WRITTEN QUESTION No. 935/98 by Antonio TAJANI to the Commission. Health protection for local police officers
Date: 1998-03-26
Institutions: European Parliament, TAJANI
Subjects: Italy, competence of the Member States, health policy, infringement of EU law, mortality, occupational disease, occupational health, occupational safety, police

9. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 310/147

(98/C 310/202)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0925/98

by Carles-Alfred Gaso‘liba i Bo¤hm (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 March 1998)

Subject: Information  on  the  amount  of  European  Union  aid  to  colleges  of  higher  education  and  research

institutions in Catalonia in 1995, 1996 and 1997

Can the Commission provide information on the amount of Community resources granted to colleges of higher
education and research institutions in Catalonia in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and on the measures to which such funds
were allocated, as part of:

1. 

the first framework programme for research, technological development and demonstration,

2.  Community programmes in the areas of energy and the environment,

3.  Community initiatives, in particular the Interreg programme,

4. 

5. 

6. 

the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth for Europe programmes,

the regional and structural funds and

the remaining Community programmes?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(7 May 1998)

Because of the length of the answer, which includes a number of tables, the Commission is sending it direct to the
Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

(98/C 310/203)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0935/98

by Antonio Tajani (PPE) to the Commission

(26 March 1998)

Subject: Health protection for local police officers

There is no provision in Italian law for local police officers to be included on registers of workers at risk of
industrial disease. Between 1980 and 1996, 180 municipal police officers in active service died in Rome alone,
42%  of  them  from  cancer  and  40%  from  cardiopulmonary  disease.  The  average  age  of  death  was  51  years.
Compared  to  other  workers,  on  at-risk  registers,  the  death  rate  for  municipal  police  officers  appears  to  be
extremely  high  and  death  is  almost  always  caused  by  diseases  contracted  in  the  course  of  their  work  on  the
streets, in contact with harmful atmospheric agents.

Does the Commission not agree that the failure of the Italian government to place local police officers on at-risk
registers breaches all the Community laws on health protection?

Does the Commission not agree that this is a violation of the Treaties of Rome, Maastricht and Amsterdam and of
the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers?

What measures does the Commission intend to take to ensure that the Italian Government upholds the rights of
workers employed by local police organizations?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(8 May 1998)

The framework Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage
improvements in the safety and health of workers at work (1) and the individual directives adopted pursuant to it
do not impose any obligation on Member States to designate or classify specific occupations as (cid:145)risk categories(cid:146).
Furthermore, in the specific case of police forces, Article 2(2) of Directive 89/391/EEC states that the Directive is
not applicable where characteristics peculiar to certain specific activities inevitably conflict with it. In that event,