WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3854/97 by Carmen DÍEZ DE RIVERA ICAZA to the Commission. Publications of the European Environment Agency in the Community languages
Date: 1997-12-05
Institutions: DIEZ DE RIVERA ICAZA, European Parliament
Subjects: EU publication, European Environment Agency, dissemination of EU information, environmental policy, information network, official language, translation













EUR-Lex - 91997E3854 - EN






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91997E3854

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3854/97 by Carmen DÍEZ DE RIVERA ICAZA to the Commission. Publications of the European Environment Agency in the Community languages  


Official Journal C 174 , 08/06/1998 P. 0144 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-3854/97 by Carmen Díez de Rivera Icaza (PSE) to the Commission (5 December 1997)Subject: Publications of the European Environment Agency in the Community languagesThe European Environment Agency was set up to facilitate the provision of information on the environment, develop and implement environment policy and ensure that this information is publicly available.However, it should be pointed out that the abundant and high quality information provided by its reports and services is for the most part available only in English. This not only leads to discrimination but also reduces the efficiency and dissemination of the agency's work.What measures is the Commission taking to overcome these limitations, which also contravene the regulation establishing the agency?Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (14 January 1998)The European environment agency (EEA) was established to provide objective, comparable and reliable information to the Community and Member States. According to Article 1.2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90 of 7 May 1990 on the establishment of the European environment agency and the European Environment information and observation network ((OJ L 120, 11.5.1990. )), this information is principally for use by policy-makers in the framing and implementing of environmental policies. To achieve this goal, the agency was granted independent status with its work overseen by a management board. The agency's executive director is responsible to the board for the execution of the work programme and for the preparation and publication of agency reports. The agency is an independent body, financed by a subvention from the Community budget and it has its own procedures for financing and obtaining translations, by the translation centre in Luxembourg.The Honourable Member can rest assured that the Commission is aware of the problem. The Commission's representatives on the management board have drawn attention to the need to publish more reports in other languages. The Commission also participates in the agency's task force on publications. This group was formed this year to consider how the agency could focus its efforts and develop a publications strategy which takes the question of translation fully into account. In doing so it must take into account that the translation of documents is largely a problem of resources. The Environment agency, in common with other European agencies, has the dilemma that committing further resources to translation will put pressure on the agency's operational activities and ability to carry out its work programme.The Honourable Member's concerns are understood and the question has been passed on to the executive director of the agency with a request that he replies directly.