ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3283/97 by Leonie van Bladel (UPE) to the Council (21 October 1997)

Subject: Lack of hospital care for elderly people followinmg cardiac catheterization operations

1. Does the Council agree that after a cardiac catheterization operation on a middle-aged person the hospital should keep the patient in for observation for at least two day, as recommended by the Nederlandse Hartstichting (Dutch heart foundation)? A hospital in Amsterdam recently failed to observe this, with the result that the patient died.

2. Can the Council indicate where this rule is set out?

3. Can the Council guarantee that this rule is strictly observed in all the Member States?

4. Can the Council confirm that the growing number of elderly persons, whose efforts brought about the economic rise of Europe, do not become the victims of the purely economic policy of hospitals and are allowed to stay in hospital, under expert nursing supervision, for two days after a cardiac catheterization operation?

Answer (26 February 1998)

The issue raised by the Honourable Member is not the subject of provisions adopted pursuant to the Treaties.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-4040/97 by Jesús Cabezón Alonso (PSE) to the Commission (14 January 1998)

Subject: Candidates for European City of Culture

Which cities have so far submitted their candidacies for nomination as European City of Culture from the year 2000?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-4040/97 and E-4041/97 given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (6 February 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the Commission proposal for a European Parliament and Council decision establishing a Community initiative for the European City of Culture event, and in particular Articles 2 and 3 of the decision ((OJ C 362, 28.11.1997. )).
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3895/97 by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (11 December 1997)

Subject: Payrolls in Euros

Many institutions, bodies and undertakings have already adopted the practice of printing their employees' payrolls both in Euros and their national currency, with a view to gradually accustoming them to a currency which will change the habits of Europeans.

Measures of this type, alongside others such as paying local government taxes in Euros, will help all European citizens to get to grips with the Euro.

Is the Commission encouraging the extension of such practices with a view to helping citizens to come to terms with mentally converting into Euros in preparation for the arrival of a new monetary system which will greatly reinforce the European Union citizens' sense of unity?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission (15 January 1998)

The Commission fully shares the views expressed by the Honourable Member. It welcomes the commitment on the part of its partners in both the public and the private sector to ensuring that the euro is introduced as smoothly as possible.

The manner in which the communication challenges posed by the euro are addressed by the Commission is set out in a recent communication entitled 'Practical aspects of introducing the euro ((COM(97) 491 final. )).'

The Commission has set up various expert consultative working groups to examine specific aspects of the communication challenges in greater detail. They are due to present their reports soon, and the Commission will then rapidly draw appropriate policy conclusions. A first group is examining the technical and cost implications of dual display, i.e. the display of prices and values in both national currency and the euro. A second group is examining how to help citizens understand prices and values denominated in euros.

The Commission acknowledges that public administrations have a central role to play in the changeover to the euro, and it has requested national authorities to present changeover plans by the end of 1997. Virtually all the Member States have already presented their plans, which in most cases provide for the submission of tax returns in euros during the transitional period. In many cases, the right to submit a tax return in euros during the transitional period also covers personal income tax returns. The details of the changeover of public administrations are a matter for the national authorities. The Commission will report on the changeover plans of all Member States in the near future.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3841/97 by Stephen Hughes (PSE) to the Commission (5 December 1997)

Subject: Safety at Athens airport

Recently The Times in the United Kingdom carried an article which suggested that Athens airport was abysmally deficient in safety equipment and had been for some considerable time. The article went on to say that the airport authority had no plans to re-equip or replace deficient safety equipment.

Could the Commission indicate what steps have been taken to guarantee the safe passage of European Union citizens through one of the Union's busiest airports?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (15 January 1998)

The Commission does not have information confirming the alleged situation at Athens airport which is described by the Honourable Member in his question. The Commission assumes that the reference is to security equipment for the detection of weapons and explosives at airports, rather than to safety equipment.

