WRITTEN QUESTION P-0757/01 by W.G. van Velzen (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Rendering inoperative by the Netherlands government of certain articles in the Electric Power Production Sector (Transitional Arrangements) Act.
Date: 2001-03-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Netherlands, application of EU law, competition law, electrical energy, electrical industry, electricity supply, liberalisation of the market

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/115

The Commission views the merging of the IOTA(cid:146)s parent organisation, the OCCGE (Organisation de
Contr(cid:244)le des Grandes EndØmies), with its anglophone equivalent
to create the West-African Health
Organisation (WAHO) as a rational approach. The Community also supports approaches that aim to
strengthen regional public health co-operation. Examples in West Africa include the ARIVA project
(promoting immunisation independence in ten countries); the APPA project (strengthening pharmaceutical
policy in 22 countries); and ASURE (support for the West African Epidemiological Surveillance Network).
The Commission anticipates that such regional support will continue to be provided under the 9th EDF.

(2001/C 318 E/121)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0757/01

by W.G. van Velzen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 March 2001)

Subject: Rendering inoperative by the Netherlands government of certain articles in the Electric Power

Production Sector (Transitional Arrangements) Act

The Netherlands government announced on 30 January 2001, in response to questions in the Second
Chamber, that it had rendered inoperative a large number of articles in the Electric Power Production
Sector (Transitional Arrangements) Act.

When did the Netherlands government have contact with the Commission about rendering a large number
of articles in the Electric Power Production Sector (Transitional Arrangements) Act inoperative?

Has the Commission set or proposed to the Netherlands government a standstill period as regards
implementation of the liberalisation of the electricity sector? If so, how long is this standstill period to last?
And has the Commission set a standstill period for other Member States and, if so, what consequences
does this have for the liberalisation of the whole electricity sector in the European Union?

Can it state what
26 September 2000?

follow-up action has been taken in response to Mr van Velzen(cid:146)s question of

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2001)

The Dutch government has not been in contact with the Commission concerning the rendering inoperative
of certain articles of the Transitional Law on the electricity production sector.

The Commission has not asked for a standstill period regarding the Dutch process of market opening, nor
has it suggested that this could be considered.

The Commission will shortly ask the Dutch authorities to provide further information regarding the
reservation of capacity on the interconnectors to determine the reasonableness and proportionality of the
measures taken within their objective (cid:129) the protection of the long-term Samenwerkende Elektriciteits-
produktiebedrijven (SEP) contracts. Once this information has been received it expects to be in a position
to reach a rapid conclusion on the issue.

the
As indicated in the answer
Commission is continuing to examine the applicability of the competition rules, especially as the facts of
the situation recently changed. As for the problem regarding State aid, the Commission has, most recently,
sent a letter on the matter to the Dutch Government, dated 19 February 2001.

to Written Question P-3106/00 by the Honourable Member (1),

(1) OJ C 136 E, 8.5.2001.