ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0245/02

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(6 February 2002)

Subject: Clarifications concerning the answer to the written questions on the review of action taken in Afghanistan pursuant to the various objectives set out in the Council common position of 22 January 2001

The Commission decided to provide a single answer to Written Questions E-3220/01 E-3252/01(1) on the review of action taken in Afghanistan pursuant to the Council common position of 22 January 2001. It emerges from this answer that, apart from humanitarian aid and a number of declarations, the commitment entered into has not been fulfilled (the Commission intends to direct its action towards achieving the objectives of the common position Article 7).

Therefore, the simple question posed in each of the written questions is being asked once again:

What practical action did the Commission take prior to the events of 11 September with a view to achieving the individual objectives stated in the Council's common position? In particular how much European funding (in euro) was spent between 1 January and 11 September 2001, how much was earmarked for activities in Afghanistan and under what heading (budget item and project title), to whom were the sums paid and which of them were subject to controls and/or checks and by whom, and what were the results?

(1) OJ C 160 E, 4.7.2002, p. 76.

Supplementary answergiven by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(27 August 2002)

Between 1 January 2001 and 11 September 2001, only two budgetary instruments were used for carrying out Community actions in Afghanistan. These are, on the one hand, humanitarian aid and, on the other hand, aid to uprooted people. All the sums were paid to either International Organisations (such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or Red Cross) or non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The rest of the detailed information concerning Community funding during this period requested by the Honourable Member is displayed in the tables sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.

All projects, were subject to the standard checks and auditing procedures provided for in the standard conditions of the contracts. These operations are carried out, either directly by the Commission services or by external auditors. The results were fully in line with the objectives provided for in Article 1 of the Common position.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3356/02

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 November 2002)

Subject: The Commission's Green paper and Follow-up Communication on Consumer Protection

On 7 December 2001, Commissioner Byrne made the statement that the Green Paper on Consumer Protection is designed to form part of the Better Regulation initiative and suggested that the success of the Green Paper is a test case for the governance and better regulation ideas.

Subsequently, on 5 June 2002, the Commission adopted a Communication on Impact Assessment as part of the Better Regulation Package, which defined impact assessment as an integral part of the process of designing policy proposals and making decision-makers and the public aware of the likely impacts.

In view of Commissioner Byrne's statement, could the Commission please confirm that its approach to the Green Paper and Follow-up Communication on EU Consumer Protection is consistent with the principles set out in the Commission's Communication on Impact Assessment?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(17 December 2002)

The Commission is pleased to confirm that its approach in the Green Paper(1) and follow-up Communication(2) is consistent with the principles set out in the Communication on impact assessment and indeed remains in the vanguard of work on better regulation. The follow-up Communication committed the Commission

to producing an impact assessment report to complement a future proposal for a framework directive on fair commercial practices. The Commission's work programme for 2003 confirms that an extended impact assessment report will be delivered with a proposal in the second quarter of 2003. The Member of the Commission responsible for Health and Consumer Protection also presented the conclusions of surveys and a study on impact assessment to the Competitiveness Council of 14 November 2002. This study, which will form the basis of the impact assessment that will accompany the proposal, will be made available on the website of Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection.

(1) COM(2001) 531 final.

(2) COM(2002) 289 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3571/02

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(12 December 2002)

Subject: Proposal for a secrecy clause in the sixth research framework programme

It is being said in Sweden that the proposal to incorporate a secrecy clause in the sixth research framework programme is not consistent with the Swedish Constitution. According to the newspaper Ny Teknik, in the draft contracts under the new framework programme, secrecy is the rule and openness the exception.

Under Swedish law, however, the universities must be open to scrutiny and they do not have the right to classify research of public interest as secret. The Swedish Ministry for Education has reportedly informed the Commission of its wish to adhere to the same rules which applied for the fifth and fourth programmes.

