do-me/EUR-LEX huggingface dataset:
2000/772/EC: Council Decision of 4 December 2000 appointing an Austrian alternate member of the Committee of the Regions
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Austria, European Committee of the Regions, appointment of staff

8.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 308/25

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 4 December 2000

appointing an Austrian alternate member of the Committee of the Regions

(2000/772/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 263 thereof,

Having regard to the Council Decision of 26 January 1998 (1) appointing the members and alternate
members of the Committee of the Regions,

Whereas a seat as an alternate member of the Committee of the Regions has become vacant following the
resignation of Mr Christoph LEITL, alternate member, notified to the Council on 5 September 2000,

Having regard to the proposal from the Austrian Government,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

Mr Josef FILL is hereby appointed an alternate member of the Committee of the Regions in place of Mr
Christoph LEITL for the remainder of the latter's term of office, which runs until 25 January 2002.

Done at Brussels, 4 December 2000.

For the Council

The President

H. VÉDRINE

(1) OJ L 28, 4.2.1998, p. 19.
2001/91/EC: Decision No 2/2000 of 4 December 2000 of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between the European Community and the United States of America related to amending the transitional arrangements of the Sectoral Annexes on electromagnetic compatibility and telecommunication equipment
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: EC–United States of America Joint Committee
Subjects: United States, agreement (EU), electro-magnetic equipment, harmonisation of standards, mutual recognition principle, telecommunications

L 34/68

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

3.2.2001

DECISION No 2/2000

of 4 December 2000

of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between the
European Community and the United States of America related to amending the transitional
arrangements of the Sectoral Annexes on electromagnetic compatibility and telecommunication
equipment

(2001/91/EC)

THE JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between the European Community and the United
States of America, and in particular Articles 14 and 21 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

The transitional arrangements of the Sectoral Annexes for electromagnetic compatibility and tele-
communication equipment in relation to the Sectoral Annex for electrical safety should be amended.

Pursuant to Article 21(2), any Sectoral Annex may, through the Joint Committee, be amended in
writing by the Parties,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

1. In the Sectoral Annex for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), paragraph 9 in Section VIII is deleted in

its entirety.

2. In the Sectoral Annex for telecommunication equipment, paragraph 9 in Section VIII is deleted in its

entirety.

This Decision, done in duplicate, shall be signed by representatives of the Joint Committee who are
authorised to act on behalf of the Parties for purposes of amending the Agreement. This Decision shall be
effective from the date of the later of these signatures.

Done at Washington DC, 4 December 2000.

Done at Brussels, 4 December 2000.

On behalf of the United States of America

On behalf of the European Community

Susan ESSERMAN

Peter CARL
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3760/00 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Rules governing debt collection.
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, claim, credit, freedom to provide services, national law, redemption

C 136 E/238

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.5.2001

(2001/C 136 E/282)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3733/00

by Caroline Jackson (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 November 2000)

Subject: Birre to Areia extension to the Lisbon-Cascais motorway

It is reported in the local press that Cascais council is paying landowners PTE 10 000 per square metre to
buy their land for the construction of this motorway, while normally land in the area would not fetch
more than PTE 500 per square metre.

Can the Commission state whether this motorway extension is being built with the help of funding from
the EU budget, and if so what steps it is taking to ensure that the money is not being used to pay inflated
prices to landowners?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(22 December 2000)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its
findings as soon as possible.

(2001/C 136 E/283)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3760/00

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: Rules governing debt collection

In Italy the business of debt collection is at present governed by Article 115 of the Act consolidating the
public safety laws (T.U.L.P.S.), adopted under Royal Decree No 773 of 18 June 1931.

In Ministerial Circular 559/C.1205 of 2 July 1996 the Italian Ministry of the Interior restricted the
operations of debt collection agencies to the territory of the province where an agency(cid:146)s licence was issued
and its head office is based.

Can the Commission say whether the above restriction is compatible with the Treaties and the Community
legislation whereby Member States have undertaken to refrain from obstructing the freedom to provide
services, the heading under which debt collection for third parties in fact falls?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(22 December 2000)

The Commission has no knowledge of the facts referred to by the Honourable Member. It has asked the
Member State concerned for information and will inform the Honourable Member of its findings.
Opinion of the Advisory Committee on Concentrations given at the 88th meeting on 4 December 2000 concerning a preliminary draft decision relating to case COMP/M.2060 — Bosch/Rexroth (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: Advisory Committee on Restrictive Practices and Dominant Positions
Subjects: advisory committee (EU), competition law, dominant position, economic concentration, hydraulic machinery, pump

C 39/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

13.2.2004

11. A majority of the Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the commitments submitted
by the parties on 9 October 2001 will not remove all the competition concerns of the notified
operation as identified above and in the draft decision.

12. A minority disagrees because they considered that the two divestment commitments remove all the

competition concerns of the notified operation as identified above and in the draft decision.

13. A majority of the Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the notified operation shall
be declared incompatible with the common market and the functioning of the EEA Agreement. A
minority disagrees.

