WRITTEN QUESTION E-2013/00 by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Council. Tourism and European small businesses charter.
Date: 2000-06-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European charter, small business, tourism

20.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 89 E/127

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

The Commission was not previously aware of the information supplied by the Honourable Member.

On 8 July 1998, the Commission received a formal application for grant from the OVSI Foundation, for an
amount of € 10 000 on a total budget of € 60 000. The objective was to support the organisation of the
second summer school on regional policy of information society and telecommunication which was to be
held in Alicante from 21 to 24 September 1998.

The proposed project was found to be in line with the goals set out in the work programme of ISAC and
after assessment by ISAC/IS2, it was decided to grant a subvention on the budget line B5-331. Payments
were made according to existing rules and the final report and financial statement clearly showed that the
funds granted were indeed used for the organisation of the event as described in the application.

The 1994-1999 operational programme for the Valencia region supported by the European regional
development fund did contain a measure in support of the information society. The OVSI Foundation was
one of the potential beneficiaries of this measure. However, given that, apart from large investments, the
Commission is not involved in the selection of individual projects for structural fund assistance, it does not
have details of the use made of any grants in favour of the Foundation in question.

The Commission has requested the relevant information from the Spanish authorities.

(2001/C 89 E/138)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2013/00

by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Council

Subject: Tourism and European small businesses charter

(22 June 2000)

The European Council meeting in Lisbon called on the Council of Ministers and the Commission to draw
up a European small businesses charter and ensure that their needs are met, recognising that their
contribution, in terms of job creation, is the most important.

Will the Council take account of the specific situation with regard to tour companies, given the seasonal
nature of their work and their particular importance in stimulating employment and the development of
less-favoured areas of Europe?

Reply

(23 October 2000)

The European Council meeting in Lisbon on 23/24 March 2000 set the European Union the objective
of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of
sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.

In the context of that objective, the European Council meeting in Lisbon asked the Council and the
Commission to draw up a European Charter for small companies to be endorsed in June 2000 which
should commit Member States to focus in the abovementioned instruments on small companies as the
main engines for job-creation in Europe, and to respond specifically to their needs.

In response to that request, the Council meeting on General Affairs on 13 June 2000 adopted the
European Charter for Small Enterprises and submitted it for approval to the European Council meeting in
Feira on 19/20 June 2000, which welcomed its adoption.

C 89 E/128

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.3.2001

The European Council meeting in Feira also underlined the importance of small firms for growth,
competitiveness and employment in the Union and requested its full
implementation as part of the
comprehensive framework for enterprise policy under preparation on the basis of the Commission(cid:146)s Work
Programme for Enterprise Policy 2000-2005, the proposals for benchmarking enterprise policy as well as
the Multiannual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship 2001-2005. First results of these exercises
must be achieved by the end of 2000.

It must be pointed out that the European Charter for Small Enterprises is essentially horizontal and is
intended to take account of the particular requirements of small firms, whatever the sector they operate in,
in order to reinforce their innovatory capacity and their job-creation potential. With that in view, the
principles and lines of action stated in the Charter apply to all small firms, and therefore to firms in the
tourism trade.

Furthermore, within the framework of the Opinion that it will be invited to deliver on the proposal for a
Council Decision on a Multiannual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (2001-2005) (1), the
European Parliament will have an opportunity of stressing the sectoral aspects to which it attaches
particular importance.

(1) COM(2000) 256 + COR 1.

(2001/C 89 E/139)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2015/00

by Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) to the Council

(22 June 2000)

Subject: Need for adoption of the E-OBD requirements with regard to LPG-fuelled vehicles

Since 1 January 2000, all vehicles marketed in Europe have to comply with the requirements of Directive
70/220 (1) as amended by Directive 98/69/EC (2) introducing in particular the need to fit vehicles with an
On Board Diagnostics (OBD) system.

Directive 98/77/EC (3), also amending Directive 70/220, installed the provisions to achieve the approval of
LPG vehicles.

The result of these two directives is that, from 1 January 2000 for new types and from 1 January 2001 for
existing types, LPG vehicles have to comply with the E-OBD requirements.

Since summer 1999 it has been unanimously recognised by the European Commission and the industry
that OBD should be applied to LPG vehicles in accordance with the time frame established for diesel
vehicles (or later), to leave the industry enough time to develop and to implement this new technology on
alternatively fuelled vehicles.

In this context, the Commission issued a proposal that was considered in the Council. To date, a decision
on this Commission proposal has been prevented by procedural problems as a result of which it is now
under discussion in the Council and the European Parliament.

1.

Can the Council explain the nature of those procedural problems?

2. What is the Council(cid:146)s view of the problems this delay causes for the LPG industry, particularly in the
light of a possible barrier to free trade in LPG vehicles in Europe?

3. What actions can and will the Council take to speed up the procedure on this issue?

(1) OJ L 76, 6.4.1970, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 350, 28.12.1998, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 286, 23.10.1998, p. 34.