WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3562/97 by Allan MACARTNEY to the Commission. French lorry and fishing-boat blockades - compensation for affected road hauliers still not forthcoming
Date: 1997-11-13
Institutions: European Parliament, MACARTNEY
Subjects: European Commission, France, civil liability proceedings, competence of the Member States, indemnification, national law, road transport, strike

16. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187/23

(98/C 187/35)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3561/97

by Jens-Peter Bonde (I-EDN) to the Commission

(13 November 1997)

Subject: Engine and engine-room noise requirements

Why can my three simple questions not be answered with a (cid:145)yes(cid:146) or a (cid:145)no(cid:146)?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(8 January 1998)

The short reply to the three earlier queries by the Honourable Member (written question No 2009/97 (1)) is no,
because there is no question of (cid:145)authorisation(cid:146) by the Commission.

The Commission in its earlier reply provided the information requested by the Honourable member on the legal
obligations pertaining to Denmark and the measures contained in the Directives to protect workers. In its reply to
his written question No 2620/97 (2), the Commission gave the Honourable Member further technical information
to assist in appreciating the legal situation.

(1)  OJ C 391, 23.12.1997.
(2)  OJ C 102, 3.4.1998, p. 74.

(98/C 187/36)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3562/97

by Allan Macartney (ARE) to the Commission

(13 November 1997)

Subject: French  lorry  and  fishing-boat  blockades  ›  compensation  for  affected  road  hauliers  still  not

forthcoming

Compensation for road hauliers who were adversely affected by the blockades carried out by French lorry drivers
and fishing boats is still urgently awaited. Given the importance of compensation to the survival of the road
haulage firms affected, does the European Commission intend to take positive action to secure an immediate
response from the French authorities?

Further,  is  the  Commission  aware  of  any  steps  the  French  Government  has  taken  recently  to  ensure  that  the
Prefectures dealing with the claims are doing so in an expeditious and efficient manner?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(20 January 1998)

As the Honourable Member will know, the Commission has no legal authority to intervene in compensation
cases arising from the blockades in France since compensation arrangements are established and governed by
national law.

However,  the  French  authorities  have  been  reminded  both  in  writing  and  in  personal  interventions  by  the
responsible members of the Commission of the need to ensure appropriate compensation for those road hauliers
directly affected.

The  French  authorities  have  also  agreed  to  provide  a  detailed  report  to  the  Commission  on  how  claims  are
progressing.  Moreover,  prior  to  a  meeting  convened  by  the  Commission  on  23  September  1997  with
representatives of road hauliers whose compensation claims were still outstanding, a French delegation met the
Commission to set out how their authorities were dealing with the claims. The Commission has subsequently
also indicated to the French authorities the nature of complaints received regarding processing of compensation
claims, asking them to take these into account and report on progress.