in this case a valued tradition which entails passing on the names of the father and grandfather?

Reply

(3 March 2003)

The Council would inform the Honourable Member that its powers do not extend to the laws governing names.

The Council would, however, take this opportunity to draw the Honourable Member's attention to the fact that several agreements have already been drawn up in this area in the framework of the International Commission on Civil Status. While the European Community is not a contracting party to this international organisation, most of its Member States are.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2869/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(11 October 2002)

Subject: Relationship between growth and budget balance

Will the Commission estimate, on the basis of its own computer modelling or other research, the impact for each Member State of a one percentage point change in GDP growth on the budget balance as a percentage of GDP?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 2002)

The estimates on the responsiveness of the budget balance to gross domestic production (GDP) growth are based on tax and expenditure elasticities calculated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As can be seen from the table below, the average elasticity for the Union is around 0.5. The degree of budgetary sensitivity is closely linked to the share of government revenues and expenditure in GDP. For example, Scandinavian countries which are characterised by a large government sector also tend to have larger elasticities in the range between 0,7 to 0,9(1).

These elasticities must be understood as an estimate of the average budgetary response to changes in the output gap, since they are to some extent dependent on the source of GDP growth. For example, the budgetary impact will be smaller if GDP growth accelerates due to increased export (or investment) growth because in this case, no tax category is directly affected. Correspondingly, the budgetary impact will be higher if growth is driven by private consumption since in this case indirect tax revenues will increase directly. Simulation results with the Commission's QUEST model indicate that in the case of growth driven by private consumption the budgetary sensitivity increases to 0,7 for the Union average, while in the case of export or investment led growth the budgetary sensitivity drops to 0,28 or 0,19 respectively(2).

>TABLE>

(1) For more detailled discussion, see Public Finances in EMU-2002 No 3, Chapter 3. The measurement of cyclically adjusted budget balances.

(2) Brunila A., M. Buti and J. in 't Veld (2002), Fiscal Policy in Europe: how effective are automatic stabilisers?, Economic Papers No 177, September 2002, European Commission, Brussels.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3787/02

by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission

(6 January 2003)

Subject: Artists' rights

In the case of the United Kingdom artists' equitable remuneration for their broadcast recordings are negotiated and collected by the record labels' collecting society, the Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL). What European Union countries allow artists to participate in the negotiation process for their remuneration?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(18 February 2003)

The equitable remuneration paid by the user if a phonogram is used for broadcasting by wireless means has been harmonised at Community level under Article 8 of Council Directive 92/100/EEC of 19 November 1992 on rental right and lending right and on certain rights related to copyright in the field of intellectual property.

The Directive also stipulates that this remuneration is to be shared between performers and the producers of phonograms. However, the Directive has not directly harmonised the negotiating methods or the distribution formulae for this remuneration. It merely states that in the absence of agreement between the beneficiaries, Member States may themselves lay down the conditions for the sharing of this remuneration. Thus the Directive does not stipulate how the remuneration is to be collected and negotiated.

Generally speaking, performers participate in negotiations on the amount of the equitable remuneration. However, many Member States have stipulated that such negotiations can only take place in the context of mandatory collective management. According to the Commission's sources, this is specifically the case in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Finland, France and Ireland.

On the other hand, the vast majority of performers prefer to leave the negotiating to collecting societies, even where national laws do not provide for mandatory collective management. Indeed, this form of centralised management is often more practical, both for performers and for the users of licences to exploit rights. Lastly, the Commission would draw the Honourable Member's attention to the fact that in response to a request for a preliminary ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Communities is to decide in the coming weeks what exactly is to be understood by equitable remuneration and the amount of discretion left to Member States in applying this concept (see Case C-245/00 SENA v NOS).
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3008/02

by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission

(23 October 2002)

Subject: Foetal bovine welfare

Directive 86/609/EEC(1) regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes currently excludes foetal or embryonic forms from its scope of application. In this context, is the Commission aware of the practice of collecting foetal bovine serum from unborn bovines during the slaughter of the pregnant cow, which is then used to set up cell cultures? Can the Commission provide figures to demonstrate how widespread this practice is within the individual Member States? Will the Commission consider conducting a full revision of the aforementioned Directive and including foetal and embryonic forms within the scope of the Directive?

(1) OJ L 358, 18.12.1986, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(28 November 2002)

The Commission is aware of the practice of collecting foetal bovine serum from unborn bovines during the slaughter of the pregnant cows.