The Commission has Legal power to intervene in issues relating to aviation security in individual Member States. While Title VI of the Treaty on European Union provides for cooperation between Member States in the areas of Justice and home affairs, the initiative for action on such matters is retained wholly by Member States.

The Commission does participate, however, as an observer in the working group on security within the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).

If the Honourable Member has more detailed and specific information relating to airport safety or security equipment he is invited to send it to the Commission or to the relevant national authorities.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-4018/97 by Panayotis Lambrias (PPE) to the Commission (14 January 1998)

Subject: Establishment of a Greek section in the third European School currently under construction

In spite of the fact that there is a large Greek community in Brussels, there is only one Greek section in Brussels' two existing European schools. A significant increase in the number of Greek speakers in Brussels is expected in the immediate future, owing to the transfer of the Court of Auditors from Luxembourg, Cyprus' accession to the European Union, while at the same time the number of Greeks coming to live in Brussels is constantly rising.

Will the Commission say whether it proposes to take steps to establish a second Greek section in the third European School currently under construction in Brussels since this request already has the support of a large number of parents (320 signatories) and meets with no objection from the Permanent Representation of Greece?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (4 February 1998)

Only the Board of Governors, the intergovernmental body responsible for the European Schools, has the power to determine the orientation and organisation of studies. Therefore, when the time comes, only the Board can decide which language sections will be in the third European School now under construction in Brussels. The decision will have to be taken in accordance with the principles underlying the educational system of the school.

The Commission is a member of the Board of Governors and is very interested in ensuring the smooth operation of the European Schools; it will make sure that the principles are observed.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3250/97 by Friedhelm Frischenschlager (ELDR) to the Commission (20 October 1997)

Subject: Transport of animals

What steps has the Commissioner, Dr Franz Fischler, taken to date to encourage the building of cold stores in Lebanon, either under the MEDA programme or through EIB loans?

Why does the Commission continue to grant an export premium for the transport of live animals, but not for the transport of refrigerated meat?

How many kilograms of live cattle and how many kilograms of refrigerated meat are exported annually from the European Union to Lebanon?

Will the Commission involve NGOs in its work in future?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (19 December 1997)

The Commission has communicated to the Lebanese authorities that it would be possible to finance a cold storage facility in the framework of the MEDA programme. In order to do so, some conditions (compatibility with the MEDA guidelines as well as presentation under the Lebanese indicative programme) have to be met. In addition, in response to the overall objectives of the project, some guarantees concerning the replacement of live animal imports by meat imports are essential. At this stage, Lebanon has not presented a project meeting these conditions but the Commission will continue discussion with the Lebanese authorities on the issue.

Export refunds are paid both for live animals and for fresh and frozen beef. The refund level for beef and live animals is fixed at least once every three months and published in the Official journal. Export of live animals is an important outlet for the Community beef market and can hardly be substituted by export of beef due to the different slaughtering rites, the lack of coldstores in importing countries and the absence of specific demand for fresh meat of the required quality in these countries. If the export of live animals from the Community were to become impossible due to unrealistic requirements or disproportionate costs or simply by phasing out export refunds, other suppliers would take over these markets (Australia increasingly exports live animals to the Arab world with a journey considerably longer than from the Community).

The table below shows exports from the Community to Lebanon, during the past three years, of live animals (carcase weight equivalent) and fresh and frozen beef:

>TABLE>

The Commission regularly consults non-governmental organisations on policy in the area of animal welfare, in particular the European umbrella organisation for animal welfare groups, Eurogroup for animal welfare.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3784/97 by Carlos Pimenta (PPE) to the Commission (26 November 1997)

Subject: Implementation of Council Proposal 97/C 207/11 for an Agreement on international humane trapping standards between the European Community, Canada and the Russian Federation

If, as the Commission prefers, the Council decides to reject the opinion of the European Parliament and votes instead to conclude the proposed Agreement with Canada and the Russian Federation, how does the Commission propose to ensure that the terms of the Agreement will be implemented within the European Union?

