WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3449/97 by Gijs de VRIES to the Commission. Television without frontiers
Date: 1997-10-31
Institutions: DE VRIES, European Parliament
Subjects: European Commission, application of EU law, approximation of laws, audiovisual communications policy, broadcasting, freedom to provide services, infringement procedure (EU), television

C 174/60

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

8. 6. 98

(98/C 174/100)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3449/97

by Gijs de Vries (ELDR) to the Commission

(31 October 1997)

Subject: Television without frontiers

From  1-23  July  1997,  the  transmissions  of  the  satellite  channel  MED  TV  were  jammed.  MED  TV,  which
broadcasts in Kurdish, operates from London under licence from the United Kingdom(cid:146)s Independent Television
Commission. The jamming also affected another EUTELSAT-based company, the Romanian channel Antena I.

This interference effectively deprived citizens of several EU Member States of their right › as set out in both the
Television Without Frontiers Directive and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights › to receive
broadcasts from another Member State.

What steps does the Commission intend to take to ensure that the right of EU citizens to receive information from
EU-based television channels › in accordance with the relevant EU Directive › is not curtailed by the jamming
of such channels, from either inside or outside the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(27 November 1997)

The television without frontiers Directive (Council Directive 89/552/EEC as amended by Directive 97/36/EC of
the Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 1997 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law,
regulation  or  administrative  action  in  Member  States  concerning  the  pursuit  of  television  broadcasting
activities (1))  provides  that  Member  States  shall  ensure  freedom  of  reception  on  their  territory  of  television
broadcasts from other Member States (Article 2a (1)).

This obligation is based on one of the four fundamental freedoms laid down in the EC Treaty (the freedom to
provide services › Article 59).

The  implementation  and  application  of  Community  law  is  of  great  importance  to  the  Commission.  The
Commission has opened a number of infringement proceedings in this area to ensure the correct and complete
implementation of the Directive, as well as to ensure its application in practice.

In respect of the issue raised, the Commission is not aware of the events referred to by the Honourable Member.
Further information would be required to enable the Commission to carry out the necessary evaluation, and to
decide whether such actions are an infringement of the television without frontiers Directive.

(1)  OJ L 202, 30.7.1997.

(98/C 174/101)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3451/97

by Allan Macartney (ARE) to the Commission

(31 October 1997)

Subject: Bean sprouts from genetically modified soya beans

What  information  is  available  to  the  Commission  regarding  the  results  which  would  occur  when  genetically
modified beans are used to produce bean sprouts which are then eaten raw?

What tests were done with soya bean sprouting and what were the results of these tests?