WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1459/99 by Glyn FORD Brewery ties
Date: 1999-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, FORD
Subjects: beverage industry, common commercial policy, exclusive purchasing agreement

29.1.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 27 E/77

Bags used to pack re-sterilised medical devices are meant to guarantee the quality of the devices to be
reused, so ensuring an appropriate level of protection of the patient and are therefore accessories to
medical devices. Containers for waste, albeit contaminated medical device waste, have not the intended
purpose to protect the characteristics of the disposed devices, and are therefore not accessories to medical
devices.

3. Manufacturers may only put the CE marking, foreseen by Directive 93/42/EEC, on medical devices.
As disposal containers are neither medical devices nor accessories to medical devices they may not bear
the above-mentioned marking. However this does not mean that they could not bear other markings or
labels.

(2000/C 27 E/094)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1459/99

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 1999)

Subject: Brewery ties

Does the Commission have any plans to review the possibility for regulating the system of brewery ties
which still applies in the UK?

Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission

(10 September 1999)

The Commission has this year adopted three individual exemption decisions for the national brewers, Bass,
S&N and Whitbread. The brewers notified their leases because the current block exemption regulation
concerning exclusive purchasing agreements, while containing special provisions for beer-supply agree-
ments, did not cover the British beer delivery contracts as the beer tie did not come within the ambit of
the regulation. The individual exemptions mentioned are valid in the case of Bass and S&N until the end of
2002 and for Whitbread until the end of 2008.

The Commission has no plans to propose any specific regulation for the beer sector. The current block
exemption regulation will expire by the end of 1999. It is the Commission(cid:146)s firm intention to replace this
regulation and other regulations concerning vertical agreements with one, wide ranging and general block
exemption regulation that will not contain sector-specific provisions. In July 1999 the Commission sent
for consultation to Member States a draft block exemption regulation and draft guidelines. After the
consultation of Member States these draft texts will be published for consultation of third parties.

(2000/C 27 E/095)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1460/99

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 1999)

Subject: Proposed amendments to the Recreational Craft Directive 94/25/EC to include exhaust and sound
emission requirements laid down in the European Commission document Doc.III 76032/97-EN,
revision 6 dated 9.12.1998

Does the Commission agree that these amendments to Directive 94/25/EC (1) are retrospective in that the
definitions given for (cid:145)major engine modification(cid:146) will encompass all existing craft that replace or refurbish
their engines for (cid:145)wear and tear(cid:146) reasons?

Do not the amendments therefore place an undue cost burden on small businesses in the engine and boat
building industries, (estimated costs of £15 000 per engine/installation)? Would the Commission state what