WRITTEN QUESTION E-2733/00 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Establishment of a pan-European air traffic control system.
Date: 2000-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, air space, air traffic, air traffic control, air transport, organisation of transport

C 113 E/160

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

economic cooperation and development (OECD) PSE (producer support estimate) data base (a data base
established by the OECD Secretariat on the basis of a commonly agreed methodology with OECD
countries). Commodities covered include common wheat, refined sugar, beef and veal, pig meat and
milk. The most recent data available concern the 1995-1998 period.

Community internal prices for some agricultural commodities in €/t
(% difference with the world price equivalent) (1)

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

€/tonne

(2)

Common wheat
Beef and veal
Pig meat
Refined sugar
Milk

Total (%)

137,4
3 630,0
1 223,2
296,5
294,3

49
52
25
98
128

79

135,9
3 481,0
1 303,7
292,5
301,3

13
48
11
81
111

60

136,4
3 355,9
1 445,1
285,0
303,8

125,5
3 386,6
1 471,1
280,0
301,8

(cid:141) 10
48
(cid:141) 1
95
95

50

(cid:141) 4
86
1
100
94

61

115,9
3 417,6
1 093,6
251,7
301,7

21
112
12
136
132

90

Source: OECD (PSE data base); calculation DG AGRI.
(1) Calculated as: (internal price (cid:141) world price) / world price.
(2) Difference with world price (%).

(2001/C 113 E/168)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2731/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Council

(3 August 2000)

Subject: Asylum seekers

Will the Council please indicate the number of people claiming asylum in each Member State in each of
the last five years and the proportion that have so far been granted asylum in each case?

Will the Council please state what proportion of asylum seekers in each year over the last five years come
from countries with actual or recent histories of civil conflict?

Reply

(16 November 2000)

With regard to statistics relating to asylum matters, the Council would refer the Honorable Member to the
regular bulletins published by Eurostat and also to the excellent statistics published by UNHCR and
available on its Internet site at (cid:145)www.unhcr.ch(cid:146).

(2001/C 113 E/169)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2733/00

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Establishment of a pan-European air traffic control system

Recent media reports indicate that unannounced spot checks carried out at the Malpensa and Linate
Airports in Milan have shown that air traffic controllers there have been acting in a most irresponsible
fashion by clocking on for their shift but not actually carrying out their duties in front of the radar screens.
Italian air space is already deemed to be disproportionately dangerous since traffic there has increased by
18 % within one year and the subsequent accident risks have increased by 140 %. In recent years, air space
in many EU countries has become more unsafe.

18.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/161

1.

Is the Commission aware of this situation, and what is its assessment thereof?

2. What progress has it made towards the establishment of a pan-European air traffic control system?

Answer given by Mme de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(5 October 2000)

The Commission has no tangible evidence enabling it to judge the level of safety offered by the air traffic
control system in Italy and particularly at Malpensa and Linate airports.
It will contact the Italian
authorities in order to obtain more information on this matter.

Since the end of 1999 the Commission has been working on an initiative known as (cid:145)Single Air Space(cid:146)
which is intended to produce an air traffic control system that is tailored to European requirements by
dealing with the current fragmentation of airspace on a national basis.

A high level group consisting of those responsible for civil aviation in the Member States has been set up
in order to advise the Commission on the direction to be taken when reforming air traffic control. That
group is expected to produce results by October 2000. These will spawn a series of legal instruments at
Community level that are aimed, in the medium term, at the quality of air traffic services offered to air
transport companies and to maintain, if not boost, the current levels of safety.

(2001/C 113 E/170)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2734/00

by Ioannis Souladakis (PSE) to the Council

(3 August 2000)

Subject: Opening of negotiations between the EU and Bulgaria

In line with the work programme of the French Presidency as regards the opening of negotiations with the
applicant countries, talks between the European Union and Bulgaria are initially expected to address only
five areas of EU legislation, which will lead to a further delay in the country(cid:146)s accession process.

What has led the French Presidency to take this decision, thereby excluding a large number of topics from
the negotiations with Bulgaria, and what specific areas will be dealt with in the talks between the two
sides?

Reply

(16 November 2000)

The chapters proposed for the opening of negotiations with Bulgaria during the second half of 2000 fully
reflect the principles of differentiation and the possibility of catching up which were laid down by the
European Council in Helsinki and Feira.

Five chapters of the acquis are involved, namely the free movement of capital, company law, statistics,
telecommunications and information technology, consumers and health protection.

The decision on which chapters to open is within the competence of the Presidency in the context of
establishing its work programme. Nevertheless, the list of chapters was drawn up in close consultation
between the Presidency and the Commission.