WRITTEN QUESTION E-2077/00 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Working Time Directive (93/104/EC).
Date: 2000-06-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU law, European Commission, United Kingdom, arrangement of working time, national implementing measure, report

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/139

Would the Commission explain which organisations are due to receive funding under current plans for
2000 and 2001, and under which budget lines?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2072/00, E-2073/00, E-2074/00 and E-2075/00
given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(15 September 2000)

In 1997 € 214 638 was granted from budget line B3-4114 for measures preparatory to the creation of a
European network of organisations active in the fight against racism. In 1998 € 602 866 was granted from
budget line B3-4114 to support the first year of operation of the European network against racism,
covering the period 1 December 1998 to 31 December 1999. No funds were committed from the 1999
budget for the running costs of non-governmental organisations working in the field of discrimination on
grounds of racial and ethnic origin as the commentary to the relevant budget line did not permit the
funding of running costs and as the Commission was able to cover the costs of the European network
against racism in 1999 from the 1998 budget. In 2000, a running cost subsidy has been awarded to the
European network against racism on the basis of the budget commentary to line B5-803. A total subsidy
of € 1 320 432 has been awarded to cover the period from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2001.

No subsidies were committed from the Community budget in 1997, 1998 or 1999 for the running costs
of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the field of discrimination on grounds of age, of
religion and belief, or of sexual orientation. However in 2000 the Commission has organised a call for
proposals for the provision of support for the co-ordination activities of organisations operating at
European level and active in fighting discrimination. As a result of this call, the Commission is concluding
subsidy agreements with a range of organisations, some of which may be active in the fight against racial
discrimination, on grounds of age, religion, belief or sexual orientation. Information on which organisa-
tions have received support will be published on the web-pages of the Commission:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-prot/disable/index_en.htm.

In 2001, core funding for relevant European-level NGOs with experience of fighting discrimination will fall
under the action programme on combating discrimination which is currently before the Council and the
Parliament. Based on Article 13 of the EC Treaty, the programme will deal with discrimination based on
racial and ethnic origin, religion and belief, disability, age and sexual orientation. The Commission has
proposed that the criteria for the selection of European-level NGOs for this purpose should be established
in conjunction with the programme committee. A call for proposals will then be organised on the basis of
those criteria. It is therefore not possible at this stage to say which organisations will receive funding.

(2001/C 81 E/171)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2077/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 June 2000)

Subject: Working Time Directive (93/104/EC)

Article 18(1)(b)(i) of Directive 93/104/EC (1) states that, for employees working more than 48 hours per
week, the employer must keep (cid:145)up-to-date records of all workers who carry out such work(cid:146).

Is the Commission satisfied that this provision has been fully transposed into UK law through SI 1999/
3372?

(1) OJ L 307, 13.12.1993, p. 18.

C 81 E/140

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(7 September 2000)

Article 18(6) of Directive 93/104/EC of 23 November 1993 concerning certain aspects of the organisation
of working time provides that, every five years, the Commission shall submit to the Parliament, the
Council and the Economic and Social Committee a report on the application of the Directive in all
Member States.

The Commission is in the final stages of preparing this implementation report. Once the Commission has
adopted the report, it will transmit it to the Parliament.

(2001/C 81 E/172)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2090/00

by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(28 June 2000)

Subject: Euromed

Is the Commission aware of the project for a high-speed train link (Euromed) to Almer(cid:237)a (Spain)?

Will this project be funded partly or wholly by the EU?

If there is to be EU funding, to which of the Community funds will it be charged and what sum will be
involved?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

The extension of the so-called Euromed railway line to the city of Almer(cid:237)a through the region of Murcia is
mentioned in the Spanish regional development plan for objective 1 regions and is one of the most
important projects for the period 2000-2006 in the region of Andalusia. The project is also scheduled in
the Spanish infrastructure plan for the period 2000-2007. However, as negotiations on the Community
support framework for objective 1 structural fund support to Spain are still under way, it is not possible to
state yet whether the project will be supported in this context.

On the other hand, this line is not defined as Trans-European rail network (TEN) and is therefore not
eligible for funding under the Cohesion fund or the TEN-transport budget line.

(2001/C 81 E/173)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2092/00

by Reino Paasilinna (PSE) and Ulpu Iivari (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Definition of a geographical market

(28 June 2000)

The Commission has taken a hard line in defining the concept of (cid:145)relevant markets(cid:146) when intervening in
the purchase of undertakings, mergers and certain types of agreement. The Commission has prohibited the
above-mentioned activities and has imposed conditions on them if they have had an influence on a
relevant product market or geographical market in such a way that a commanding market position is
created or strengthened. However, the Commission(cid:146)s interpretation of a (cid:145)relevant geographical market(cid:146)
diverges from the concept of a market as seen by business. Businesses understand a market area to mean
the sales area or area of
industry in which they operate. On what exactly is the Commission(cid:146)s
interpretation of a commanding market position based? How does it justify the fact that its definition
differs so radically from the concept of a market as seen by business?