WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1871/97 by Gerardo FERNÁNDEZ-ALBOR to the Commission. Safety in children's play areas
Date: 1997-05-30
Institutions: European Parliament, FERNANDEZ ALBOR
Subjects: EU programme, European organisation, Spain, child, consumer movement, gaming, safety standard, standardisation

22. 1. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 21/107

(98/C 21/215)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1871/97

by Gerardo Ferna·ndez-Albor (PPE) to the Commission

(30 May 1997)

Subject: Safety in children(cid:146)s play areas

Children(cid:146)s play areas in Spain are not as safe as they should be, according to the Spanish Ombudsman, who has
just produced a study showing that the child mortality rate in Spain as a result of accidents at home and during
leisure activities is 9.4 per thousand among the under-fourteens. This is the highest rate in the European Union.

The study recommends that the games and safety environment in play areas be standardized. It says that if the
efforts of the European committee to achieve standardization do not bear fruit, Spain should adopt mandatory
standards to ensure the safety and hygiene of its play areas.

What is the current position regarding the proceedings of the EU committee in question and what initiatives
could the Commission put forward on this matter, so as to prevent, or at least reduce, the grave shortcomings
identified by the Spanish Ombudsman in this area?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(10 July 1997)

An  extensive  working  programme  for  standardisation  of  playground  equipment  has  been  carried  out  by  the
European  committee  for  standardisation  (CEN)  one  of  the  three  recognized  European  standardisation
organizations,  for  a  number  of  years.  The  work  is  now  almost  finalized.  The  general  standard  for  safety
requirements and test methods (prEN 1176-1) will most likely be finalized after a meeting in June 1997 and the
standards  for  additional  requirements  and  test  methods  for  certain  specific  types  of  equipment  (carousels,
swings, rocking equipment, slides and runways) are to be finalized within a few months thereafter. Voting will
take place during the autumn of this year.

The work has been carried out with consumer-representation coordinated through the European association for
the co-ordination of consumer representation in standardisation (ANEC). According to ANECs assessment the
standards will provide for a satisfactory level of safety.

Moreover on 14th May 1997, the Commission adopted a communication (1) and a proposal for a Parliament and
Council  decision  adopting  a  programme  of  Community  action  on  injury  prevention  in  the  context  of  the
framework for action in the field of public health. This programme will be aimed at reducing the number of
injuries in key areas, including home and leisure accidents involving children, young adults and elderly people.

(1)  COM(97) 178 final.

(98/C 21/216)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1878/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(2 June 1997)

Subject: Actions to support run-down urban areas

In the European Regions(cid:146) bulletin of 18 October 1996 ((cid:145)Information Note: The Union(cid:146), p. 359) actions in support
of run-down urban areas are announced. These actions, which are approved by the European Commission and
cover a series of measures to run for five years, in accordance with the rules on state aid, are intended to promote
job creation in the poorest neighbourhoods of the EU(cid:146)s towns and cities. This should enable the governments of
the Member States to provide financial support in the run-down areas to maintain or set up firms which have a
purely local vocation. The measures are directed mainly at unemployed young people, young people without
vocational qualifications and women and will cost a maximum of ECU 10 000 for each job created.