WRITTEN QUESTION E-2436/99 by Diana Wallis (ELDR) to the Commission. Data-Protection Directive.
Date: 1999-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: action for failure to fulfil an obligation, electronic commerce, national implementing measure, personal data, protection of privacy, single market, trade restriction

1.8.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 219 E/161

Furthermore, the General Affairs Council has repeatedly called for intensified efforts by the Kosovars and
the international presence to fight against organized crime in Kosovo.
In this context, the Council
welcomed, in its meeting on 6 December, the intention of the Commission to include the fight against
organized crime in its programming for assistance to Kosovo in the year 2000 and invited member States
to identify appropriate assistance in this field.

(2000/C 219 E/204)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2432/99

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 December 1999)

Subject: Reintroduction of wolves, bears and lynx

Will the Commission say whether there are any specific measures in progress (co-financed or not) to
reintroduce wolves, bears and lynx? Have any measures been co-financed in the past for this purpose and
are there any plans to do so in the near future?

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(11 January 2000)

Many projects have been financed under the financial instrument LIFE-Nature and its predecessors since
1988 aiming either directly or indirectly at the conservation of wolf, brown bear and lynx.

In particular the wolf has been one of the species targeted in 21 projects, the lynx in 14 and the brown
bear in 17.

These projects certainly represent the major Community investment for the protection of these species.

Further to that, Member States may have taken similar or complementary initiatives in the framework of
other Community funds.

Other projects for the conservation of these species may be financed in the future under LIFE III, provided
good quality projects are presented for this purpose.

(2000/C 219 E/205)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2436/99

by Diana Wallis (ELDR) to the Commission

(16 December 1999)

Subject: Data-Protection Directive

Is the Commission aware that, owing to disparities in implementation at national
level of the 1995
EU Data-Protection Directive, national data-protection laws are prejudicing cross-border trade and that this
will have a considerable impact on the development of e-commerce within the EU?

One example is the extension of the scope of data-protection laws to cover not only personal data, as
envisaged by the Directive, but also the processing of corporate data.

Does the Commission plan any action to limit the damage to the principle of the internal market caused
by excessive (cid:145)gold-plating(cid:146) of the Directive on its transposition by the Member States?

C 219 E/162

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

1.8.2000

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2000)

The Commission takes the view that Directive 95/46/EC of 24 October 1995 on the protection of
individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (1), to
which the Honourable Member refers, is of key importance to the development of electronic commerce.

The Directive is designed to enable personal data to move freely between Member States whilst ensuring
throughout the Community a high level of protection for individuals(cid:146) fundamental rights, including their
right to privacy. Such protection is necessary if consumers are to have confidence in the use of on-line
services and if electronic commerce is to expand accordingly.

The Commission is therefore keeping a close watch on the transposal of the Directive into national
legislation. As transposal has not yet been completed in several Member States, the Commission has
initiated proceedings against them for failure to meet their Community obligations.

As things stand,
the Commission does not have any information on the disparities to which the
Honourable Member refers. Such disparities may arise from the fact that the Directive has not been
transposed.

If the margin for manoeuvre which the Directive leaves to Member States, particularly as regards the
extension of protection to corporate data as referred to by the Honourable Member, were to present
obstacles to the proper operation of the internal market, the Commission would not fail to draw the
necessary consequences.

(1) OJ L 281, 23.11.1999.

(2000/C 219 E/206)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2438/99

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

(13 December 1999)

Subject: Consequences of the rejection of the French Electricity Bill for the internal market

After the French National Assembly had passed the Electricity Bill at first reading on 2 March 1999, the
Senate rejected it on Thursday, 18 November 1999. Formally, the European electricity directive ought to
have been transposed into national law as of 18 February 1999.

In view of the Commission(cid:146)s reply to previous questions by the undersigned, what implications is the

1.
rejection of the legislation likely to have for the liberalisation of the European electricity market?

2.
The rejection of the Electricity Bill in France will distort the internal market for electricity in the
European Union. Bearing in mind, inter alia, that the European directive ought to have been transposed
into national
law by 18 February, and that France is the only EU Member State which has not yet
complied with this requirement, legal proceedings against France would be appropriate. However, such
proceedings are likely to be protracted, and will not, therefore, remedy the situation in the near future.
What will the Commission do in the short term to prevent distortion of the internal market for electricity?

3.
Has the French Government informed the Commission of the situation, and has the Commission
been informed how the French Government intends to prevent any obstacles to the internal market as
soon as possible and what practical measures the French Government intends to take, in consultation with
the Commission, to reduce the distortion of the internal market to a minimum?