do-me/EUR-LEX huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1632/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Project proposal for disability-friendly cities and localities
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: EU aid, disabled person, regional government, town planning













EUR-Lex - 91996E1632 - EN






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91996E1632

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1632/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Project proposal for disability-friendly cities and localities  


Official Journal C 322 , 28/10/1996 P. 0097 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1632/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Project proposal for disability-friendly cities and localitiesWhat was the total number of people present at the planning conferences for this project held at Barcelona last year and Bologna this year, and what proportion and number of those were people with disabilities?Of the organisations represented at each event, what number and proportion were organisations of disabled people (i.e. with management boards comprising at least 51% disabled people or parents of disabled children)? In determining any EU financial support for this initiative, will the Commission ensure that 75% of all monies are paid to such representative organisations of disabled people at the local level?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (30 July 1996)The Commission was not responsible for organising the Barcelona and Bologna conferences and therefore does not have the information requested by the Honourable Member. In accordance with the principles underlying the Helios II programme, the Commission strongly encourages participation by disabled people in all measures receiving Community support. However, the Commission does not require the registration of disabled people for this purpose.The Commission representative at the Barcelona and Bologna events noted that local-level organisations of disabled people were very well represented.Finally, the Commission has not yet drawn up a proposal with a view to supporting measures for the disabled adopted by towns or cities.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1625/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Internal co-ordination in the Commission on development policy
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: EU body, European Commissioner, development policy, foreign policy













EUR-Lex - 91996E1625 - EN






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91996E1625

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1625/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Internal co-ordination in the Commission on development policy  


Official Journal C 356 , 25/11/1996 P. 0068 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1625/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Internal co-ordination in the Commission on development policyGiven that responsibility for external relations is shared between five Commissioners, how many meetings have been held between Commissioners and Commission officials during the past year to ensure co-ordination on development policy and what is the total attendance at these meetings?What is the cost of these meetings in terms of time and finance?What would be the saving in terms of numbers of meetings, time and cost if development policy were to be grouped with one Commissioner and Directorate-General?Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (1 August 1996)The role of the group of Members with responsibility for external relations, whose remit includes development matters, is to coordinate activities in the field of external relations and ensure consistency in horizontal questions which could influence the Commission's actions in the various parts of the world for which the individual Members are responsible.The group has met fifteen times since it was formed at the beginning of 1995. The preparatory work for these meetings is carried out by the Directors-General for external relations, who meet regularly.The organization of all these meetings is part of the day-to-day running of the institution.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1628/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. EU funding of town twinning
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: EU financing, allowances and expenses, peripheral region, rural settlement













EUR-Lex - 91996E1628 - EN






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91996E1628

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1628/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. EU funding of town twinning  


Official Journal C 305 , 15/10/1996 P. 0115 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1628/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: EU funding of town twinningIs the Commission aware that the rules governing funding for town twinning discriminate against small communities as a grant of ECU 0.01 per km and per person is available only if the total is above ECU 500.Torcy in France has a total population of 900 and is 400 km from the town of Rettendon in Essex. Hence in order to be eligible for a grant about 70 Torceans would have to visit, which would be an extraordinarily high percentage of the village and virtually impossible to host.Is the Commission also aware that the individual costs of travel are the same if not higher for small communities and that therefore European small communities are losing out when they should be getting extra support?Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (30 July 1996)The Commission has introduced a Community programme on town twinning in order to facilitate new twinnings, in particular between towns in the outlying regions of the Community and also to help deepen already existing links. Naturally, the Commission cannot support all the twinnings operations taking place each day in Europe and for that reason a number of priorities have been established with regard to the granting of aid. These include encouraging exchanges between small towns and between towns which are very far apart. To give but one figure, in 1995 over half the towns which received Community aid under the programme had less that 5 000 inhabitants.Subsidies for transport costs are calculated at present (in 1996) on the basis of two scales: ECU 0.015 and ECU 0.03 depending on the geographical location of the towns. The amount of the subsidy for transport costs is based on the distance between the towns and the number of people involved in the exchange. In the light of these factors, some proposed exchanges do not arrive at the minimum threshold of ECU 500. Experience has shown that these exchanges are very few.The Commission is pleased to inform the Honourable Member that in the case he quotes, the French village of Torcy which has 900 inhabitants recently received a subsidy of ECU 500 for the transport costs of a group of 40 persons who will go to Rettendon in August 1996.While the quantitative factors are important, the qualitative and European aspects, such as content and the themes dealt with during the exchange are decisive in the decision on whether or not to grant financial aid.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1640/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Demarcation of indigenous territories in Brazil
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: Brazil, EU aid, World Bank, development aid, environmental protection, free service, rights of minorities, territorial law













