WRITTEN QUESTION No. 981/98 by Hugh McMAHON to the Commission. Implementation of the Parental Directive in the UK
Date: 1998-03-23
Institutions: European Parliament, MCMAHON
Subjects: EC Directive, United Kingdom, family policy, national implementing measure, parental leave

C 323/102

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

21. 10. 98

This  means,  in  practice,  that  operators  wishing  to  export  to  another  Member  State  must  be  members  of  the
inspection authority in the importing Member State and pay that inspection body. No account is taken of the fact
that  the  necessary  inspection  has  already  been  carried  out  in  the  exporting  Member  State,  which  increases
exporters(cid:146) costs in a situation where the product fulfills the criteria for organic produce in both the country of
production and the importing country.

The present system, therefore, has genuinely discriminatory effects and constitutes an obstacle to trade in the
internal market.

Presumably the Commission would agree that an inspection carried out in one Member State should not need to
be repeated when the product is exported to another Member State?

(1)  OJ L 198, 22.7.1991, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 1998)

The Commission is of the opinion that any product which has been produced in a Member State or imported from
a third country in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic
production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs can
be placed on the market in any Member State. Member States may therefore not impose barriers to imports of
such products for other Member States.

However, the marketing of organic products in certain Member States or regions thereof is traditionally strongly
linked with certain private marks, which in these countries or regions have a very high attraction to the consumer.
In certain cases the holders of such marks set supplementary requirements with regard to production standards or
inspection requirements. Such supplementary requirements are regulated by private law. A producer using this
mark  has  only  to  respect  such  supplementary  requirements  if  he  brings  his  products  on  the  market  with  the
particular mark they have been set for.

(98/C 323/153)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0981/98

by Hugh McMahon (PSE) to the Commission

(23 March 1998)

Subject: Implementation of the Parental Directive in the UK

Can the Commission inform Parliament of the precise date by which the UK is required to implement the 1996
Directive on Parental Leave?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 1998)

Directive 96/34/EC on the framework agreement on parental leave concluded by the Union of industrial and
employers(cid:146)  confederation  of  Europe  (UNICE),  Centre  europe·en  de  l(cid:146)e·conomie  publique  (CEEP)  and  the
European trade union confederation (ETUC) (1) was adopted under the social protocol and did not apply to the
United Kingdom. The other Member States must transpose the provisions of this Directive by 3 June 1998, this
being two years from adoption, although they can ask for an extension of one year, if this is necessary to take
account of special difficulties or implementation by a collective agreement (Article 2/2).

Directive  97/75/EC (2)  extends  to  the  United  Kingdom  Directive  96/34/EC,  and  the  United  Kingdom  must
transpose its provisions by 15 December 1999, this being two years from adoption, as for the other Member
States. The United Kingdom could also avail itself of the possibility of a one year extension, on the same basis as
above.

(1)  OJ L 145, 19.6.1996.
(2)  OJ L 10, 16.1.1998.