ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2101/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 June 2000)

Subject: Accession of Cyprus

Should accession negotiations with Cyprus be successfully completed but no parallel solution be reached with regard to the division of the island, what will be the constitutional position of Cyprus within the EU?

In terms of international and European law, will the whole of the island become a Member State of the EU in law, notwithstanding the division which exists in reality or will only the Greek Cypriot side of the Green Line join the EU, thereby granting de facto recognition to the disputed Turkish Republic?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(19 July 2000)

The accession negotiations are held in the framework of an inter-governmental accession conference between the Member States and the Republic of Cyprus.

The Commission refers to the Presidency conclusions of the Helsinki European Council, which stated that The European Council underlines that a political settlement will facilitate the accession of Cyprus to the European Union. If no settlement has been reached by the completion of accession negotiations, the Council's decision on accession will be made without the above being a precondition. In this the Council will take account of all relevant factors.

The Commission is fully in line with the Union position of strongly supporting the United Nations efforts for a political settlement in Cyprus and does not speculate on the implications of a settlement nor being reached, nor on future decisions of the European Council.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1530/00

by Marie-Thérèse Hermange (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 May 2000)

Subject: Protection of families and children

In its resolution A4-0004/1999(1) of 28 January 1999 on the protection of families and children, the European Parliament called on the Commission to disseminate best practice in the Member States as regards facilities for children, specific benefits relating to forms of care, the reintegration of elderly people into social life and making use of their abilities for the benefit of children, safety in public places and the adaptation of public transport to the needs of children.

Could the Commission state what action it has taken, or intends to take, to put this proposal into practice?

(1) OJ C 128, 7.5.1999, p. 79.

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1530/00, E-1531/000, E-1532/00, E-1533/00, E-1534/00, E-1535/00, E-1536/00 and E-1537/00 given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2000)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1758/00

by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 May 2000)

Subject: EU Bathing Water Directive

The EU's 25-year-old bathing water directive urgently requires revision. Particular attention should be paid to the necessary organoleptic assessments, since optical assessments of bathing water are often misleading.

How does the Commission intend to ensure that the outdated bathing water directive is brought up to date as soon as possible?

How does the Commission propose to amend the substance of the directive particularly as regards substances requiring measurement, measuring procedures and organoleptic assessment, to enable the results of measurements to be objective and comparable in all situations?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(20 July 2000)

The bathing water quality Directive 76/160/EEC(1) aims primarily at the monitoring of natural bathing waters for waste water pollution, and in particular for faecal pollution. Member States have therefore the obligation to take regular water samples and analyse them in qualified microbiological laboratories for the presence of faecal indicators. Besides these laboratory analyses, the water has to be controlled for some aesthetic parameters, which means checked visually for, amongst others, the presence of mineral oils and persistent foam of detergents and an olfactory check for the presence of phenols. The control is in most Member States performed by qualified and experienced personnel. However, it is possible that interpretation mistakes are made.

The Commission has been working intensively on the revision of the above directive since 1998. Trials on beach surveys are carried out in most Member States, and an expert working group is working on all monitoring aspects, including parameters and methods of analysis. The Commission will ensure in this matter the greatest possible alignment with World health organisation (proposed) standards.

The Commission intends before the summer break to submit a communication to the Parliament and the Council setting out the principles of the revision of the Directive. The communication will be the starting point of a broad consultation process involving all interested parties which should culminate in the autumn of this year in a bathing water conference. The Commission envisages to put forward a proposal for the revision in the first half of 2001.

(1) OJ L 312, 5.2.1976.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1003/00

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(31 March 2000)

Subject: Ramifications for companies of the EU and US banana dispute

When will the Commission be meeting US counterparts to finally solve the ongoing and harmful banana dispute between the EU and US, and when does it expect that this will be concluded to the satisfaction of all parties?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1001/00, E-1002/00 and E-1003/00 given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(16 May 2000)

The Commission regrets to inform the Honourable Member that it does not see any possibility to grant compensation to those companies within the Community which have been affected by the increase in American tariffs.

