WRITTEN QUESTION E-4000/00 by Nicholas Clegg (ELDR) to the Commission. Clothes labelling.
Date: 2000-12-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC conformity marking, Japan, United States, clothing, export (EU), labelling

3.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187 E/105

Moreover, the so-called Infrastructure Package clearly mentions certain derogations which could cover the
case of heritage and museum railways: Council Directive 91/440/EEC of 29 July 1991 on the development
of the Community(cid:146)s railways (2) as amended (3) states that (cid:145)Member States may exclude from the scope of
this Directive railway undertakings whose activity is limited to the provision of solely urban, suburban or
regional services(cid:146). The proposal for a Council Directive (3) replacing Council Directive 95/19/EC of 19 June
1995 on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the charging of infrastructure fees (4) states
that Member States may exclude from its scope the local and stand-alone networks used for passenger
transport. Council Directive 95/18/EC of 19 June 1995 on the licensing of railway undertakings (4) as
amended (3) states as well that Member States may exclude from its scope railway undertakings which only
operate rail passenger services on local and stand-alone railway infrastructure.

Consequently the existence of heritage and museum railways, running most of the time on local and stand-
alone infratructures, is not endangered by any Community legislation.

The Commission will also continue to bear in mind the existence of heritage and museum railways when
drafting future legislation.

(1) OJ C 89 E, 28.3.2000.
(2) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991.
(3) OJ C 321, 20.10.1998.
(4) OJ L 143, 27.6.1995.

(2001/C 187 E/112)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4000/00

by Nicholas Clegg (ELDR) to the Commission

(21 December 2000)

Subject: Clothes labelling

Could the Commission provide details of the labelling requirements which apply to clothes imported into
Japan and the USA?

Could the Commission explain why similar provisions do not exist in the EU?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(20 March 2001)

When clothes are exported to Japan or the United States, the following information has to be provided on
a permanently attached label: the percentage of the fibres used in the product; care instructions; the
country of origin; information on the manufacturer and/or importer.

At European level, the only legal
instrument relating to textile labelling is Directive 96/74/EC of the
Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 1996 on textile names (1), as amended by Commission
Directive 97/37/EC of 19 June 1997 (2). Textile products may be marketed within the Community only if
their fibre composition is indicated in accordance with that Directive.

Apart from labelling on fibre composition, Member States are free to apply national provisions on the
protection of industrial and commercial property,
indications of provenance, marks of origin and the
prevention of unfair competition.

C 187 E/106

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.7.2001

As regards the specific case of (cid:145)origin marking(cid:146), the Court of Justice has ruled that the labelling of national
origins of products produced within the Community (such as (cid:145)made in [Member State](cid:146)) must not be made
mandatory within the Community, since this would have to be considered a measure having an effect
equivalent to a quantitative restriction prohibited by Article 28 (ex Article 30) of the EC Treaty (3).

However, Community operators are free to indicate, on a voluntary basis, the national origin of their
product, or specify that their product has been (cid:145)made in EU(cid:146). They may also use the (cid:145)made in EU(cid:146) marking
if the product has been manufactured in more than one Member State.

The value of further mandatory labelling requirements at Community level has not yet been established
and remains a controversial issue among the different actors concerned. In any event, any such labelling
requirements would have to comply with World trade organisation (WTO) requirements and, in particular,
not be contrary to the obligation of national treatment.

While endeavouring to keep mandatory administrative requirements to a minimum, the Commission is
planning to examine, together with interested parties, ways of improving the existing labelling regime.

(1) OJ L 32, 3.2.1997.
(2) OJ L 169, 27.6.1997.
(3) Case 207/83.

(2001/C 187 E/113)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4004/00

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 December 2000)

Subject: Reform of the Commission

On 30 November last, the European Parliament adopted its four reports on the White Paper on the reform
of the Commission, forwarded to it on 13 March. Parliament is thus making a very positive contribution
to the reform of the Commission(cid:146)s organisational structure and working methods, without undermining
the autonomy which the Commission, like all the Union institutions, enjoys as a matter of principle when
it comes to equipping itself with the requisite wherewithal to deal as effectively as possible with the tasks
and duties assigned to it by the Treaties.

Taking due account of the Commission(cid:146)s right to autonomy and, at the same time, of Parliament(cid:146)s
obligation to exercise scrutiny over the Commission, what is the Commission(cid:146)s estimated deadline for
providing Parliament with descriptions of the duties of all A1 and A2 grade officials? When will it provide
Parliament with the provisional staff plan showing all movements of staff such as retirements, early
retirements, internal transfers, hiring of new staff, etc., for the period during which the administrative
reform is being implemented? And finally, when does the Commission expect the internal audit service to
become 100 % operational, so that the audit reports will be available as quickly as possible and with
a certain degree of regularity?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(21 February 2001)

The (cid:145)job descriptions(cid:146) pilot exercise launched in the summer applies to all posts, including A1 and A2
posts. The complex task of evaluating this pilot phase for all posts at the Commission, originally scheduled
for November 2000, has not yet been completed.

It is expected that it will be finalised in March 2001, and, following that, final guidelines will be drawn up
for job descriptions and the setting of objectives, which will enable the entire exercise to be concluded by
the end of the summer at the latest.