Does the Commission intend to take the Swedish views into account or is the abovementioned proposal for a secrecy clause already fixed?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(23 January 2003)

The report quoted in the newspaper Ny Teknik refers to one of the initial versions of the draft contract for research projects under the sixth framework programme. Following comments from the Swedish delegation during a meeting of the contracts working group of Member States and Associated States,

the Commission produced a revised version of the draft contract. The confidentiality clause provides that the Commission and the contractors undertake to preserve the confidentiality of any information communicated to them in relation to the execution of the project, which has been identified as confidential in relation to the execution of the project. This and the other aspects relating to confidentiality are in compliance with the provisions of Swedish law.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3371/02

by Marianne Eriksson (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(27 November 2002)

Subject: Cairo document and reproductive health

At a preparatory meeting held ahead of the next ESCAP meeting in Bangkok, the Bush Administration declared that it would not support the action plan adopted at the UN's international conference in Cairo in 1994. One aspect on which the action plan focuses is women's right to functioning reproductive health and sex education in the developing countries. The USA will now oppose this plan and instead recommend sexual abstinence and family planning. It is a major retrograde step to deny the women of the world their reproductive rights when one woman dies every minute as a result of the complications of an abortion or pregnancy.

Will the Council, therefore, go against the USA and continue to support the Cairo document at the meeting in December?

Reply

(8 May 2003)

The Council continues to support the Action Plan adopted at the UN's International Conference on Population and Development which was held in Cairo in 1994.

It has not had the opportunity to discuss with the USA its position on the implementation of the Plan.

However, the Council would emphasise that at its meeting in May 2002 in its development configuration it adopted conclusions in paragraph 13 of which it stated that with a view to intensifying support for health in developing countries and build further on each other's strengths and comparative advantages, it welcomed the intention by the Commission to reinforce cooperative arrangements with the Member States, and with international organisations or public/private entities, in particular the UNFPA, and considered that these arrangements should also benefit initiatives taken at regional and national levels.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3927/02

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(15 January 2003)

Subject: Patenting of software

What can the Commission do to ensure that its proposals for the patenting of software do not deprive internet users of the benefit of superior applications and operating systems developed through free and open source software?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 2003)

Computer software as such is excluded from patentability under the European Patent Convention and the laws of the Member States, and the Commission has no intention of changing this situation.

Thus, the Commission's proposal for a Directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions made in February 2002(1) is not intended to extend the scope of what may be patented. Rather, what it sets out to do is to establish uniform rules for patent offices and courts to follow in assessing the patentability of inventions involving apparatus or methods which involve the use of computer software. This is necessary because, while the Member States are bound by the European Patent Convention, it is not currently part of Community law, and in practice it is not always the case that the respective national laws are uniformly interpreted, especially on specialised points of detail.

A directive that does not change the overall balance of what is or is not patentable will not deprive internet users of anything they might otherwise have been able to enjoy. However, both users and developers of computer software, whether it be supplied as free, open source or under any other business model, should experience the benefits which will arise from the increased legal certainty and uniformity of practice that the directive should bring.

Certain of the amendments which have been discussed in the course of consideration of the proposal in the Council would produce still greater legal certainty by defining more precisely what subject-matter should be excluded from patentability on the grounds of making no technical contribution. The Commission has indicated that it would consider these amendments in the course of the ongoing negotiations.

There is moreover an important safeguard for software developers in Article 6 of the proposal, which will have the effect that the exercise of patent rights cannot interfere with the exceptions which are provided under Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991, on the legal protection of computer programs(2) by copyright in connection with the purpose of achieving interoperability.

Finally, according to Articles 7 and 8 of the proposal, the Commission is called upon to monitor and report to the Council and Parliament on the impact of computer-implemented inventions on innovation and competition both in Europe and internationally. This provision, which is cast in terms broader than mere consideration of the effects of the directive, provides a valuable mechanism for responding to unforeseen future developments in this sector.

(1) OJ C 151, 25.6.2002.

