WRITTEN QUESTION E-2769/00 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Air accidents.
Date: 2000-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: air transport, aircraft fleet, maintenance, roadworthiness tests, transport accident, transport safety

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/89

(2001/C 136 E/101)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2767/00

by John McCartin (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Habitats Directive and monitoring of by-catches of fishing vessels

Can the Commission state how many countries have established, under the Habitats Directive, a system to
monitor the incidental capture and killing of cetaceans (by-catches of fishing vessels) and have taken action
to ensure that such incidental capture does not have a significant negative impact upon the species
concerned?

What impact has the commitment made by the EU countries under the Bonn agreement (Ascobans) made
on the reduction of by-catches, and what assessment of by-catches by pelagic trawlers is being made by EU
Member States?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2000)

Within the (cid:145)Habitats Directive(cid:146), Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992, on the conservation of
natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (1), it is made clear that Member States should implement the
requirements of Articles 11 and 12.4 dealing with the surveillance and monitoring of fishing activities
associated with by-catches of cetaceans. It is the legal responsibility of the Member States to implement
these rules and to ensure compliance with them.

Moreover, Member States should draw up a report on the implementation of the measures taken under
this Directive where, among other things, mention should be made of the main results of the surveillance
referred to in Article 11. These reports should be transmitted to the Commission in the coming months
and therefore the Commission is not yet in a position to state how many Member States have complied
with the terms of Articles 11 and 12.4.

The Community is not yet a contracting party of the Ascobans Agreement on the conservation of small
cetaceans of the Baltic and the North Sea. Member States that are party to this agreement do not have an
obligation to report to the Commission on the measures taken under Ascobans commitments. As a
consequence, the Commission is not aware of such measures.

The Commission is however aware of the initiative taken by Denmark to implement an action plan for
reducing incidental by-catches of harbour porpoises (19. August 1998, J. Nr. SN 1996-402-0035).

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.

(2001/C 136 E/102)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2769/00

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Air accidents

Yesterday(cid:146)s Concorde aircraft air accident in Paris highlights the fact that in recent years we have been
continuing to see a large number of air accidents, usually involving many deaths. A recent issue of the
Financial Times made the point, with reference to a Boeing 737-200 flight in India, that many air
accidents are chiefly due to the aircraft(cid:146)s age. In view of the high frequency of air accidents and the fact
that most air companies(cid:146) fleets in many Member States are composed of Boeing 737-200 aircraft, and the
high degree of unease over the safety of flights, can the Commission say how it intends to intervene to
bring about more effective and stricter aircraft safety measures, such as withdrawal on grounds of age, as is
the case for ships in sea transportation, or fleet replacement and rigorous maintenance, something which is
often given low priority because of cost-cutting efforts and competition?

C 136 E/90

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.5.2001

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(11 October 2000)

Air accident statistics published regularly by the International Civil Aviation Organisation confirm that air
transport is one of the safest modes of transport and that levels of safety are even tending to improve
inasmuch as, notwithstanding a considerable increase in the number of passengers carried, the number of
airline accident victims has been constantly falling. Whereas in the course of the 1980s the average
number of persons killed annually in commercial air transport accidents worldwide stood at 1 146, during
the 1990s this average had fallen by more than 10 % to 1 015.

The figures for 1999 have been among the lowest ever recorded (cid:129) 512 fatalities. While it is certainly the
case that the initial figures for the current year do not justify hopes that the figures for 2000 will be at a
historically low level, neither do they provide any indication at this stage of a reversal in the trend.

Furthermore, the age of aircraft does not, in itself, appear to have been a significant cause of accidents.
Regulatory measures have been taken by the aviation authorities to step up the technical monitoring of
aircraft throughout the course of the ageing process. These measures are incorporated in the relevant
Community legislation (Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91 of 16 December 1991 on the harmonisa-
tion of technical requirements and administrative procedures in the field of civil aviation (1)) and in the
interview protocols governing interviews with airline companies. Consequently, measures involving the
withdrawal of aircraft specifically on the grounds of age are not contemplated.

As regards the first-generation Boeing 737s referred to by the Honourable Member, it is worth stressing
that 818 of the 1 107 aircraft supplied to airline companies around the world are still in service and have
been involved in only 11 fatal accidents over the last 10 years. This represents a rate of one accident per
1,9 million flying hours.

Against this, the levels of fuel consumed by aircraft using outdated technology make them less attractive,
and airline companies are tending to replace them with more efficient aircraft. Similarly, their noise levels
are no longer acceptable in the developed countries on environmental grounds, and the Community has
taken measures to prohibit their entry into the fleet and gradually phase them out. Accordingly, certain
aircraft, such as the B 737-200, will no longer be allowed to operate in Europe from 1 April 2002, unless
they have undergone modifications to improve their acoustic performance.

(1) OJ L 373, 31.12.1991.

(2001/C 136 E/103)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2771/00

by Neil MacCormick (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(2 August 2000)

Subject: Climate-change levy and hydro power

I refer to Mrs de Palacio(cid:146)s Answer to my Written Question E-1811/00 (1) concerning hydrogenerated
electricity, and in particular to her statement that hydro power (cid:145)is clearly a renewable energy source, but
electricity from large hydroelectric installations (cid:133) is in general competitive and does not need particular
support(cid:146).

In the case of large installations whose mechanical components are nearing the end of their useful life,
maintenance of this power source clearly requires substantial expenditure on new plant. For example, in
Scotland most relevant installations are over 40 years old. Has the Commission any evidence that the cost
of refurbishing installations of this age is such that hydro power can continue to be competitive with other
renewables in the event of the latter receiving advantages withheld from hydro power?

If the Commission has such evidence, will it please supply that evidence or any published source in which
it may be discovered? If the Commission has no such evidence, will it reconsider its position in respect of
hydro power installations nearing the date at which refurbishment of mechanical components is essential?