WRITTEN QUESTION E-1271/00 by Guido Sacconi (PSE) to the Commission. Action plan for mountain areas.
Date: 2000-04-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU action, mountain region

20.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 53 E/117

It is planning shortly to put forward a proposal for a regulation to harmonise and simplify the system for
promoting agricultural produce in the Community.

Can the Commission say if there is already a specific date for presenting this proposed regulation?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(12 May 2000)

No precise date has yet been fixed for the presentation of a proposition for a Council Regulation
concerning the new Community arrangements for the promotion of agricultural products on the internal
market.

The Commission is in the process of drawing up the draft proposal.

(2001/C 53 E/149)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1271/00

by Guido Sacconi (PSE) to the Commission

(19 April 2000)

Subject: Action plan for mountain areas

Mountain areas are one of Europe(cid:146)s most priceless assets, in that they contain vital resources such as water
and forests which provide a habitat for rare species and are the home to deep-rooted cultural traditions, as
well as providing a refuge from the stresses and strains of everyday life for many Europeans. Furthermore,
it is important to maintain adequate population levels in those areas so as to help ensure the preservation
of delicate hydrogeological balances that require permanent attention and care.

Therefore, given the wide range of problems facing those areas and the fact that many of the applicant
countries themselves have extensive mountain areas, an EU strategy specifically aimed at assisting the local
population in preserving this environment is of particular importance.

In this connection, on 23 October 1998 the European Parliament adopted a resolution (A4-0368/98) (1) on
a new strategy for mountain regions in which it called on the Commission to submit at the earliest
opportunity a (cid:145)Community action plan(cid:146) for mountain areas and to make greater provision for those areas
under Objective 2 of the Structural Funds.

Given that, two year since that resolution was published, such an action plan has yet to be submitted, can
the Commission state whether the current Objective 2 eligibility criteria really do cater properly for the
specific needs of mountain areas?

Does it consider that the submission of an action plan would help to make Community action in such
areas more effective?

If it does, what is the time frame for implementation? Furthermore, has the Commission taken due account
of the specific problems of mountain areas during the negotiations with the applicant countries?

(1) OJ C 341, 9.11.1998, p. 369.

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(31 May 2000)

The Commission has indeed taken into account Parliament(cid:146)s resolution calling on it
Community action plan for mountain areas.

to present a

During the 2000-2006 programming period, a large number of mountain areas will be eligible under
Objective 1 or Objective 2 of the reform of the Structural Funds. As regards Objective 2, the eligibility

C 53 E/118

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

criteria stipulated for rural areas by Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999
laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (1) certainly cover the difficulties facing a number
of mountain areas: a population density of less than 100 people per km2, a percentage share of agricultural
employment in total employment which is higher than the Community average, a decline in population
since 1985, ageing or decline of the agricultural working population.

Other aspects of the resolution will be progressively taken into account during the 2000-2006 implemen-
tation period of the Structural Funds.

Since Community Initiatives may operate in areas not eligible under Objectives 1 and 2, new Community
support options are available to mountain areas (cid:129) including under the Leader+ Initiative. The guidelines
for the Community(cid:146)s Interreg III Initiative, which the Commission adopted on 28 April 2000 (2), also make
specific reference to mountain areas.

The new common agricultural policy (CAP) will likewise enable better account to be taken of mountain
areas(cid:146) needs, in terms both of the market (extensification premium under the market organisation for beef
and veal) and of support for rural development, the new guidelines for which offer such areas attractive
opportunities (agro-environmental measures, compensatory allowances for less-favoured areas, support for
adapting and developing rural areas).

In order to describe all the Community measures relating to mountain areas, the Commission drew up a
special booklet which it presented at the Second European Mountain Convention in Trento in March 2000.
A copy of that booklet has been sent directly to the Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

This represents a step towards the comprehensive approach which the action plan aims to promote. The
process will progressively involve the various Commission departments, other Community institutions and
a number of bodies specialised in promoting mountain interests with regard to the international year of
the mountain in 2002.

In principle, this will apply to each new Member State joining the Union. The Instrument for Structural
Policies for Pre-Accession (ISPA), the action plan for coordinated aid to Poland and Hungary (PHARE), and
particularly the special accession programme for agriculture and rural development (Sapard) already
provide scope for trying out measures which are specifically targeted at mountain areas or which benefit
them indirectly.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
(2) COM(1999) 479 final.

(2001/C 53 E/150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1272/00

by Dirk Sterckx (ELDR) to the Commission

(19 April 2000)

Subject: Criteria for visual acuity in Directive 91/439 on driving licences

By way of implementation of Directive 91/439 (1) on driving licences, Belgian legislation on lorry drivers
lays down a criterion for visual acuity of at least 8/10 for the better eye and 5/10 for the weaker eye, if
necessary using corrective lenses (e.g. spectacles or contact lenses). The result of this new standard on
visual acuity is that people with a (cid:145)lazy eye(cid:146) can no longer become lorry drivers. Furthermore, a number of
lorry drivers who have been regarded as medically capable for years may suddenly fail to obtain a new
driving aptitude certificate.

Is the Commission aware of this situation? Is it not possible to revise the Directive to take account of the
specific case of lorry drivers with a (cid:145)lazy eye(cid:146)? Is it not at least possible to make an exception for lorry
drivers who obtained their licences at a time when less stringent standards applied?

(1) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991, p. 1.