The Commission is aware of the serious consequences these measures can have on those affected and is determined to resolve the issue with the greatest possible dispatch.

The Commission presented on 10 November 1999 to the Council and the Parliament a proposal to amend its banana import regulations(1) so as to be in full conformity with World Trade Organisation rules.

In parallel the Commission has explored whether a solution could be found to the dispute with the parties involved. In particular, at the end of March 2000, Commission representatives met with their American counterparts in Washington. This meeting, however, was inconclusive and showed how difficult it is to agree a mutually acceptable system.

The Commission would like to confirm that no efforts are spared to end this dispute in the shortest possible timeframe. The Commission hopes that the Parliament will support these endeavours by voting rapidly its opinion on the Commission proposal of 10 November 1999.

(1) COM(1999) 582 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2251/00

by Lone Dybkjær (ELDR) to the Commission

(7 July 2000)

Subject: Bioethics

This question is intended to clarify the Commission's priorities as part of the Fifth RTD Framework Programme, and in particular why bioethics seems to have been given lower priority in the part of the Framework Programme which deals with quality of life and management of living resources.

Biosciences are developing very rapidly. The technical possibilities offered by research into GMOs, micro-organisms, etc. are blurring the limits of what is permissible in terms of research. Nevertheless, in the Fifth Framework Programme, the Commission has earmarked only 10 m. over a four-year period for research into ethical, legal and social aspects, thus greatly limiting the prospects for a joint European debate on the ethical consequences of research.

To what extent, therefore, would the Commission be prepared to devote greater attention to this subject over the next few years?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(8 September 2000)

As outlined in the Commission's communication of January 2000 on the European research area(1), the Commission attaches great importance to the development of a shared vision on ethical issues in Europe, especially in the context of life sciences. Research on bio-ethics will play an indispensable role in this context.

Under the fifth framework programme, bioethics is one of the action lines of Generic RTD activities and has to compete for resources with other heavily over-subscribed areas of the quality of life and management of living resources programme (QoL). Under the first QoL call for proposals (2 deadlines), bioethics received around 50 project proposals for a total request of 40 million. The number of projects funded is 8 out of 50, for a total Community contribution of 4,75 million. Given the importance of bioethics, the Commission is examining means of publishing two additional calls for proposals for research on bioethics (deadlines Spring 2001 and 2002) in order to boost resources to this area.

Since many projects elsewhere in the QoL programme have ethical implications, the programme conducts ethical reviews of those scientific projects involving issues of major significance in bioethics. The ethical reviews are carried out by pan-European panels of high level experts from different disciplines (e.g. science, law, ethics and sociology). The Commission has organised such ethical reviews three times already. These reviews are a valuable mechanism to raise the level of ethical awareness both in the scientific community and among European policy-makers.

In parallel, under its accompanying measures, the QoL programme also supports specific initiatives (conferences, workshops) aimed to stimulate pan-European discussions on issues of major significance in bioethics. These initiatives are an important means for establishing an interface between biosciences, social sciences and society.

(1) COM(2000) 6 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1280/00

by Emmanouil Mastorakis (PSE) to the Commission

(19 April 2000)

Subject: Natural disasters

On 14 October 1999, I tabled an oral question to the Commission (H-0603/99) concerning the establishment of a legal basis for aid in the event of natural disasters within the European Union. In its answer, the Commission stated, inter alia, that mldr Parliament did not consider it useful to send a clear political signal for the re-entry of urgent aid (in the budget) mldr and that mldr it is up to Parliament clearly to express its position mldr. On 2 December 1999, following the adoption of the Bourlanges report by Parliament, I tabled another oral question (H-0763/99), to which the Commission also replied in the negative. Parliament has, however, already adopted a resolution on the guidelines for the 2001 budget procedure Section III Commission (A5-0070/2000 the Haug report), paragraph 34 of which expressly refers to the need to re-establish line B4-3400 so that urgent needs caused by natural disasters can be addressed immediately.

