WRITTEN QUESTION E-0562/00 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Legislation and the manufacturing industry.
Date: 2000-02-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU act, national law, processing industry

13.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 46 E/13

The Commission is aware of serious problems caused by unsustainable bushmeat consumption and
bushmeat trade among developing countries,
in particularly in parts of Africa. The Commission has
therefore under the environment budget line supported a study in order to identify the magnitude of
bushmeat trade in Africa, to determine the underlying causes and to define possible policy measures. The
results of the study will be published soon.

The threat to wildlife is in the first place from habitat degradation and destruction. The Commission
supports projects and programmes, which focus on the sustainable management of ecosystems as well as
the preservation of protected areas. Tropical forests are among the most important habitats for wildlife,
and for primates in particular. Therefore, activities supported under the tropical forest budget line have
many links with wildlife. Attention to conservation and sustainable use of wildlife by the local population
is also given through several rural development programmes funded under the European development
fund or the export earnings stabilization system for least-developed countries in Asia and Latin America. In
both cases this is mainly done in the context of a (cid:145)livelihood(cid:146) approach, where local development
opportunities are linked with the conservation of biodiversity. Local use of wildlife is not necessarily
illegal or unsustainable.

Significant pressure on endangered wildlife is also exerted by illegal activities (e.g. hunting and trade) not at
least in unstable situations of warfare or social unrest. In this context, Community support for (cid:145)good
governance(cid:146) and (cid:145)capacity building(cid:146) projects and programmes is therefore also important to tackle the
problem.

(1) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997.

(2001/C 46 E/016)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0562/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: Legislation and the manufacturing industry

How many regulations has the EU produced which affect the manufacturing industry in each of the last
five years? How many equivalent regulations have been produced by each Member State?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(11 May 2000)

The wide spectrum of the Community(cid:146)s fields of activities makes it difficult to identify all pieces of
Community legislation which may have an indirect impact on manufacturing industry. However, for
legislation directly applicable to industry, the Honourable Member will find below the required statistics on
legal acts adopted during the course of the last five years. These cover, on the one hand, the number of
legal acts adopted by the Community (387 in total) and, on the other hand,
the
corresponding technical regulations notified to the Commission within the framework of Directives 83/
189/EEC and 98/34/EC (3 057 in total).

the number of

Although one would expect to see a certain disparity between the two sets of figures, because of the nature
of the legal
instruments used by the Community (regulations or directives), and the timing of their
transposition into national law, the Honourable Member will notice the relatively large divergence between
these statistics.

This issue was examined by the Commission, with concern, in its 1995 report on (cid:145)National Regulations
applicable to Internal Market products(cid:146) (1). In substance, the report confirmed the widespread perception
that Member States frequently add (gold-plate) to Community rules in their transposition measures, by
failing to opt for the simplest of a range of options or by requiring complicated procedures to achieve
requirements set out in directives. This not only increases the limited number of Community rules but also
imposes unnecessary burdens on business while contributing, unfairly, to the perception of the Commun-
ity as a source of red tape.

C 46 E/14

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.2.2001

The Commission is currently updating the above report and is, of course, ready to be of further assistance
to the Honourable Member, should he be interested to obtain more precise information on the subject.

Statistics relating to legal acts adopted by the Community
(CELEX Data Base) (cid:129) 1995-1999

1995

38

1996

79

1997

122

1998

70

1999

78

Total
1995-1999

387

Statistics relating to technical regulations notified within the framework
of Directive 83/189/EEC/Directive 98/34/EC (cid:129) 1995-1999

Notifications

Member States

Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Greece
Spain
France
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
The Netherlands
Austria
Portugal
Finland
Sweden
United Kingdom

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

Total
1995-1999

26
36
92
12
25
61
1
31
1
43
25
5
17
5
59

17
28
88
16
19
41
4
27
0
62
61
19
34
34
73

59
40
99
12
35
51
3
31
0
341
106
7
22
23
71

900

50
55
76
11
24
47
1
32
2
122
69
11
23
30
51

604

20
43
85
17
31
54
4
25
1
128
69
6
24
35
49

591

172
202
440
68
134
254
13
146
4
696
330
48
120
127
303

3 057

Total (15)

439

523

(1) 28 February 1995-III/2185-EN/final-Experience acquired in the framework of Directive 83/189/EEC.

(2001/C 46 E/017)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0566/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: Implications of asymmetrical legal position of ownership

In what sectors of the EU economy is it still the case that an asymmetrical legal position concerning
ownership still exists, in other words, where it is possible for a state-owned company in one Member State
to buy a private company in another, but where it is impossible for a private company to enter the market
of the state-owned company? Is this still the case of the French electricity market? What measures is the
Commission taking to open up those markets it indicates?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(19 May 2000)

The Commission does not have at its disposal the necessary data to give the Honorable Member an
exhaustive answer on all the asymmetrical legal positions of ownership in all sectors of the economy.