WRITTEN QUESTION P-1806/99 by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Cross-border direct dispatch of national telephone directories.
Date: 1999-10-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: directive (EU), liberalisation of the market, telecommunications industry, universal service, yearbook

20.6.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 170 E/105

of plant protection products on the market (2) and will as soon as possible, and after all consultations are
finalized, forward a proposal to the standing committee on plant health. This may require a review of the
classification and labelling of lindane under Directive 67/0548/EEC of 27 June 1967 on the approximation
of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the classification, packaging and labelling of
dangerous substances (3).

A lot of progress has been made since the adoption of Directive 91/0414/EEC of 15 July 1991 (4), in
particular the development of implementing legislation, technical background documents and confidence
building between Member States. The Commission however shares the view that the review process should
be speeded up.

Therefore a new strategy, within the possibilities for Commission action provided in Directive 91/0414/
EEC, is under discussion. It is expected that this would result by the end of 1999 in the adoption of further
implementing measures for the review of the remaining existing active substances. The Commission has no
intention to lower the safety standards of the Directive.

(1) OJ C 325, 12.11.1999, p. 76.
(2) OJ L 366, 15.12.1992.
(3) OJ L 196, 16.8.1967.
(4) OJ L 230, 19.8.1991.

(2000/C 170 E/123)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1806/99

by Paul R(cid:252)big (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 October 1999)

Subject: Cross-border direct dispatch of national telephone directories

The International Telecommunication Union is a Europe-wide association of telecommunications under-
takings. It recommends to participants wishing to obtain a telephone directory for a specific Member State
that they apply to the administration of their own country. Many administrative departments accept this
recommendation from a non-governmental and non-Community institution and supply their respective
telephone directories only within their own national borders.

How does the Commission assess this procedure against the background of the liberalisation of the
telecommunications sector and of the incipient internal market in telecommunications?

Can it avert the suspicion that competition and/or anti-discrimination legislation is being breached here?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(5 November 1999)

The Honourable Member(cid:146)s question relates to the conditions on which the national regulatory authorities
in the Member States apply the relevant provisions of Directive 98/0010/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council of 26 February 1998 on the application of open network provision (ONP) to voice
telephony and on universal service for telecommunications in a competitive environment (1).

This Directive does, in fact, lay down in Article 15 (2) that (subject to compliance with the legislation on
the protection of personal data) (cid:145)Member States shall take all necessary measures to remove any regulatory
restrictions which prevent provision of the services and facilities listed in Annex I, part 3, in compliance
with the competition rules of Community law(cid:146). The list in Annex I, part 3 includes, under points e) and
f), access to operator services in other Member States and access to directory enquiry services in other
Member States.

C 170 E/106

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2000

The Honourable Member(cid:146)s description of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and its
procedures dates back to the time (prior to the Community(cid:146)s introduction of a regulatory framework to
liberalise the telecommunications sector) when the ITU effectively represented a group of national
administrations which were in charge of telecommunications within the context of public monopolies. In
the meantime, there have been changes in the ITU(cid:146)s structures to reflect the increasing, and ever more
widespread, distinction between telecommunications operators and the regulatory authorities in this field.

This distinction has gradually been imposed in Europe, particularly through the policy of liberalisation,
eliminating the exclusive and special rights enjoyed by traditional operators, and this has led to the
regulatory framework adopted by the Community enshrining the principle of separating the national
regulator from the traditional operator. Nowadays, both the national administrations and the economic
operators in the ITU Member States are involved in this work, but Community regulations now oblige the
Member States(cid:146) administrations to act completely independently of the interests of all the categories of
operators who may contribute to the work of the ITU.

It should also be noted that, as their name suggests, the recommendations issued by the ITU do not have
any directly binding legal force, and may only therefore be followed by the Member States insofar as they
do not conflict with the Community legislation in force.

Finally, the Commission has no information at this stage to suggest that the ITU(cid:146)s recommendations either
counteract or facilitate the effective application, by the relevant authorities in the Member States, of the
aforementioned provisions in Directive 98/0010/EC.

(1) OJ L 101, 1.4.1998.

(2000/C 170 E/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1811/99

by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Commission

(12 October 1999)

Subject: Conversion of national currencies

On 1 January 2002 the euro will replace the national currency in eleven EU Member States. Although
arrangements have been made for the conversion of bank notes, this does not seem to be the case as
regards the conversion of coinage.

Does the Commission not think that specific arrangements to enable the eleven Member States(cid:146) coinage to
be converted must be considered and adopted in order to ensure that all people living in the countries
which have adopted the euro are able to convert the coins in their possession into euros?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(11 November 1999)

Between 1 January 2002 and 30 June 2002 the Member States participating in economic and monetary
union (EMU) will have to withdraw bank notes and coins in national currency. The Honourable Member
raises two points: first, the conversion into euros of national coins in the Member State of issue and,
second, the conversion into euros of coins from one Member State in another Member State.

With regard to the first point, Community legislation on the conversion of coins in national currency into
euro coins when the transitional period ends on 31 December 2001 stipulates that the bodies issuing these
coins will continue to accept national coins presented to them, after they are no longer legal tender, in
accordance with the laws and arrangements in force in the Member State in question. The situation is
therefore the same as that for bank notes.