In the light of this further information, will the Commission say when it will submit a proposal to establish a legal basis for the provision of aid in the event of natural disasters within the European Union?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(20 June 2000)

The Commission would like to thank the Honourable Member for his continuous interest in the establishment of a legal basis for aid in the event of natural disasters within the Community.

In this respect, the Honourable Member mentioned the resolution on the guidelines for the 2001 budget procedure Section III Commission (A5-0070/2000 the Haug report), paragraph 34 of which emphasises mldr that it is necessary to re-establish line B4-3400 (urgent aid for victims of natural disasters within the European Union) mldr.

While appreciating the political signal sent by Parliament, the Commission is not yet in a position to envisage proposing a legal basis with the aim of granting emergency aid in the event of natural or technological disasters within the Community.

The current reform process aims to identify the political priorities for Community actions in the years to come and to appraise the means for implementing them. It would therefore be premature to plan to submit such a proposal at the present time.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2275/00

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

(7 July 2000)

Subject: Bilateral agreements between Sicily and North Africa in the fisheries sector

No solution has yet been found to the fisheries problems involving the Sicilian and North African fishing fleets in the international waters of the Sicilian Channel.

It should be noted that, by virtue of is special statute, the Region of Sicily is the authority primarily responsible for fisheries.

It should also be noted that Sicily is on the European Union's frontier with the Afro-Asian basin.

Could the Commission state whether, and subject to what restrictions, the Sicilian regional authorities could be allowed to conclude bilateral fisheries agreements with neighbouring North African countries?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

The Community has exclusive powers to negotiate and conclude bilateral fisheries agreements with non-member countries; these are exercised by the Commission on the basis of negotiating instructions given to it by the Council.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0597/00

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: Sanctions against Austria

Can the Commission indicate whether it regards the decision by the Portuguese government to invite other EU governments to impose sanctions on a fellow Member State (Austria) as an abuse of the Presidency, and whether it regards the decision by fourteen mostly inexperienced Socialist governments to threaten to impose and to impose diplomatic sanctions on a Member State in order to affect the composition or policies (however disagreeable they might be) of a freely-elected government as a lack of respect for due democratic process within the Union and therefore, a violation of the principle of democracy referred to in Article 6(1) of the consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union on which the Euroepan Union is founded? If so, will the Commission uphold its role as the guardian of the Treaties by referring those governments which have imposed sanctions against Austria to the European Court of Justice for a determination on the legality of those sanctions, so that all European citizens will know in future whether it is legitimate for Member States to interfere in the democratic processes of other Member States in this way, and given the importance and seriousness of these unprecedented steps within the Union will the Commission send an explanation of its decision to the President of the European Parliament?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(4 May 2000)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its statement on Austria of 1 February 2000, in which it states that it shares the concerns underlying the declaration by the Portuguese Presidency of 31 January 2000 on behalf of 14 Member States and will continue to fulfil its duty as guardian of the provisions and values set down in the Treaties, which provide that the Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, as set out notably in Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on European Union.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1921/00

by Nicholas Clegg (ELDR) to the Commission

(16 June 2000)

Subject: Loans to Turkey

Can the Commission confirm whether EU loans have been extended to Turkey which include the acquisition of textiles manufacturing machinery?

What effect does the Commission consider that such loans will have on the competitivity of the EU textiles industry?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(7 July 2000)

The Commission is not aware of the Community having made any loans to Turkey for the purpose of acquiring textiles manufacturing machinery. However, in 1997 the Commission did take a financing decision in support of two cooperation projects in the textile and clothing sector. Before taking the final decision, the Commission presented these projects to Parliament, which issued a favourable opinion. The two projects are described below.

The first project relates to the compliance of materials used in the textile sector with environmental standards (implementing authority: Kosgeb, the Turkish SME development agency; total cost: 2,13 million; Community contribution: 1 million). The project's aim is to ensure that the materials used in the textile industry comply with environmental standards, and to help Turkey develop its own capacity in this field. This aim will be achieved by setting up a laboratory, accredited in accordance with standard EN 45001, to serve all SMEs in the textile sector and certify the materials they use according to these environmental standards. The laboratory will be equipped with two work-stations and will be located within TUBITAK's (Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey) Marmara Research Centre. The laboratory will also provide the opportunity for research to be carried out, under Tubitak's guidance, into environmentally-friendly products and clean technologies.

