WRITTEN QUESTION E-2652/99 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Reliability of airbags.
Date: 2000-01-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: directive (EU), motor car, product quality, road safety, safety device, testing, transport accident

21.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 330 E/37

(cid:145)Overview of the environment and health in Europe in the 1990s(cid:146) (6) which contains, among other aspects,
a quantification of the links between health status and environmental factors, such as air pollution.

The Framework Directive on Air Quality (96/62/EC) (7) requires Community wide assessment of air quality.
Limit values for certain pollutants and target values for ozone are to be set in daughter legislation. Member
States have to draw up action plans and programmes so as to attain these limit values within a given
period. A first daughter Directive (1999/30/EC) (8) contains a set of limit values for sulphur dioxide, fine
particles, nitrogen dioxide and lead. A proposal for a second daughter directive (9) on limit values for
benzene and carbon monoxide has achieved first reading in the Parliament and a common position has
been politically agreed in the Council. The Commission is currently developing legislation covering several
heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

As far as ozone is concerned, a daughter directive for ozone will repeal the current ozone Directive 92/72.
The Commission proposal (10), together with a directive setting national emission ceilings for the precursor
substances of ozone, forms a Community wide strategy to combat ozone pollution. Its objective is to bring
about tangible improvements of the ozone pollution, for example more than 70 % reduction by the year
2010 of the ozone exposure above the guideline level for human health of the WHO.

A large amount of research on photochemical ozone levels in Europe has been supported by the
Environment research programme. Worthwhile mentioning as regards acute air pollution problems in
those regions are the Medcaphot project (Mediterranean campaign of photochemical tracers (cid:129) transport
and chemical evolution) which investigated the air pollution of the Athens area, and a group of projects
which performed similar investigations in various cities of the Spanish and Italian coasts.

(1) OJ L 297, 13.10.1992.
(2) OPOCE, ISBN 92-828-5672-0.
(3) Europe(cid:146)s Environment: The Second Assessment (OPOCE, ISBN 92-828-3351-8).
(4) OPOCE, ISBN 92-9157-202-0, figure 3.12.6.
(5)

(cid:145)Advanced Air Quality Indicators and Reporting (cid:129) Methodological Study and Assessment(cid:146), ENV/EPOC/PPC(99)9/
FINAL available on http://www.oecd.int/env/online-soe.htm).
ISBN 92-890-1169-6.

(6)
(7) OJ L 296, 21.11.1996.
(8) OJ L 163, 29.6.1999.
(9) OJ C 53, 24.2.1999.
(10) COM(1999) 125.

(2000/C 330 E/040)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2652/99

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(12 January 2000)

Subject: Reliability of airbags

With regard to road safety and accident prevention, Directives 96/27/EC (1) and 96/79/EC (2) (compulsory
as of 1 October 1999) set out the criteria and requirements by which airbag performance must be
evaluated.

In the light of this:

1. What is the state of implementation of legislative and non-legislative measures in the EU for the

improvement of road safety in the 1997-2001 period?

2. Can the Commission say if the data it has at present on road safety and accident prevention enable it

to express a definitive view on the reliability of the airbag systems fitted?

(1) OJ L 169, 8.7.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 18, 21.1.1997, p. 7.

C 330 E/38

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.11.2000

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(6 March 2000)

In April 1997 the Commission presented a communication on promoting road safety in the Community (1)
which contained a detailed action programme for the period 1997-2001.

Following suggestions by the Parliament and the Council
the Commission is preparing a further
communication which gives a progress report on the action programme and establishes priorities for
future action. This is currently the subject of consultations within the Commission, and it is hoped to
present the document to the Parliament and the Council in the very near future.

Concerning the reliability of airbags the Honourable Member is referred to the two type approval directives
on car crashworthiness, Directive 96/27/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1996 on the
protection of occupants of motor vehicles in the event of a side impact and amending Directive 70/156/
EEC, and Directive 96/79/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1996 on the protection
of occupants of motor vehicles in the event of a frontal impact and amending Directive 70/156/EEC, both
of which became compulsory for all new cars from October 1999. In order to pass the test, in particular
the frontal impact test into an (cid:145)offset deformable barrier(cid:146) at 56 kilometer per hour, air bags for the driver
and passenger are effective technologies.

Nevertheless, the directives do not specifically necessitate air bags to be fitted and there are no specific
standards on their performance. However, what is done is to measure the deceleration forces produced by
the crash on anthropometric dummies and air bags are used to ensure that the impact energy is within
survivable limits.

In the future, industry will no doubt develop even better crashworthy structures and that will prompt even
more air bag development, perhaps (cid:145)smart(cid:146) air bags and restraint systems that actually start to activate
prior to the aggressive impact and also systems that take account of the age, and physical stature of the
occupant.

(1) COM(97) 131 final.

(2000/C 330 E/041)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2657/99

by Ant(cid:243)nio Campos (PSE) to the Commission

(12 January 2000)

Subject: Common agricultural policy

Cereals account
Guarantee Section Spending.

for 12 % of the Union(cid:146)s total agricultural production, and absorb 48 % of EAGGF

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. What does each kg. of grain produced cost the Union in subsidies, including the export subsidies, set-

aside aids, etc., required by Union policy on cereal production?

2. What was the average world market price for one kg. of grain in 1999?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(10 February 2000)

Based on the figures used to estimate appropriations for the EAGGF Guarantee Section in the 2000
budget, wheat (common wheat and durum wheat) accounts for EUR 6 595 million of spending against
production of 95,5 million tonnes, i.e. a cost of EUR 69 per tonne.