In particular, does the Commission plan to bring forward a proposal for either a Directive or a Regulation and if so, what will be the proposed legal basis?

Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (21 January 1998)

The Commission would point out to the Honourable Member that the Agreement on international humane trappings standards between the European Community, Canada and the Russian Federation has not yet been ratified.

Even if the matter is already under consideration the Commission cannot make a formal statement on these issues until the Agreement has been formally concluded by the Council. Parliament will be informed through the usual channels if any proposal for incorporating this Agreement into Community law is adopted by the Commission.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3870/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (5 December 1997)

Subject: Competitiveness of European industry

The Commission has submitted a communication on benchmarking - implementation of an instrument available to economic actors and public authorities (COM(97) 153 final), which can serve as an appropriate basis for using an instrument of comparative analysis of competitiveness.

This initiative needs to be fully consistent with other Community policies, particularly in the fields of research and development, innovation, economic and social cohesion and undertakings.

Will the Commission use benchmarking to measure the efficiency of the policies it has adopted (internal market, regional policy, research and development)?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (30 January 1998)

The Commission welcomes the endorsement of its view that benchmarking can equip the Community with a powerful tool to compare performance in the different key areas and factors that determine economic success. In this regard, the Commission believes that benchmarking can play an important role in the evaluation of Community policies.

With a view to fostering widespread adoption of benchmarking as an instrument for influencing policy directions, the Commission is currently implementing a number of pilot projects in key policy areas affecting framework conditions. The pilot project process will allow an effective working methodology for benchmarking to evolve through a consensus approach, involving all relevant parties and based on transparency, dialogue and expertise. It is envisaged that the methodology being developed through this process will subsequently be applied systematically in a wide range of areas, including other Community policies.

The Commission would also point out that initial steps towards benchmarking of the other Community policies identified in the question are already underway. The internal market action plan represents a form of benchmarking under which progress against targets will be monitored on an ongoing basis. Under the integrated programme for small and medium entreprises (SMEs) and the craft sector ((COM(96) 329 final. )), the Commission and the Member States will develop concerted actions under which benchmarking will play an important role in promoting best practice in the area of administrative simplification and support measures for enterprises.

In the case of economic and social cohesion, it is already the case that regional development programmes co-financed by the Community in principle contain quantified targets based on analysis of inter-regional differences in economic performance and competitiveness. The effectiveness of the programmes ex post is then assessed against the quantified targets established initially.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3802/97 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (26 November 1997)

Subject: Removal of geography from the school curriculum in Italy

The Italian Minister of Education has announced his intention of removing geography from secondary and higher education syllabuses. A pilot project is already being implemented this year in 150 establishments, heralding the removal of the subject from the two-year cycles of study, following its stealthy disappearance, in recent years, from the timetable for some technical-vocational courses.

Whilst respecting the autonomy of governments to make their own decisions in the field of education, what is the Commission's view of proposals of this nature?

Does it not agree that to abolish such a long-standing subject which overlaps so much with other subjects would place a major obstacle in the way of learning about other people in a world in which globalization and the process of European unification increases, rather than reduces, the need for knowledge about geography and about the peoples inhabiting our planet, especially Europe?

Does it not agree that this proposal will result in the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of Italian children compared to their peers elsewhere in the EU? How will they be able, in future, to identify and situate the regions of our continent, with which they could have to form vital links, in their work, or for the purposes of tourism or culture?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-3550/97 and E-3802/97 given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (10 December 1997)

The Commission takes note of the fact that in its draft proposal for the revision of the curriculum of the first two years of secondary school the Italian ministry of Education has not introduced the teaching of geography.

The Commission refers the Honourable Members to Article 126 of the EC Treaty which defines the action of the Community in the field of education as 'fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems'.