14. The Advisory Committee asks the Commission to take account of all points raised during the meeting

and recommends the publication of its opinion in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Opinion of the Advisory Committee on Concentrations given at the 88th meeting on 4 December
2000 concerning a preliminary draft decision relating to case COMP/M.2060 — Bosch/Rexroth

(2004/C 39/04)

(Text with EEA relevance)

1. The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the notified operation constitutes a concen-

tration according to Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation.

2. The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the notified operation has a Community

dimension as defined in Article 1(2) of the Merger Regulation.

3. The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the relevant product market should be

defined as the market for industrial hydraulic piston pumps.

4. The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the relevant geographic market should be

defined as EEA-wide in scope.

5. The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the concentration would create a dominant

position on the market for industrial hydraulic piston pumps in the EEA.

6. The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the commitments submitted by the parties
would remove the competitive concerns of the concentration as identified above and in the draft
decision.

7. The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the notified operation — subject to full
compliance with the commitments submitted by the parties — should be declared compatible with the
common market and the functioning of the EEA Agreement.

8. The Advisory Committee invites the Commission to take account of all points raised during its
discussions and recommends the publication of its opinion in the Official Journal of the European Union.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3752/00 by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Ivory trade.
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: competence of the Member States, import (EU), material of animal origin

C 174 E/136

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

(2001/C 174 E/139)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3752/00

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: Ivory trade

Given that the imports into the European Union of commercial ivory for non-personal use have been
prohibited since 1990, can the Commission confirm what information it has on stocks of ivory currently
held in the Member States of the European Union? If it has no such information, can it state how it
monitors the sale of ivory in the EU and, ensures that only ivory with exemption certificates under Article
10 of Regulation 338/97 (1) may be sold?

(1) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(22 January 2001)

The Commission does not possess information on stocks of ivory currently held in the Member States.
Under Council Regulation (EC) 338/97 of 9 December 1996 (1) and Commission Regulation 939/97 of
26 May 1997 laying down detailed rules concerning the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No
338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (2), there are no
controls on the sale of worked ivory acquired before 1 June 1947. Raw ivory and worked ivory of more
recent origin can only be sold under an exemption granted on a case-by-case basis by the competent
authority of the Member State in which the specimen is located.

The monitoring of compliance with the provisions of these Regulations is a responsibility of the Member
States, although the Commission can and does draw the attention of the authorities of the Member States
to circumstances and situations whose investigation appears necessary.

(1) OJ C 61, 3.3.1997.
(2) OJ C 140, 30.5.1997.

(2001/C 174 E/140)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3755/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Spatial planning in the EU: Interreg II C

(4 December 2000)

Interreg II C was one of the Community initiatives adopted during the 1994-1999 programming period
under which funding was given to a series of projects aimed at promoting transnational cooperation in the
sphere of spatial planning.

Can the Commission provide information on the results of Interreg II C and the conclusions it has drawn
from those results, as well as their relationship to and influence on the European Spatial Strategy,
especially regarding the outlying maritime regions of Objective 1 as it applies to the existing EU of fifteen?

Can the Commission provide information on the conclusions it has drawn from Interreg II C concerning
the impact of the expected accession of the candidate countries on the outlying maritime regions of
Objective 1 as it applies to the existing EU of fifteen?
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3774/00 by Juan Izquierdo Collado (PSE) to the Commission. Supply of water to Zaragoza.
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Aragon, Cohesion Fund, co-financing, supply, water supply

3.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187 E/45

tend to further the objective of improving protection and respect for the welfare of animals as sentient
beings. However, as already recalled in the Commission(cid:146)s answer to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s Written
Question E-2654/00 (1), the commercial exploitation of fur-bearing animals is not against the law in the
Community or its Member States.

The Commission has no data on fraudulent imports of protected fur-bearing animals covered by the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

With regard to more stringent controls on the import of animal skins, the Commission confirms that
under the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection species
of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (2), which implements CITES in the Community,
appropriate controls of imports of specimens of endangered species are being carried out by customs
officers, equiped with the necessary identification materials.

In the light of public concern about the commercial exploitation of cat and dog furs,
including in
international trade, the Commission will follow up this question in order to examine whether it should
propose measures at European level, taking into consideration the principle of subsidiarity. The Commis-
sion will report back to the Parliament on progress on this issue.

(1) OJ C 136 E, 8.5.2001, p. 69.
(2) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997.

(2001/C 187 E/048)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3774/00

by Juan Izquierdo Collado (PSE) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: Supply of water to Zaragoza

What decision has the Commission taken concerning possible financing from the Cohesion Fund for the
period 2000-2006 for the project to supply Zaragoza and the surrounding areas with water from the
Pyrenees?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(20 February 2001)

In January 2001, the Commission proposed adoption of a decision on the part-financing by the Cohesion
Fund of a project to supply water to Zaragoza and 22 municipalities in the Ebro valley at a total cost of
€ 70 901 365. The work concerns pipes from the La Loteta dam to Zaragoza and the other localities but
does not include the transfer of water from the Pyrenees as originally planned.

