WRITTEN QUESTION P-2570/99 by W.G. van Velzen (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Secretariat of the Energy Charter.
Date: 1999-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Energy Charter, administration of the Institutions

C 203 E/174

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2000

(2000/C 203 E/225)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2474/99

by Manuel PØrez `lvarez (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Safety standards in old people(cid:146)s homes

(16 December 1999)

Disturbing news reports appear daily of deaths of senior citizens, operational difficulties and other
problems in old people(cid:146)s homes.

Can the Commission state whether there is any Community regulation harmonising the minimum safety
standards for old people(cid:146)s homes in the Member States, or whether it intends to propose any such
measure?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(14 January 2000)

Minimum standards, and systems for monitoring and enforcing adherence to them, are found at
appropriate national and regional levels in most Member States. There is no Community competence.

The Commission is aware of attempts by some European associations of professionals in residential care (cid:129)
such as the European association of directors of residential care homes for the elderly (EDE) (cid:129) to develop
European codes of good practice and a system of certification for the training of residential care personnel,
but it is not involved in these endeavours.

(2000/C 203 E/226)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2570/99

by W.G. van Velzen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 December 1999)

Subject: Secretariat of the Energy Charter

The Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad reported on 20 November that the Netherlands Government is
concerned at
in Brussels. A year ago the
management consultancy firm of Arthur D. Little issued a report on the management of the Secretariat
at the request of the then chairman of the Governmental Council of the Energy Charter, Mr Rutten.

the Energy Charter Secretariat

the poor management at

1. What progress has been made on the Energy Charter Protocol?

Is the Commission aware of the Arthur D. Little study on the operation of the Secretariat of the

2.
Energy Charter?

3. What is the status of this report, and when can it be made available to the Member States and the
European Parliament?

Is it true that the Finnish Presidency has requested Mr Sch(cid:252)tterle, Secretary-General of the Energy

4.
Charter, to communicate the report to the Member States?

5.

Is it true that Germany considers it inappropriate to publish this report?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(10 January 2000)

The Commission has been informed of the existence of the report by a consultancy firm concerning the
management of the Energy Charter Secretariat. This report is classified as confidential and has not been
transmitted to the Commission.

18.7.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 203 E/175

from the Community,

the Energy Charter Conference supported by its chairman,
On a proposal
Mr Christophersen, decided on 7 December 1999 by consensus to replace the present Secretary general,
Mr Sch(cid:252)tterle (Germany) as of 1 January 2000 by Mrs. Kemper (Germany) for four years with an option
for an additional period of two years.

(2000/C 203 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2579/99

by Fernando FernÆndez Mart(cid:237)n (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Wording of Article 158 of the Treaty, relating to islands

(16 December 1999)

The Treaty of Amsterdam amended Article 158 of the Treaty, which relates to economic and social
cohesion, so that it now contains a reference to islands. The way in which the article is worded varies, and
is sometimes contradictory, depending on which language version is referred to.
In some language
versions, Article 158 only covers (cid:145)the least favoured regions or islands(cid:146) while in other language versions
it applies (cid:145)to disadvantaged regions or to islands(cid:146). These two phrases clearly have very different meanings:
the first version states that the islands are merely a subcategory of the regions designated as disadvantaged
on the basis of socio-economic criteria while the second version clearly identifies the fact of being an
island as a separate criterion, and calls for special treatment.

The fact that inconsistencies have been allowed to appear in a text as important as the Treaty is quite
astounding. What is even more amazing is the way in which the wording of the French version developed
between June 1997 (following the IGC) and November of the same year (when it was published in
OJ C 340). In June 1997, the European Council(cid:146)s Web site published a summary of the agreement reached
in Amsterdam. The French text was as follows:

(g)

Island Regions

Article 130a(2) of the EC Treaty shall be amended as follows:

In particular, the Community shall aim at reducing disparities between the levels of development
of the various regions and the backwardness of the least favoured regions or of the islands,
including rural areas.

A few months later, the wording had been changed and, in the text published in the Official Journal,
became:

In particular, the Community shall aim at reducing disparities between the levels of development of
the various regions and the backwardness of the least favoured regions or islands, including rural
areas.

It should be pointed out that the alterations seem, as far as we know, to have been made only to the
French version, since in the other published language versions of the Treaty (such as the Italian version)
Article 158 refers to (cid:145)the least favoured regions or the islands(cid:146). It would therefore appear that the
discrepancies cannot be attributed to the harmonisation of the text by lawyers and translators following
the agreement reached in Amsterdam, which would have been subject to the unanimous consent of the
Member States.

Commissioner Barnier, in both his current capacity as the Commissioner responsible for regional policy
and as the former French Minister for European Affairs, responsible for the IGC negotiations until June
1997, would appear to be in a better position than anyone to explain to Parliament why the wording of
Article 158 changed.

Could he explain to Parliament why the wording of the French version of Article 158 of the Treaty
changed between June 1997 and November 1997? Which of the two versions,
(cid:145)of the least favoured
regions or islands(cid:146) or (cid:145)of the least favoured regions or of the islands(cid:146) corresponds, in letter and spirit, to the
text which he negotiated, and to which France agreed, at the Intergovernmental Conference?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(18 January 2000)

At the Amsterdam European Council of 16 and 17 June 1997, the Intergovernmental Conference of Heads
of State or Government reached an agreement on a draft Treaty on the basis of the texts set out in
document CONF 4001/97. This document was disseminated to a restricted circle. As stated in the