The revision of the curriculum, the choice of subjects and their distribution over the years of schooling are all domains under national competence.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3571/97 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI), Gastone Parigi (NI) and Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (13 November 1997)

Subject: High-speed trains (HST) and environmental impact

The reaction of local administrations, residents associations, environmental associations and environmental protection consortia to the planned Italian HST network on the Frejus-Turin-Milan-Venice, Milan-Genoa and Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome-Naples stretches is that environmental damage would be caused if the project were implemented as it now stands and would have a negative impact on health, the countryside and the equilibrium of the eco-system. A petition bearing 35 000 signatures has been sent to the EP.

1. Is the Commission aware of the Italian plan?

2. Does the project take account of the environmental impact assessment?

3. Does the assessment come within the parameters laid down in Community directives on protection of the environment and public health?

4. Following an initial pioneering experiment, can the Commission state whether preference should be given in the future to the variable trim technology (Pendolino) rather than to the technologies used for HST in other European countries?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (16 January 1998)

As far as the Commission knows, the project to which the Honourable Members make reference, has been submitted to environmental impact assessment (EIA).

Consequently, the Commission invites the Honourable Members to provide more precise and detailed information about the reported lack of care in respect of any environmental issues concerning the above mentioned project. Only on the basis of specific complaints, and with reference to the aspects falling within the scope of Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment ((OJ L 175, 5.7.1985. )), is the Commission entitled to undertake the appropriate interventions such as requesting information from the Member State or starting an infringement procedure.

The tilting train (Pendolino) technique enables a reduction of travel times and could contribute to a more efficient use of (existing) infrastructure. However, one should take into account that speed differences between trains on one line can cause significant capacity problems. Therefore, the tilting train cannot form a substitute for the modernisation and construction of infrastructure for high speed trains.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3788/97 by Panayotis Lambrias (PPE) to the Commission (26 November 1997)

Subject: Treaty of Amsterdam and persons with special needs

The Commission has already drawn attention to the timid nature of the clause on combating discrimination against the disabled (Article 6a) incorporated in the Treaty of Amsterdam (absence of immediate result, requirement of unanimity in the Council). Moreover, at the last minute a special reference to persons with special needs was withdrawn from Article 118 (social policy) of the new Treaty. Furthermore, Declaration No 22 of the Treaty - which states that, in drawing up measures under Article 100a of the Treaty establishing the European Community (approximation of legislations), the institutions of the Community shall take account of the needs of persons with a disability - does not have any binding force, owing to its legal nature.

In view of the above, will the Commission say:

1. How it intends to make the most of this weak guarantee provided by the Treaties for persons with special needs?

2. What specific initiatives is it planning to promote in this sector?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (19 January 1998)

Pursuant to Article 13 of the Treaty establishing the European Community as amended by the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Commission - once the latter Treaty enters into force - may take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on disability. This new provision confirms the approach outlined by the Commission in its Communication of 30 July 1996 'Equality of opportunity for people with disabilities - a new European Community disability strategy' ((OJ C 12, 13.1.1997. )). Basically this strategy is designed to promote a policy for disabled people based on equal rights. It embraces a raft of measures, including creation of an interdepartmental group on disability to take greater account of people with disabilities in preparing the relevant Community policies and actions; the creation of a high-level group of representatives of the Member States on disability to strengthen cooperation in this area with and between the Member States; promotion of the activities of the Non-Governmental Organisations and the European Forum of Disabled People; reinforcement of activities under the structural funds and in particular the Community Initiative 'Employment-Horizon'.

Timely implementation of the Amsterdam Treaty's provisions on employment is also important for people with disabilities. In this connection the Luxembourg European Council of 20 and 21 November 1997 agreed that the Member States should devote particular attention to the difficulties people with disabilities face in being integrated into active life.

On the basis of the other opportunities offered by the Treaty of Amsterdam and the final evaluation of the third Community action programme for disabled people * Helios II * (1993-1996) as well as the pilot and preparatory actions conducted in 1997, the Commission is currently exploring the advisability of supplementing the above-mentioned measures and how best to do so.