(2001/C 187 E/049)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3775/00

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Assent for new EC-Greenland fisheries agreement

(4 December 2000)

On 14 September 2000 the Commission concluded negotiations with Greenland for a new fisheries
agreement, which provides for an annual contribution from the EU of € 42,82 million for the period
2000-2006. The agreement makes no distinction between the two types of funding involved, namely that
in spite of the Commission(cid:146)s undertaking that the
for fishing rights and that for development aid,
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2657/2000 of 4 December 2000 establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruit and vegetables
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: agri-monetary policy, citrus fruit, fruit vegetable, import price, pip fruit

5.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 304/1

I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2657/2000

of 4 December 2000

establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruit and
vegetables

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(2)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

the standard
In compliance with the above criteria,
import values must be fixed at the levels set out in the
Annex to this Regulation,

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 3223/94 of
21 December 1994 on detailed rules for the application of the
last
import arrangements
amended by Regulation (EC) No 1498/98 (2), and in particular
Article 4(1) thereof,

fruit and vegetables (1), as

for

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Whereas:

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 3223/94 lays down, pursuant to the
outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade nego-
tiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the
in
standard values for imports from third countries,
respect of the products and periods stipulated in the
Annex thereto.

The standard import values referred to in Article 4 of Regula-
tion (EC) No 3223/94 shall be fixed as indicated in the Annex
hereto.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on 5 December 2000.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 4 December 2000.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 337, 24.12.1994, p. 66.
(2) OJ L 198, 15.7.1998, p. 4.

L 304/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

5.12.2000

to the Commission Regulation of 4 December 2000 establishing the standard import values for determining the
entry price of certain fruit and vegetables

ANNEX

CN code

0702 00 00

0707 00 05

0709 90 70

0805 10 10, 0805 10 30, 0805 10 50

0805 20 10

0805 20 30, 0805 20 50, 0805 20 70,
0805 20 90

0805 30 10

0808 10 20, 0808 10 50, 0808 10 90

0808 20 50

Third country
code (1)

Standard import
value

(EUR/100 kg)

052
204
999
624
999
052
999
204
388
999
204
999

052
999
052
600
999
400
404
999
052
064
400
720
999

97,1
100,3
98,7
195,0
195,0
91,5
91,5
49,7
36,5
43,1
76,9
76,9

65,4
65,4
73,6
73,5
73,5
82,6
93,4
88,0
73,6
58,6
85,5
129,7
86,8

(1) Country nomenclature as fixed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2543/1999 (OJ L 307, 2.12.1999, p. 46). Code ‘999’ stands for ‘of

other origin’.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3747/00 by Joachim Wuermeling (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Discrimination against foreign coach drivers in France.
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: France, application of EU law, bus, competence of the Member States, discrimination on the basis of nationality, drivers, fine, freedom to provide services, highway code

C 174 E/134

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

The Commission therefore at this stage sees no justification in proposing TSE tests to be carried out on pig
meat. In this context it also needs to be stressed that currently no tests are available either for pigs or for
meat in general including cattle meat. As far as farmed animals for human consumption are concerned, the
only operational tests that are available have been developed and evaluated to be used on central nervous
tissue (brain and spinal cord) of ruminants.

(2001/C 174 E/137)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3747/00

by Joachim Wuermeling (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: Discrimination against foreign coach drivers in France

French law allows huge fines to be levied on coach drivers for the slightest infringements, such as not
completely accurate tachograph discs. The fines are completely disproportionate to the offences.

The French police make especially frequent checks on foreign coach companies.

These constitute an indirect obstacle to the freedom to provide services.

1.

2.

3.

Is the Commission aware of this pattern?

Does the Commission consider these measures in France to be compatible with Community law?

If not, does the Commission intend to initiate infringement proceedings?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(17 January 2001)

The Commission is aware of a change in French law, which authorises higher penalties, where

1.
serious offences are detected and a (cid:145)document de suivi(cid:146) is absent.

As regards general discrimination against foreign bus drivers by the French authorities, statistics provided
by the French authorities for offences detected within their territory over the past decade (see Commission
reports for 1991-1992 (1), 1993-1994 (2); 1995-1996 (3)) and the French data sent for the forthcoming
report for years 1997-1998 do not indicate an abnormally high number of non-residents checked or
offences detected on the part of non-resident drivers. On the contrary, the number of non-resident drivers
checked and found to be offending has consistently been a much lower figure than that for resident
drivers.

2. and 3.
The Commission is still examining whether the French law mentioned above is in conformity
with Community law. However normally the issue of penalties for road transport offences is a matter for
Member States to decide under the principle of subsidiarity. The Commission can only advocate that
sanctions for infringements of Community law are sufficiently dissuasive, proportionate and effective.

(1) COM(95) 713 final.
(2) COM(97) 698 final.
(3) COM(2000) 84 final.