(2) OJ L 122, 17.5.1991.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3598/02

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

(13 December 2002)

Subject: Estimated cost of the Exxon Valdez disaster to the economy of the Alaskan coastline and expected costs of the Prestige disaster for the Galician coastal areas

The cost of the Exxon Valdez disaster to the economy of the Alaskan coastline, in accordance with the US authorities' determination of Exxon's liability, is estimated at USD 1 billion in damage to the natural environment, plus a further USD 2 billion in depollution measures and other necessary action. Given that the impact of the Prestige disaster on Galicia's coastal areas exceeds that caused by the Exxon Valdez, what is the Commission's estimate for Galicia? What mechanisms and legal procedures will the Commission employ to demand the necessary compensation?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-3597/02 and E-3598/02given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(26 February 2003)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answers to parliamentary questions H-0848/02(1), E-3362/02 and E-3404/02(2), E-3439/02(3), E-3590/02(4), E-3591/02(5), E-3593/02(6), E-3594/02(7), E-3599/02(11), E-3602/02, E-3603/02 and E-3604/02(8), E-3655/02 and E-3656/02(9) and P-0001/03(10), which cover all aspects of the Prestige disaster, including the issues of compensation and costs raised by the Honourable Member.

(1) Written answer given on 14.1.2003.

(2) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 85.

(3) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 90.

(4) OJ C 222 E, 18.9.2003, p. 91.

(5) OJ C 222 E, 18.9.2003, p. 92.

(6) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 110.

(7) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 111.

(8) OJ C 192 E, 14.8.2003, p. 124.

(9) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 123.

(10) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 166.

(11) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 111.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-2940/02

by Mikko Pesälä (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 October 2002)

Subject: Delivery of aid to Afghanistan

The EU is one of the main donors of funding for reconstruction in Afghanistan. By 2006 around EUR 1 billion will have been supplied in aid.

It is hard to deliver the aid to its destination reliably in the difficult circumstances. Air freight often costs too much.

What plans does the Commission have regarding the delivery of aid to its destination and the timing of deliveries?

Has the Commission considered the alternative of sending the aid by rail via Finland? In that case the rail gauge would be the same all the way from an EU Member State's ports to the Afghan border; storage facilities in the regions around South-East Finnish logistics centres are excellent, the reliability of delivery via Russia has been proved over many years, and relations have been built up with Russians and Afghans.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(25 November 2002)

Indeed the Commission is one of the significant donors to Afghanistan. Purchase of bulk quantities on European markets destined for Afghanistan, is rather exceptional. It is not expected that this will change in the future, as implementing partners also seek to purchase commodities in the sub-region so as to limit the costs of transport. In this regard, the Commission responded favorably to requests by the World Food Programme to purchase wheat in Kazakhstan for Afghan destined food aid.

The Commission applies its standard rules and regulations, for tenders. The delivery route is a decision for suppliers and traders in making their offer. The Commission, for its part, is obliged to choose the most advantageous offer without being influenced by the way suppliers and traders prepare their tenders including transport provisions.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1906/02

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(2 July 2002)

Subject: Settled status test for student loans in the UK

Does the Commission consider the test of settled status applied by the UK authorities in the determination of eligibility for student loans to be in conformity with the Treaties?

Supplementary answergiven by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 2003)

Under Community law, Union workers and their children have a right to equal treatment with nationals as regards any assistance, whether in the form of a grant or a loan, granted for access to education and/or for maintenance.

Students who are not workers nor children of workers have a right to equal treatment with nationals with regard to assistance given by a Member State to its nationals for the purpose of vocational training, including university studies, only in so far as assistance is intended to cover registration or other fees, in particular tuition fees charged for access to education. Assistance given to students for maintenance falls outside the scope of the EC Treaty for the purposes of article 12 of the EC Treaty (cases 39/86 Lair, C-357/89 Raulin, etc.). In application of this case law, article 3 of Council Directive 93/96/EEC of 29 october 1993 on the right of residence for students(1) provides that this Directive does not establish any entitlement to the payment of maintenance grants.

Following examination of the British legislation on financial support for students it appears that the settled status condition does not apply to Union nationals. The latter are only submitted to a condition of prior residence in the European Economic Area (EEA) of three years.

