WRITTEN QUESTION P-2530/00 by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Fires in southern Europe.
Date: 2000-07-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Greece, aid to disaster victims, fire, forest conservation

C 136 E/44

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.5.2001

During the negotiations that lead up to the adoption of Council Directive 92/81/EEC, Member States
obtained exemptions or reductions under Article 8(4) as part of
the adoption process. Under this
procedure, the Italian authorities were authorised by the Council to introduce a derogation (cid:145)for consump-
tion in the regions of Val D(cid:146)Aosta and Gorizia(cid:146). The application of this derogation will have contributed to
the price differentials mentioned by the Honourable Member.

The Council authorised this derogation on the basis that it would continue to apply automatically unless,
on the basis of a Commission proposal, the Council unanimously decides otherwise. Therefore, for the
derogation to be withdrawn as the Honourable Member suggests, the Italian delegation within the Council
would need to agree to its repeal.

(1) OJ L 316, 31.10.1992.

(2001/C 136 E/048)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2521/00

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(2 August 2000)

Subject: Bridge tolls and investment

Is the Commission aware of the strong belief locally that there is an enormous negative impact on
investment caused by the existence of certain bridge tolls. For example, there seems to be evidence that the
tolls on the Tamar Bridge deter companies investing in the Saltash area, which is an Objective One region,
because of the estimated GBP 300 per person per year costs for crossing the bridge. Similarly investment
levels in south Gloucestershire on the London side of the Severn Bridge are extremely high, yet many parts
of the Forest of Dean closest to the Severn Bridge, which are immediately the other side of the bridge and
which would meet Objective 2 criteria, face an impossible barrier to investment because of tolls of over
GBP 1 000 per person per year.

Is the Commission prepared to commission a study to establish the validity of these concerns?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(26 September 2000)

Article 7 of Directive 1999/62/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 1999 on the charging
of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures (1) lays down the conditions under which
Member States may levy tolls for heavy goods vehicles. If a national, regional or local authority decides to
introduce a toll, for heavy goods vehicles the toll should be compatible with the Directive, and for the
other vehicles the setting of the toll rate is a matter for these authorities under the principle of subsidiarity
provided the rate is neither excessive (i.e. related to the underlying costs) nor discriminatory.

(1) OJ L 187, 20.7.1999.

(2001/C 136 E/049)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2530/00

by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(25 July 2000)

Subject: Fires in southern Europe

Will the Commission release emergency appropriations to cover the damage caused by the widespread
fires which have raged across southern Europe and Greece, in particular, in recent days, in view of the
need for exceptional funding to compensate those affected by the disaster and to restore the natural
environment?

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/45

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 October 2000)

The Commission is very concerned about the forest fires that affected Greece this summer and the
personal tragedies involved.

The Community has no emergency financial aid mechanism to help southern Member States such as
Greece cope with the damage caused by this wave of fires.

Member States can however, provided that all relevant rules, decisions and agreements are respected, use
Community funds to repair damage to public infrastructure and purchase firefighting equipment.

On restoration of
the natural environment, a number of operational programmes approved or in
negotiation include aid under the sixth indent of Article 30(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999
of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and
Guarantee Fund and amending and repealing certain Regulations (1) that will help make good the needs
identified.

Under Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on protection of the Community(cid:146)s forests
the Commission on 17 July 2000 to spend € 3 750 000 (Community contribution
against
€ 1 675 000) on forest protection in Greece. This includes creation of tracks, firebreaks and water points,
preventive forestry measures and launching of monitoring action.

fire (2)

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.
(2) OJ L 217, 31.7.1992.

(2001/C 136 E/050)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2533/00

by Karl von Wogau (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(2 August 2000)

Subject: Standardisation and certification of early warning systems

The Federal Republic of Germany has created the legal framework for the introduction of early warning
systems in the business sphere. Does the Commission know whether other Member States have introduced
similar systems?

Does the Commission feel it would be advisable to introduce, in a common market, arrangements for the
standardisation and/or certification of systems of this kind?

Very recently, Germany created a legal framework for the introduction of early warning systems. The use
of such systems is specified in the law on monitoring and transparency in the business sphere, the law
implementing the directive on corporations with partners and in Article 91(2) of the law on shares. Since
the beginning of this year auditors have been required to draw up a report on the existence of an early
warning system.

If similar systems are in use in other Member States, this raises the issue of whether, in a common market,
it would be beneficial for capital investors if a joint framework were to be created governing the quality
and comparability of such early warning systems.