EUR-Lex - 91996E1640 - EN






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91996E1640

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1640/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Demarcation of indigenous territories in Brazil  


Official Journal C 322 , 28/10/1996 P. 0097 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1640/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Demarcation of indigenous territories in BrazilIn January the Brazilian Government adopted a new Decree governing the process of demarcating indigenous territories. As part of the new regulation complaints have been raised against a huge amount of demarcated and proposed demarcated indigenous territories.These include 15 territories which form part of the Indigenous Land Demarcation Project of the Brazilian Pilot Programme, which is partly funded by the European Commission through the Rainforest Trust Fund.Is the Commission aware of the actions of the World Bank against the new Decree because of its impact on territories demarcated or being demarcated with World Bank funding?What action has the Commission taken against the Decree and its possible impact on the pilot programme?Answer given by Mr Marin on behalf of the Commission (10 July 1996)The Commission has no knowledge of any action taken by the World Bank against decree 1775. The World Bank does not take direct action but follows the execution of the programmes and if necessary adjusts them to the new situation.Concerning the actions taken by the Commission, it should be pointed out that the 15 areas under the pilot programme that have been the target of a legal dispute will not be the object of financing until the situation is resolved and the lands demarcated.The other actions undertaken by the Commission include a permanent dialogue with the Brazilian authorities and a request to the minister of Justice to supply the 'Fundação Nacional de Apoio aos Indígenas' (FUNAI) with the resources to permit a swift resolution of the demarcation process.The Commission has been supervising the use of the funds made available for the demarcation process.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1604/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Follow-up to the Helios Programme
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: European Commission, anti-discriminatory measure, association, cooperation policy, disabled person, equal treatment, exchange of information













EUR-Lex - 91996E1604 - EN






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91996E1604

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1604/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Follow-up to the Helios Programme  


Official Journal C 356 , 25/11/1996 P. 0065 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1604/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Follow-up to the Helios ProgrammeDoes the Commission agree that its forthcoming Communication on non-discrimination and equalization of opportunities for people with disabilities could be strengthened by undertaking exchange and information activities involving organizations of people with disabilities at local level in order to develop good practice? Is this not essential to ensure the direct involvement of people with disabilities themselves at the grassroots level in this field of policy and to inform both the Commission itself and the Member States in advancing the principles in the Communication? Will the Commission consider such a proposal?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (29 July 1996)The promotion of equal opportunities for people with disabilities necessarily implies active participation by those people in the preparation and implementation of measures concerning them, at all levels. As part of the planned follow-up to its new initiatives, the Commission will encourage such participation, respecting the principle of subsidiarity.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1605/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Recruitment in DGI-B - Directorate B
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: EU relations, European Commission, European official, Latin America, appointment of staff, equal treatment, nationality, professional qualifications, recruitment, regulations for civil servants













EUR-Lex - 91996E1605 - EN






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91996E1605

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1605/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Recruitment in DGI-B - Directorate B  