(1) OJ L 317, 18.12.1993.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-2585/02

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(10 September 2002)

Subject: The inflationary effects of the euro

When the euro came into circulation in January 2002 there were fears of an increase in inflationary pressures being caused by the unlawful rounding up of prices or covert increases, especially after the period of dual circulation during the conversion to the euro. The Portuguese press

recently revealed that many prices, especially in the food, clothing and transport sectors, will show a higher than expected rise during the year in the euro zone countries. In France, for example, prices will have risen by 10 %, according to the Union Fédérale des Consommateurs Que Choisir (UFC), and in Holland the Central Bank stated in August that the transition to the euro had doubled the rate of inflation. In this connection a number of consumer protection organisations in the European Union are organising a shopping boycott for 12 September 2002.

Against this background, can the Commission answer the following questions:

- What effect is the entry into circulation of the euro estimated to have had on the price index in each Member State in the euro zone?

- If no such information exists, does the Commission not consider it essential that it should?

What impact does it consider the euro has had on inflation in the euro zone?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-2451/02 and P-2585/02given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(24 October 2002)

According to an analysis carried out by Eurostat and published in July 2002, consumer prices in the euro zone, as measured by the harmonised consumer price index (HCPI), rose by 1,4 % between the last six months of 2001 and the first six months of 2002. 1,2 % of this increase is attributable to historical inflation trends and specific factors not directly linked to the introduction of the euro (weather conditions, indirect taxes, etc.).

The inflationary impact of the introduction of euro notes and coins is thus limited (not more than 0,2 %), even it is slightly higher than in previous estimates (not more that 0,16 %). In most Member States, similar estimates suggesting generally limited effects have been made by national statistical institutions and central banks.

Nevertheless, abnormal price rises have been observed in some sectors (restaurants and cafés, health services, small traders, etc.). These increases combined with a tendency to round prices up on certain everyday consumer products might have contributed to the public's perception of a higher inflationary effect than that indicated by official indices for all consumer goods and services.

Overall, inflation has been falling since the start of 2002.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-2591/02

by Gian Gobbo (NI) to the Commission

(11 September 2002)

Subject: Priority to be given to Argentineans of European origin as far as immigration from outside the Community is concerned

The serious economic crisis which recently hit Argentina is inducing many Argentinean citizens of European origin to emigrate to the European Union, in particular Italy and Spain.

They are usually well-educated people who speak at least one Community language perfectly and whose integration into the Member States should pose no problems.

Does the Commission not consider it would be useful to create an aid programme to give priority and preference to the entry of these people into the countries where they have their roots?

Does it not consider that the supervised arrival of these new immigrants of European origin is preferable to the entry into our countries of immigrants from outside Europe who for cultural, religious and socio-economic reasons are often difficult to assimilate in our communities?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(30 October 2002)

At the present stage of development of Community policy on migration, the criteria for the selection of third country nationals seeking admission to its territory as legal immigrants is a matter for each Member State to decide taking into account the relevant national legislation and bi-lateral or other agreements which it may have entered into with particular third countries. Knowledge of the language of the receiving country and historical and cultural links with third countries may influence these arrangements and the admission decision.

With its proposal for a Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of employmen(1) the Commission is pursuing the aim of laying down common criteria for admitting third country nationals to employed activities and self-employed economic activities based on preference for the domestic labour market and offering a number of different options for demonstrating compliance with this criteria. The draft Directive proposes a single national application procedure leading to one combined title, encompassing both residence and work permit within one administrative act, in order to simplify and harmonise the diverging rules currently applicable in Member States.

Given the rapidly changing nature of the demand for labour in the Union, the Commission has not proposed the establishment of European quotas or programmes for the recruitment of immigrants. However, the Commission believes that the gradual development of a common policy will reinforce cooperation between the Member States and encourage further coordination of admissions arrangements in the longer term.

(1) Proposal for a Council Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of paid employment and self-employed economic activities OJ C 332 E, 27.11.2001.