WRITTEN QUESTION E-1913/99 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission. Imperial measurement.
Date: 1999-10-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: United Kingdom, bulk product, common commercial policy, marketing standard, weights and measures

C 203 E/88

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2000

According to the information sent to the Commission by the Greek authorities, all the appropriations
allocated to URBAN have been committed and it is therefore realistic to believe that all the appropriations
allocated to this programme will be used. However, this is not reflected in the amount of payment
appropriations, which are still relatively low as a result of the late start of the programme.

(2000/C 203 E/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1913/99

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 October 1999)

Subject: Imperial measurement

Will the Commission confirm that its statement of 8 February 1999 will allow loose goods to be sold in
the UK in imperial measures until the year 2010?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(1 December 1999)

The use for trade, public health, public safety and public administration, in the Union and the European
Economic Area, of units of measurement is harmonised by Directive 80/181/EEC (1), as last amended by
Directive 89/617/EEC (2). This harmonised legislation lays down as the legal units for these uses the units
of the International System (SI), except for a small number of specific uses for which internationally used
non-SI units are allowed. The SI is the extended version of the metric system.

To allow a smooth transition to the use of the SI in the United Kingdom and Ireland, transition periods
were created for the phasing out in stages of the units from the imperial system. According to the last of
these transition periods that is still in force, the use of the units (cid:145)ounce(cid:146) (avoirdupois) and (cid:145)pound(cid:146) is
permitted for the sales by weight of goods, loose from bulk. This transition period comes to an end on
31 December 1999, after which date the kilogram (symbol: kg) becomes the legal unit for these trading
transactions.

The statement of 8 February 1999, to which the Honourable Member refers, relates to a proposed
amendment (3) of Directive 80/181/EEC, that is currently being discussed by the Parliament and the
Council. This proposed amendment would allow the use of non-metric units (such as imperial units) in
supplementary indications for an additional ten year period (to 1 January 2010). However, while imperial
units may be used during this transitional period in supplementary indications, it should nevertheless be
emphasised that from 1 January 2000 the legal unit of measurement for the sale by by weight of goods,
loose from bulk, will be the SI unit kilogram or decimal multiples or submultiples thereof.

(1) OJ L 39, 15.2.1980.
(2) OJ L 357, 7.12.1989.
(3) COM(1999) 40 final.

(2000/C 203 E/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1920/99

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 November 1999)

Subject: Agricultural statistics concerning funding flows in the agricultural and rural development sectors

The European Parliament(cid:146)s Committee on Agriculture recently drew attention to the lack of transparency
in relation to the destination and exact amount of the funds allocated by the European Union in the
individual Member States. Clear information on the subject could be provided from time to time by
unambiguous and up-to-date statistics, which should be made available to the public as promptly as
possible.