Foetal bovine serum is a fundamental reagent for the culture of cells and tissue, which is a very common practice in biology, medicine and toxicology laboratories.

Cells and tissue cultures are widely used as a successful alternative to laboratory animals for many research purposes, as well as for the manufacturing of medicines produced by living cells, such as interferon, and for the diagnosis of infectious and genetic diseases. Finally, foetal bovine serum is also used in media to produce antigens for vaccines. However, detailed information on the collection of foetal bovine serum is not available to the Commission.

The Commission is planning an in-depth revision of Council Directive 86/609/EEC of 24 November 1986 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the member States regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes. The issue of foetal and embryonic forms will be thoroughly examined during this revision. The ethical aspects related to the practice of collecting foetal calf serum will be therefore examined by the Commission within this context.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3025/02

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(23 October 2002)

Subject: Low hospital bed ratio in the EU

Recent reports in the media indicate that Spain had 162 608 hospital beds in 1999, equivalent to four beds per thousand inhabitants. This is the lowest ratio in the EU and lower than the figure of 5,4 in 1980 recorded by the OECD. The ratio is even lower if we discount the number of beds which are unusable because of works being carried out in hospitals. Hospital administration in Spain is decentralised and measures concerning funding are therefore the responsibility of each autonomous region.

The fall in the number of hospital beds is a problem shared by all the EU countries, but the European average is seven beds per thousand inhabitants. Is the Commission aware of this shortage of beds in European hospitals? In view of the absence of European legislation on the subject, does the Commission intend to promote legislation on this crucial issue?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(18 November 2002)

Under the EC Treaty, the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care are the responsibility of the Member States, not of the Community (Article 152, paragraph 5).

The Commission is, therefore, not in the position to promote legislation on the issue of the hospital bed ratio in the Member States.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2590/02

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Council

(16 September 2002)

Subject: Failure to circulate the complete mint set of 1996 euro coins

Some eight months after the euro officially came into circulation, the complete mint set of the 1996 euro coins issued by the twelve participating countries is still not available to collectors.

These coins are not even available in the European Parliament buildings in Strasbourg and Brussels, where they are only to be seen on posters.

I understand that the philatelic office on the EP's premises in Strasbourg, which receives vain visits and requests from visitors and collectors from Europe and the rest of the world, has itself not received a single complete set of euro coins, despite having requested these in good time.

Does the Council not feel it should ask the European Central Bank to take steps to ensure that a suitable number of complete mint sets of euro coins are made available to collectors?

Reply

(4 March 2003)

It is for Member States having adopted the Euro as their single currency in conformity with the Treaty provisions to lay down the precise modalities of the issue of Euro coins intended for circulation, subject to measures adopted by the Council in order to harmonise the denominations and technical specifications of these coins.

As for the issue raised by the Honourable Parliamentarian, it is not for the Council to intervene on the matter.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-2668/02

by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Council

(16 September 2002)

Subject: Deportation of Christina Onasanwo from Ireland to Nigeria

Given that the Council has already stated that Female genital mutilations are acts of violence perpetrated on women and children which the Council unequivocally condemns as a violation of basic rights, given the commitments of all Member States under the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on

Population and Development and the Plan of Action for the Elimination of Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children, and UN resolution No 54/133, will the Council intervene with the Irish Government to drop its order to deport Christina Onasanwo and Bolu Onasanwo to Nigeria where they are at risk of female genital mutilation as decreed by tribal elders?

Reply

(4 March 2003)

The Council is not aware of the case to which the question refers.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2315/02

by Ole Krarup (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(26 July 2002)

Subject: Legal basis of the framework decision on combating racism

Could the Council please state its view of the legal basis selected for the proposal for a framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia(1), in particular in the light of Article 31(e), because this provision does not mention racism and xenophobia as a subject for legislation pursuant to that article.

Article 31(e) relates solely to organised crime, terrorism and illicit drug trafficking. Has the Council's Legal Service given an opinion on this issue? Please attach any such opinions to your answer.

(1) COM(2001) 664 OJ C 75 E, 26.3.2002, p. 269.

Reply

(4 March 2003)

The Council informs the Honourable Member of the European Parliament that the framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia, for which the Commission proposes Article 31(e) TEU as the legal basis, is still being discussed within the Council.