WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2342/97 by Stephen HUGHES to the Commission. Variations in rules for car drivers
Date: 1997-07-10
Institutions: European Parliament, HUGHES STEPHEN
Subjects: competence of the Member States, national law, petrol, road safety, transport of dangerous goods, vehicle parts

C 82/60

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

17. 3. 98

As  far  as  future  action  is  concerned,  in  accordance  with  Article  10  of  Council  Directive  92/102/EEC  the
Commission is now preparing a report on the identification and registration system of animals. All aspects of the
identification of pigs, in particular those mentioned by the Honourable Member, will be taken into consideration.
Based on the findings of this report, the Commission will propose any appropriate measures. The report and any
proposals  from  the  Commission  will  be  presented  to  the  Parliament.  Additionally,  Article  10  provides  for  a
review of the possibility of introducing electronic identification arrangements.

(98/C 82/106)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2342/97

by Stephen Hughes (PSE) to the Commission

(10 July 1997)

Subject: Variations in rules for car drivers

Could the Commission list which Member States:

1.  Require a warning triangle to be carried in a car;

2.  Require a fire extinguisher to be carried in a car;

3.  Allow a sealed gallon of petrol to be carried in the boot of a car?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(18 September 1997)

1.
A  warning  triangle  for  cars  is  required  in  Belgium,  Denmark,  Germany,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  the
Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland and Sweden. In Denmark and the Netherlands there is no obligation to
carry this device in the car but use is compulsory in case of breakdown of the vehicle.

2.

A fire extinguisher in cars is required in Belgium, Greece and Portugal.

As far as the Commission is informed, there are no Member States forbidding a sealed gallon of petrol to be

3.
carried in the boot of a car.

The laws on these and many other matters governing the safety of vehicles are currently of course entirely within
the legal competence of Member States and not of the Community.

(98/C 82/107)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2347/97

by Friedhelm Frischenschlager (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 July 1997)

Subject: Socrates action programme

The  last  two  years  have  shown  that  the  Socrates  action  programme  has  made  an  important  contribution  to
European education.  Funding for the programme seems to be very low, given that it is both very well known and
very popular and in view of its expansion to cover the new Member States.

1. Will the cooperation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe lead to a reduction in the quality of
the Socrates programme?

How does the Commission plan to increase further the transparency of the procedures for the award of

2.
funding in order to curb abuses?

3.
How  many  ecus  have  been  channelled  to  Austria  under  this  programme  over  the  last  two  years?  What
percentage  of  the  funding  allocated  to  them  was  taken  up  in  the  other  two  new  Member  States,  Finland  and
Sweden, and what was the corresponding figure for Austria?