WRITTEN QUESTION E-1850/99 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Commission. The Tan Tan nuclear power station (Morocco).
Date: 1999-10-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Morocco, eligibility criteria, nuclear power station, siting of power stations

18.7.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 203 E/67

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(30 November 1999)

In terms of civil law, the practices denounced by the Honourable Member may come under the rules of
Council Directive 84/450/EEC of 10 September 1984 relating to the approximation of
the laws,
regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning misleading advertising (1). This
seems to be the case in this instance, given that the win is announced in sales promotions. This Directive
has already been transposed by all Member States, and as a result all national rules in force are applicable.
It is interesting to note that in certain Member States the penalty provided for is purely and simply for the
consumer to obtain, without any further conditions, the prize of which he has been notified. In terms of
criminal law, only national legislation is applicable.

Moreover, it should be noted that in future, following the adoption of Directive 98/27/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 1998 on injunctions for the protection of consumers(cid:146) interests (2),
Member States will have the right to designate the courts or administrative authorities competent to rule
on proceedings commenced by independent public bodies specifically responsible for protecting the
collective interests of consumers or by organisations whose purpose is to protect the collective interests
of consumers, and which seek the cessation or prohibition of any infringement of the Directives listed in
the Annex to the Directive, without prejudice to the rules of private international law, with respect to the
applicable law. The deadline for transposal of this Directive by Member States is 31 December 2000.

However, consumers wishing to lodge a complaint concerning commercial practices which are believed to
be dishonest may contact the International Marketing Supervision Network (IMSN).

The IMSN is an informal network made up of authorities responsible for the application of laws on
commercial practices in more than two dozen countries, most of which are members of the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The network(cid:146)s mandate is to distribute information
on cross-border commercial activities which may affect consumer interests and to encourage international
collaboration between the authorities responsible for law enforcement.

In 1999 the European members of the IMSN (including all Member States) created the subgroup (cid:145)IMSN-
Europe(cid:146), in which the Commission is involved, being represented by the Health and Consumer Protection
DG. The IMSN may be contacted via the website http://www.ari.net/imsn, which lists the contact addresses
for each Member State.

(1) OJ L 250, 19.9.1984.
(2) OJ L 166, 11.6.1998.

(2000/C 203 E/082)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1850/99

by Isidoro SÆnchez Garc(cid:237)a (ELDR) to the Commission

(13 October 1999)

Subject: The Tan Tan nuclear power station (Morocco)

The announcement that a nuclear power station is to be built at Tan Tan on the Moroccan Atlantic coast
has caused the citizens and institutions of the Canary Islands, the nearby ultra-peripheral Community
region considerable social alarm and grave environmental concern.

Does the Commission intend, in its aid programmes for Morocco, to lay down conditions with a view to
establishing strict nuclear safety standards in the area?

C 203 E/68

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2000

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(19 November 1999)

In reply to the fears expressed by the Honourable Member, there are at present no nuclear power projects
in Morocco being financed by the Community. Were the Moroccan authorities to make a request of this
kind, very strict conditions would obviously be laid down based on the precise rules regarding nuclear
safety and subject to the approval of the competent departments and authorities.

The Tan-Tan project concerns a demonstration unit for the desalination of sea water and not electricity
generation. This unit is to be developed with cooperation from China and it will have a 10 megawatt
reactor (NHR-10) with a production capacity of 8 000 cubic metres of fresh water per day.

This project is being developed under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and
Morocco has concluded cooperation agreements with a specialised French body, the (cid:145)Direction de la sßretØ
des installations nuclØaires (DSIN)(cid:146) (Directorate for nuclear plant safety), in order to obtain assistance in
analysing nuclear projects and for supervising and monitoring existing and future plant.

(2000/C 203 E/083)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1851/99

by Jaime Valdivielso de CuØ (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 October 1999)

Subject: External relations

Last Thursday, 16 September 1999, the Commission admitted that only a small portion of the TACIS
Programme appropriations reach Russia; to be precise, only € 4 million of the € 140 million granted in
aid under this programme reached the country.

What mechanisms does the Commission intend to set up in order to prevent the recurrence of such
situations? What is the timescale for implementing these mechanisms?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(15 November 1999)

The Commission(cid:146)s statement to the Parliament, on 16th September 1999 included the following:

Community assistance is, as this house will know, primarily delivered through the TACIS programme
which is centrally managed from Brussels. The funds concerned are predominantly used to pay
Community firms to provide technical expertise and advice for Russia. Only a very small proportion
of the funds therefore goes to Russia. Indeed it is only € 4 million of the total of € 140 million. That
€ 4 million is obviously directly managed by our representation in Moscow.

In other words, virtually all the TACIS funding to Russia (some € 140 million per year) is not transferred
to accounts in Russian banks, but rather, is used to pay Community firms to provide technical expertise
and advice for Russia. These arrangements are usual for technical assistance programmes in transition
countries. This does not mean that the benefits and results of the project do not reach Russia. It simply
ensures some protection against funds going astray in Russia.