ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1220/98

by Ernesto Caccavale (UPE) to the Commission

(29 April 1998)

Subject: Alleged irregularities in the management of cooperation funds by CESTAS

In 1993, DG VIII of the European Commission awarded the management of a cooperation project for urgent assistance in the health sector in Angola to CESTAS, an Italian NGO in Bologna. The total value of the project originally came to approximately Lire 6 billion. After establishing that the NGO in question was having difficulties implementing the project owing to the unstable situation in Angola, the Commission asked it to reschedule it and extended the time scale of the action.

Will the Commission therefore:

1. Evaluate the emergency heading under which the funds were granted?

2. Specify the level of contributions already granted to the NGO for this emergency medical assistance?

3. Indicate to whom the Commission request to reschedule the project was directed?

4. Verify the explanations given by CESTAS for its continued failure to begin operations in Angola and for the extremely costly and numerous planning missions undertaken by its members?

5. Indicate the steps it intends to take should any irregularities be proven?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(25 June 1998)

Rehabilitation projects in Angola are financed by the Commission in accordance with the essential requirements it has identified and the priorities it has chosen. In 1995, the Commission (DG VIII and ECHO) drew up a cooperation strategy aimed at rehabilitating health services, in collaboration with the Health Ministry and other donors.

The Cestas project, like all other ongoing NGO (non-governmental organisation) projects, was reviewed in the light of changing circumstances in the country, the Commission's priorities and the need to coordinate the various operations in each province.

Since 1992 the Commission has granted the NGO Cestas a total of ECU 1 441 000 for health sector rehabilitation initiatives in Angola. The outstanding payment of ECU 123 743 will be made after the activities related to the project have been completed and approved by the Commission.

The decision to revise the project was taken after consultations between the Commission, the NGO officials and the provincial health authorities.

While the project was being actively executed, the NGO was present in and was represented in Angola. Missions were provided for in the contract, notably for the purpose of holding meetings and seminars with the local bodies involved in the project.

The NGO in question is subject to the usual monitoring and inspection procedures applied to other partners in cooperation projects. Payment in instalments is subject to the approval of activity reports and financial reports. When in doubt, the Commission conducts more in-depth financial checks.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2258/98

by Miguel Arias Cañete (PPE) to the Commission

(22 July 1998)

Subject: The EAGGF Guarantee Section in the Netherlands from 1986 to 1995

Can the Commission indicate the total amount received by the Netherlands under the EAGGF Guarantee Section from 1986 to 1995 and provide a breakdown of expenditure:

- by heading (arable crops, sugar, fibre plants and silk worms, other plant products, wine products, tobacco, milk and milk products, beef/veal, sheepmeat and goatmeat, pigmeat, eggs and poultry, other measures concerning animal products, refunds on certain goods obtained by processing agricultural products, refunds in connection with Community food aid, distribution of agricultural products to deprived persons, accompanying measures, rural development measures linked to markets, other measures, income aid, and the European Fisheries Guarantee Fund); and

- by type of aid (export refunds, price compensating aids, acreage aid, aid for livestock, guidance premiums, private storage aid, withdrawals and similar operations, monetary compensatory amounts, measures accompanying reform of the CAP, and public storage costs)?
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1003/98

by Gianni Tamino (V) to the Commission

(2 April 1998)

Subject: Aviano airbase: request for information

With reference to my previous Written Question E-3480/96(1) and Commissioner Bjerregaard's replies of 20 January 1997 and 4 July 1997, has the request for information referred to in those replies been met and have the Italian authorities responded, in the light also of the serious accident in Cermins caused by a US military aircraft from that base?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(2 June 1998)

On the basis of the information received by the Italian authorities, it appears that Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment(2) is not applicable to the specific case of the American military airbase in Aviano, since Article 1 paragraph 4 of the above mentioned directive states that "projects serving national defence purposes are not covered by this directive".

(1) OJ C 83, 14.3.1997, p. 130 and OJ C 60, 25.2.1998, p. 7.

(2) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1767/98

by Gunilla Carlsson (PPE) to the Commission

(5 June 1998)

Subject: The Commission's annual report on bathing beaches in the EU

The Commission's annual report on bathing beaches in the EU was published today. It fails all the bathing beaches in the Stockholm area.

What grounds does the Commission have for classifying bathing beaches? Does it consider that the monitoring of bathing beaches is something which is best done at EU level and that such activities are consistent with Article 5 of the EC Treaty on subsidiarity?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(2 July 1998)

This report is published annually by the Commission prior to the bathing season of the current year. Its purpose is to inform the public of the quality of bathing areas in the various Member States over the past year.

Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality of bathing water(1) obliges the competent authorities in the Member States (e.g. local governments or beach managers) to sample and inspect the identified bathing water areas during the bathing season at minimum frequencies laid down in the Directive (in general every 14 days). The samples are then analysed in laboratories to determine the quantities of certain pollution indicators (parameters). The organisation of the monitoring programmes falls under the subsidiarity principle.

However, the Commission's annual report on bathing water quality is published pursuant to Article 13 of Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 modified by Article 3 of Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment(2), which obliges Member States to inform the Commission of the laboratory results and the inspections.

In calculating the quality level the Commission takes into account two microbiological parameters - total and faecal coliforms - and three physico-chemical parameters - mineral oils, surface active substances and phenol. These are parameters for which the Directive stipulates a minimum sampling frequency and mandatory values which are not to be exceeded. The authorities in Sweden, and in this instance of Stockholm, do not monitor systematically or at all the three physico-chemical parameters, which explains the high number of orange symbols (for insufficiently sampled bathing areas) and red symbols (for not sampled and thus incompliant bathing areas) in the report.

(1) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976.

(2) OJ L 377, 31.12.1991.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1646/98

by Panayotis Lambrias (PPE) to the Commission

(29 May 1998)

Subject: Need to bring Greek law into line with Community legislation on food to protect consumers

According to a recently published report by the Greek authorities, Greece is far behind schedule in incorporating Community legislation on food into national law, while the relevant Greek legislation is marked by a lack of cohesion compounded by the fragmentation of the procedures and mechanisms for quality control.

Does the Commission propose to take steps to further the implementation in Greece of Directive 93/43/EEC(1) which lays down rules for good hygiene practice in the countries of production, transportation and distribution of food, and to set up the necessary bodies and structures to protect the health of Greek consumers?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(20 July 1998)

Monitoring the application of Community law, the Commission sent Greece a letter of formal notice, in February 1996, and a reasoned opinion, in December 1996, for failure to communicate any measures transposing Directive 93/43/EEC on the hygiene of foodstuffs within the given time limit. Since then the Commission has received no indication that the Directive has been transposed, and it recently decided to bring the matter before the Court of Justice.

(1) OJ L 175, 19.7.1993, p. 1.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2070/98

by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission

(7 July 1998)

Subject: EU-wide "senior citizens' hotline"

In every conceivable Community sphere, old age creates specific needs as regards assistance, protection and life in the community. By virtue of their making up such a large group, senior citizens in the Community require special guidance and advice on many aspects of their lives as Community citizens.

Given that some senior citizens live in Community countries other than their own, and that certain Community policies concern them, consideration should be given to providing them with a direct means of contacting Community bodies able to help resolve any doubts or problems that might arise in their everyday lives.

With this in mind, does the Commission see the need to encourage the setting-up of a "senior citizens' hotline" to respond to enquiries from senior citizens in the EU on areas in which Community legislation affects their lives so as to help them in dealing with the various dangers to which people of that generation are exposed?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(10 September 1998)

In order to ensure a permanent dialogue with citizens and respond to the need for good service and efficient management in the field of communication with the public, the Commission launched a new comprehensive information service called Europe Direct in June 1998.

The service, which started as a pilot project in August 1996, replies to general information requests on the activities of the Community, informs European citizens about their rights within the internal market through guides and factsheets and gives advice on practical problems encountered by citizens in their everyday lives.

Europe Direct gives answers in all Community languages and guides citizens to the appropriate information source nearest to them.

Since 1996 Europe Direct has replied to 20 000 questions on the activities of the Community including thousands of enquiries concerning social protection matters relating to pensions, social rights of the elderly and of people with disabilities, taxation, sick leave and unemployment benefits.

The service can be contacted by calling the Europe Direct free-phone numbers in each Member State, on the Internet at http://europa.eu.int/citizens as well as by letter and fax.

Since Europe Direct offers a full information service for all European citizens, including senior citizens, the Commission does not consider it necessary to establish a separate information service only for older people.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2168/98

by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission

(13 July 1998)

Subject: Transparency and access to documents

Parliament's resolution on the legislative programme for 1999 called for the necessary measures to be taken before the Amsterdam Treaty enters into force in regard to the rules on transparency and access to documents. According to an announcement in the House and statements to the committees, an interinstitutional working party is dealing with this matter.

