WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2900/97 by W.G. van VELZEN , Ria OOMEN- RUIJTEN to the Commission. IPC Directive - integrated environmental pollution control
Date: 1997-09-17
Institutions: European Parliament, OOMEN-RUIJTEN, VAN VELZEN W G
Subjects: Belgium, chemical industry, chemical pollution, environmental monitoring, environmental protection, pollution control, public health, soil pollution, transfrontier pollution, waste management

16. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 117/97

(98/C 117/123)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2899/97

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(17 September 1997)

Subject: Implementation of Council Resolution on Integrating Gender in European Development Cooperation,

December 1995

In its Resolution of 20 December 1995 on Integrating Gender issues in European Development Cooperation the
Council issued the following two statements:

(cid:145)17.
The Council calls on the Commission, after consultation with the gender and development experts
from the Community and the Member States, to draft precise proposals for common criteria and indicators
for reporting on the implementation of this Resolution ...(cid:146)

(cid:145)18. With a view to ensuring a concrete and effective follow-up of the implementation of this Resolution,
the  Council  will  review  the  progress  made  by  the  Community  and  the  Member  States  at  its  meeting  of
second half of 1997.(cid:146)

Further  to  this  Council  Resolution,  what  steps  have  been  taken  to  agree  common  criteria  and  indicators  for
reporting on the implementation of the Resolution?

Answer given by Mr Mar(cid:14)·n on behalf of the Commission

(10 October 1997)

Following the Council Resolution of 20 December 1995, initial proposals for a methodology on the difficult
question of drafting common criteria and indicators were presented by the Commission to a meeting of experts
from  the  Member  States  in  1996.  Following  the  discussions  at  this  meeting,  a  questionnaire  using  precise
common  criteria  and  indicators  was  presented  by  the  Commission  to  a  second  meeting  of  experts  from  the
Member States on 11-12 September 1997. This draft was approved with some small revisions, and will come into
operation shortly.

In the meantime, a detailed progress report on implementation of the Resolution by the Community and Member
States will be completed in time for the meeting of the Development Council in November 1997.

(98/C 117/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2900/97

by W.G. van Velzen (PPE) and Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE) to the Commission

(17 September 1997)

Subject: IPC Directive › integrated environmental pollution control

At  the  beginning  of  August  it  was  revealed  that  a  huge  soil-pollution  incident  had  happened  at  Zelzate  in
Belgium, caused, as shown by test results, by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The PAHs, which are
spread  through  the  atmosphere,  have  been  detected  in  weaker  concentrations  as  far  afield  as  the  Zealand-
Flanders border area, in particular in the localities of Sas van Gent and Axel in the Netherlands. A chemicals firm
is suspected of having caused this pollution.

Can the Commission state whether that firm falls under the IPC Directive on integrated environmental pollution
control?

Should the Belgian authorities not have immediately announced, in accordance with the rules, that this serious
pollution incident had happened and notified the Netherlands and Zealand authorities forthwith?