The second project concerns vocational training in the clothing sector (implementing authority: KOSGEB, the Turkish SME development agency; total cost: 2,44 million; Community contribution: 1,49 million). The project consists in a programme of training in working techniques for the clothing sector (use of sewing machines, cutting, repairs, supervision, management, etc.). It is aimed at young people, and especially young women in the industry who wish to improve their skills.

These decisions were made following the entry into force of the customs union agreement, and their aim is to help Turkish SMEs cope with the new competitive situation created by this agreement.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2300/00

by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(11 July 2000)

Subject: The Commission's port package and fishing ports

The Commission has announced that it will present a port package this year to clarify the rules of competition for port services and State aids. The aim is to ensure that independent firms have proper access to the port services markets.

Will the provisions of this package include fishing ports as well as commercial ports and ports handling oil?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

The Commission has indeed the intention to publish a Ports Package towards the end of this year. It is furthermore its intention to include in this package a draft legal instrument on access to port services.

Although no final decision on the details has yet been taken, it is currently not intended to include fishing ports in this measure but only commercial ports through which international trade is carried out.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-2950/00

by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission

(11 September 2000)

Subject: Compliance with public procurement legislation

The proposals for two public procurement directives that were published in May this year (COM(2000) 0275 and COM(2000) 0276, recently amended by subsequent corrigenda, seek to simplify legislation in the area of public procurement. There is, however, evidence to suggest that non-compliance with current legislation in this area is widespread. Whilst the Commission has previously acknowledged that such problems exist, neither of the proposals fully addresses this issue.

What action is the Commission planning to take in order to enhance compliance with public procurement legislation. Does it foresee the possibility of appropriate amendments being made to the proposals currently under consideration?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(2 October 2000)

As stated by the Honourable Member, the Commission has realised that there is a need to increase compliance with the current Community rules on public procurement. However, the Commission also believes that non-compliance is to a large extent caused by a lack of knowledge and understanding of the rules. It therefore sees the effort of clarification and simplification of the provisions, which is one of the main characteristics of the two proposals(1) it has presented to the Parliament and the Council, as a means which should enhance compliance with the rules.

The reasons for this are several. On the one hand, the requirements for contracting authorities and entities will be easier to understand, and, on the other, the Commission will be able to focus more intensively on the enforcement of clear rules. A further advantage in this respect is that interested parties, participants or potential participants in specific award procedures, will be able to pursue their rights better at national or Community level.

(1) COM(2000) 275 final COM(2000) 276 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1730/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 May 2000)

Subject: Commission linguistic policy and the safeguard and promotion of minority and regional languages

In its joint reply to my parliamentary questions E-0465/00 and E-0478/00(1), the Commission stated that it was considering conducting a study into the needs of linguistic minorities in the Union, which could provide important additional information on this issue. I should like to be promptly informed of future developments in connection with this matter.

To this end, will the Commission give details of the current state of play on this issue? Specifically, when will a final decision be made on whether or not a study is to be carried out, and what would be its objectives and guidelines?

Would the study be carried out internally or externally?

(1) OJ C 374 E, 28.12.2000, p. 82.

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(25 July 2000)

The Commission is currently drawing up specifications with a view to launching a call for tenders for a study dealing specifically with the needs of regional and minority language communities in the European Union.

The plan is to build on the results of the Euromosaic study carried out in 1992 and extended in 1997 to cover the three new Member States. The first objective is to study the following aspects of the regional and minority language communities: the use of the language, its legal and administrative position, and its presence in education, the media, public and economic life. The second objective is to take stock of the various measures taken around Europe to support and promote these languages, and to analyse their cost and their impact on the use of the languages. The aim of the study would be to enable Community funding to be better targeted towards those communities that need it most and towards the most effective promotion measures, taking into account the resources deployed.

A decision on the timetable for the study depends on resolving the legal difficulties surrounding the execution of the budget heading in question (B3-1000).