Does the working party now have a clear idea of how the register of documents of the institutions concerned, particularly the Commission's, should be organized and how does the Commission intend to draw the line between executive and legislative activities?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 1998)

The Working Party referred to by the Honourable Member was set up to pave the way for the implementation of the new Article 255 introduced by the Amsterdam Treaty.

The task of the Working Party, consisting of officials from the Commission, Parliament and the Council, is to review the various questions raised in connection with the presentation by the Commission of a legislative proposal of the kind provided for by Article 255. The three institutions are not bound by preparatory work done by this purely informal Working Party, which has not made an in-depth study of the two problems referred to by the Honourable Member with a view to laying down guidelines.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2262/98

by Miguel Arias Cañete (PPE) to the Commission

(22 July 1998)

Subject: The EAGGF Guarantee Section in Greece from 1986 to 1995

Can the Commission indicate the total amount received by Greece under the EAGGF Guarantee Section from 1986 to 1995 and provide a breakdown of expenditure:

- by heading (arable crops, sugar, fibre plants and silk worms, other plant products, wine products, tobacco, milk and milk products, beef/veal, sheepmeat and goatmeat, pigmeat, eggs and poultry, other measures concerning animal products, refunds on certain goods obtained by processing agricultural products, refunds in connection with Community food aid, distribution of agricultural products to deprived persons, accompanying measures, rural development measures linked to markets, other measures, income aid, and the European Fisheries Guarantee Fund); and

- by type of aid (export refunds, price compensating aids, acreage aid, aid for livestock, guidance premiums, private storage aid, withdrawals and similar operations, monetary compensatory amounts, measures accompanying reform of the CAP, and public storage costs)?
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1637/98 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Mobile and wireless communications



Official Journal C 050 , 22/02/1999 P. 0060



WRITTEN QUESTION E-1637/98 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (29 May 1998) Subject: Mobile and wireless communications Having regard to (a) the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the further development of mobile and wireless communications - Challenges and choices for the European Union (COM(97) 217 final) and (b) the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions; Strategy and policy orientations with regard to the further development of mobile and wireless communications (UMTS) - Outcome of the public consultation and proposals for creating a favourable environment (COM(97) 513 final), and to the provisions relating to cooperation between the Commission and the Member States and with the organizations concerned at international and European level, can the Commission also ensure that at European Union level a single strategy is adopted with regard to UMTS and that standardization is, moreover, achieved with the full participation of all the players from the industrial sector and that the interests of manufacturers and operators are represented, so as to minimize problems connected with industrial property rights?
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2265/98

by Miguel Arias Cañete (PPE) to the Commission

(22 July 1998)

Subject: The EAGGF Guarantee Section in Finland in 1995

Can the Commission indicate the total amount received by Finland under the EAGGF Guarantee Section in 1995 and provide a breakdown of expenditure:

- by heading (arable crops, sugar, fibre plants and silk worms, other plant products, wine products, tobacco, milk and milk products, beef/veal, sheepmeat and goatmeat, pigmeat, eggs and poultry, other measures concerning animal products, refunds on certain goods obtained by processing agricultural products, refunds in connection with Community food aid, distribution of agricultural products to deprived persons, accompanying measures, rural development measures linked to markets, other measures, income aid, and the European Fisheries Guarantee Fund); and

- by type of aid (export refunds, price compensating aids, acreage aid, aid for livestock, guidance premiums, private storage aid, withdrawals and similar operations, monetary compensatory amounts, measures accompanying reform of the CAP, and public storage costs)?

Joint answer

to Written Questions E-2251/98, E-2252/98, E-2253/98, E-2254/98,E-2255/98, E-2256/98, E-2257/98, E-2258/98, E-2259/98, E-2260/98, E-2261/98, E-2262/98,E-2263/98, E-2264/98 and E-2265/98 given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(1 September 1998)

In view of the length of its answer, the Commission is sending it direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2106/98

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(10 July 1998)

Subject: Violation of EU rules

Wind-ENEL came first in the competition for the third manager of mobile telephony, beating its competitors Pcenne and Telon.

Wind, the Italian-French-German giant set up in November last year at the initiative of ENEL (51 %), Deutsche Telekom (24,5 %) and France Telecom (24,5 %), has more than 8 million clients and a turnover of 100 000 billion.