Official Journal C 322 , 28/10/1996 P. 0090 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1605/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Recruitment in DGI-B - Directorate BWhat number and proportion of Commission officials working in DGI-B, relations with Latin America, are Spanish or Portuguese?How is this compatible with the Code of Conduct requirement that there should be no discrimination on the basis of nationality?Answer given by Mr Marín on behalf of the Commission (15 July 1996)Of the A-grade staff currently employed by Directorate IB/B (Latin America), 3 are Portuguese and 8 are Spanish (there are also 8 Italians).The procedure for the recruitment of Commission staff is entirely neutral, in line with the staff regulations for officials of the European Communities, Article 7 of which stipulates that 'the appointing authority shall, acting solely in the interest of the service and without regard to nationality, assign each official by appointment or transfer to a post in his category or service which corresponds to his grade'.However, language skills are obviously an important aspect of the professional requirements for Commission posts, especially in Directorates-General with an external relations brief. Staff of Directorate IB/B are required to have a thorough knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese, the languages in which our cooperation with Latin America is conducted; the same requirements are made with regard to English for staff in the Asia Directorate, and with regard to French for the Mediterranean Directorate.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1619/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Evaluation studies on development aid
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: Development Assistance Committee, OECD, database, development aid, information technology, project evaluation, report













EUR-Lex - 91996E1619 - EN






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91996E1619

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1619/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Evaluation studies on development aid  


Official Journal C 305 , 15/10/1996 P. 0114 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1619/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Evaluation studies on development aidHas the Commission responded to the suggestion that a library of evaluation studies be established in relation to EU development aid and that of the Member States.If not, can the Commission comment on the most practical way of implementing this proposal and the most relevant budget line and approximate cost, should the European Parliament propose this for 1997?Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission (12 July 1996)The Commission already keeps a stock of evaluation reports commissioned by it and carried out by independent, outside consultants. All final evaluation reports are made available to the public on request.Not all Member States publish evaluation reports. In some cases summaries only are published, and in other cases there may not be a firm rule or clear practice. Member States would be reticent at changing this policy, and to giving the Commission the key role in managing a new one.A useful, if partial, alternative lies in the Organization for economic cooperation and development Development assistance committee (DAC) database of evaluation summaries, to which all DAC members, including the Commission, contribute. This database, which is currently being made more user-friendly, is managed by the Canadian international development agency (CIDA) and will be the subject of a detailed review by the DAC evaluation group later this year, with a view to improving its quality and widening its use and accessibility.With the growth of information technologies, it can also be hoped that publication of summaries and evaluation reports can be developed significantly within the next 2-3 years.In the light of the ready availability of the Commission's own evaluation reports, the existence of the DAC database and the rapid evolution of information technologies it does not appear that the Honourable Member's suggestion would justify special allocation of funds and staff resources, which are already needed to produce quality evaluation work and ensure findings are acted on.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1573/96 by Jan ANDERSSON to the Commission. The disabled in the EU
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: ANDERSSON JAN, European Parliament
Subjects: European Commission, action programme, association, exchange of information, physically disabled person, social policy













EUR-Lex - 91996E1573 - EN






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91996E1573

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1573/96 by Jan ANDERSSON to the Commission. The disabled in the EU  


Official Journal C 322 , 28/10/1996 P. 0087 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1573/96 by Jan Andersson (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: The disabled in the EUMeasures designed to take account of disabled people's needs have concentrated for far too long on social policy. Disability must be integrated into all areas of social life.Pending a new HELIOS programme there has been discussion of setting up an advisory body and an independent 'disability forum'.What does the Commission intend to do to take account of disability in all its Directorates-General and what form will the advisory body take?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (18 July 1996)The Commission has revised its strategy on disabled persons and aims to encourage the needs of disabled persons to be taken into account in all Community programmes and initiatives. The Commission considers that the setting-up of an independent forum of disabled persons associations will definitely favour this dimension being taken into account and stimulate the dialogue between the Commission and these associations. In view of the creation of this independent forum, the Commission believes it would be inopportune to create an advisory body.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1584/96 by Viviane REDING to the Commission. 'Sport and culture without tobacco'
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, REDING
Subjects: EU aid, Olympic games, World Health Organisation, advertising, cultural event, health policy, international organisation, sport, tobacco













EUR-Lex - 91996E1584 - EN






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91996E1584

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1584/96 by Viviane REDING to the Commission. 'Sport and culture without tobacco'  