The announcement by Dr Tato, managing director of ENEL, that Wind has increased its capital from 600 to 2 500 billion raises a series of questions about the procedures being followed by the Italian energy monopoly ENEL. So far it has been said that ENEL has not paid out any money but merely granted infrastructures. Now, to preserve the 51 % share the company will have to pay some 1 000 billion, which can hardly cover only infrastructures. There is a danger that ENEL will use the profits guaranteed by the energy monopoly to finance a different business, which would blatantly conflict with national rules and Community directives.

Is the Commission aware of this manoeuvre, and what does it intend to do about it?

Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission

(16 September 1998)

The Commission is aware of ENEL's investments in the Wind consortium, which reflect a trend emerging in a number of Member States: companies with a monopoly in electricity generation are branching out into other sectors so as to offset potential loss of revenue - resulting from the gradual introduction of competition into the electricity market - with revenue from other sectors.

Such practices are not contrary to Community law. None of the Community telecommunications directives require the Member States to prohibit companies with exclusive or special rights in sectors other than telecommunications from investing monopoly-derived funds in the telecommunications sector. They merely require such companies to present separate accounts for their activities as suppliers of voice telephony or networks and their other activities.

This requirement has been met because Wind is legally separate from ENEL and has other shareholders. Financial and commercial relations between the two companies are therefore sufficiently transparent for the authorities to be able to intervene in the event of any infringement of competition rules.

At all events, the national regulatory authorities responsible for the telecommunications and energy sectors and the antitrust authority can monitor the situation as appropriate, without prejudice to any action which the Commission may take if Community law is infringed.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1974/98

by Freddy Blak (PSE) to the Commission

(30 June 1998)

Subject: Killing of pets in Greece

In the summer months the many tourists in Greece often keep cats or dogs. When the holiday makers leave the country the abandoned animals are often put down. I understand that this is often done in cruel and inhumane ways. On Thessos, poison is put out. The permanent residents know what is happening and keep their own animals indoors until it is over. In Crete there have been cases where food has been put out containing broken glass, condemning ownerless dogs and cats to an agonizing painful death. Is the Commission aware of the problem? Is it in a position to encourage the wider use of more humane methods of putting down such animals, and has it taken any steps to do so?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 1998)

The Commission is aware that a problem of stray domestic pets does exist in certain tourist locations in Greece. These animals are often fed or otherwise cared for on a temporary basis by tourist in the summer and at the end of the holiday season a serious problem is left for the local authorities.

Although the Community has legislated to protect the welfare of farm and laboratory animals, the welfare of domestic pets is still a matter within the competence of the authorities of the Member States.

Therefore, the Commission is not in a position to propose legislation in the area of euthanasia for stray pet animals.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1683/98

by Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission

(29 May 1998)

Subject: Utilization of PHARE appropriations in Slovenia

Educational cooperation is one of the most important forms of grass-roots cooperation between the EU Member States and the candidate countries.

Of the PHARE appropriations intended for Slovenia, how much was utilized in 1997 for such cooperation and what proportion of these appropriations did it represent?
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3092/98

by Laura González Álvarez (GUE/NGL) and Pedro Marset Campos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(16 October 1998)

Subject: Delay in the payment of funds under the Leader I programme

The rural development centre "La Montaña" was set up in the municipality of Cocentaina (Alicante, Spain) and has played an active part in the implementation of the Leader I programme.

It has acted as an intermediary in attracting a range of subsidies for projects which have already been concluded in neighbouring rural areas. Nevertheless, despite the time which has elapsed since the granting of subsidies by "La Montaña" in 1994 and the conclusion of the projects for which grants were awarded, the beneficiaries have still not received the full amount of the subsidies.

According to the explanation given by "La Montaña" to the beneficiaries, the reason for the delay is that the full amount due to them from the European Union has not yet been transferred.

Moreover, those responsible within the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture (the intermediary between the EU and the "La Montaña" rural development centre) have indicated to the beneficiaries of grants that payment of part of the funds was being held up pending a resolution of the Spanish Court of Auditors.

In view of the lack of defences available to the bodies responsible for the practical implementation of the Leader programme on the ground:

1. Is the Commission aware of delays in the final payment of funds under the Leader programme?

2. What steps can the Commission take to ensure that, given the time which has elapsed, the full amounts of the subsidies funded under the Leader programme are paid out?

3. Can the Commission provide information on its monitoring of the situation?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(28 October 1998)

The Commission has asked the Member State concerned for information regarding the facts raised to by the Honourable Members. It will inform them of its findings.