Official Journal C 385 , 19/12/1996 P. 0018 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1584/96 by Viviane Reding (PPE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: 'Sport and culture without tobacco'As part of world anti-smoking day the World Health Organization together with the International Olympic Committee started a campaign for 'sport and culture without tobacco'.Are the Commissioners with responsibility for sport and health willing to grant EU aid for sporting and cultural events only when these events are not sponsored (either openly or covertly) by the tobacco industry? If this step is not taken there is a risk that the damaging connection of sport-culture-tobacco-Europe will be established in the minds of the younger generation in particular.Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (6 September 1996)The Commission fully endorses the efforts of the World health organisation and the International olympic committee, through World no-smoking day, to disassociate tobacco advertising and sponsorship from sporting and cultural events. In particular, in the Commission's support to such events, it is a condition of financing and patronage that no advertising or sponsorship of tobacco companies or products take place.The prohibition of such direct and indirect advertising, is covered in the Commission's amended proposal for a Council directive on the approximation of Member States' laws, regulations and administrative provisions on advertising for tobacco products ((OJ C 129, 21.5.1992. )).Council Directive 89/552/EEC ((OJ L 298, 17.10.1989. )) prohibits advertising on television for cigarettes and other tobacco products and sponsorship of television programmes by manufacturers or sellers of such products.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1626/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Support for childcare in the ERDF
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, HOWITT
Subjects: European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, action programme, adult education, assistance in training, child care, female work













EUR-Lex - 91996E1626 - EN






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91996E1626

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1626/96 by Richard HOWITT to the Commission. Support for childcare in the ERDF  


Official Journal C 365 , 04/12/1996 P. 0014 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1626/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Support for childcare in the ERDFWhen did the Commission take a specific initiative in relation to increasing support for parents' employment through increased support for childcare within the ERDF and can the Commission quantify the results of this initiative?Which Commission official or officials is (are) responsible for evaluating Community Support Frameworks and Single Programming Documents in this respect, and what policy guidance and training are they given to undertake this task?Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (24 July 1996)The European Regional Development Fund may provide support for setting up crêches or other child or dependant care facilities, particularly where these are for training centres or form part of a company's welfare arrangements. However, it is mainly the European Social Fund, inter alia through the Community's Now initiative, which supports childcare measures (e.g. training personnel for early childhood centres and bearing the costs of childcare places for women taking training courses).A third of the appropriations for Now for the 1991-92 period, i.e. some 50 MECU out of a total budget of 153 MECU, have been set aside for financing childcare measures. And in Objective 1 regions the ERDF recently provided significant additional funding for welfare facilities which, until then, were rather thin on the ground. Although the size of the contribution was emphasised in the Now initiative evaluation reports, it is not very easy to state exactly how much the ERDF has contributed to this type of operation because the facilities in question have always been part of larger projects.Nevertheless the equal opportunities dimension is now always taken into account in the general evaluation of structural fund contributions.
WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1650/96 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Commission. Residues of phthalates in baby food
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: BREYER, European Parliament
Subjects: United Kingdom, baby food, exchange of information, food inspection, foodstuffs legislation, milk, plastics, product quality, public health, waste













EUR-Lex - 91996E1650 - EN






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91996E1650

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1650/96 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Commission. Residues of phthalates in baby food  


Official Journal C 356 , 25/11/1996 P. 0077 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1650/96 by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Residues of phthalates in baby food1. How does the Commission view that fact that residues of phthalates, a PVC softener, have been found in British baby food?2. What tests were carried out to establish the presence of phthalates? Can the Commission provide me with these documents?3. In what British baby milk products have high concentrations of phthalates been detected? Have tests been carried out on baby foods outside the UK? In which other EU countries are the affected products marketed?4. What are the direct and indirect long-term, medium-term and short-term risks to the health of babies fed on these contaminated products?5. What steps has the UK taken to remove the affected products from the market?6. What steps does the Commission intend to take to prevent the EU-wide sale of contaminated baby food and protect infants throughout the EU from consuming these products?Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (29 July 1996)The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the joint reply it gave to Written Questions E-1593/96 by Mrs Crawley and E-1778/96 by Mr White ((OJ C 322, 28.10.1996, p. 87. )).The Commission will also transmit the opinion of the scientific committee for food, which is referred to in that reply, directly to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament's Secretariat.