WRITTEN QUESTION E-0976/01 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission. Shellfish hygiene directive.
Date: 2001-03-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: food inspection, health legislation, mollusc

C 318 E/168

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.11.2001

(2001/C 318 E/180)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0974/01

by Wilhelm Piecyk (PSE), Reimer B(cid:246)ge (PPE-DE)
and Christian von Boetticher (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Problems in the cross-frontier labour market as a result of a Danish registration tax for official

vehicles

A registration tax for official vehicles in Denmark seems to be causing considerable problems in the cross-
frontier labour market between Germany and Denmark.

For example, a German elderly persons(cid:146) care worker resident in Denmark with a German place of
employment is required by Danish law to pay a registration tax for an official car that she uses solely for
professional purposes but has to park outside her home in case of emergency calls.

According to our information a group of about 150 people are affected by similar cases in the cross-
frontier labour market between Germany and Denmark.

At DKK 60 per day, the tax is so steep that the group of employees is placed at a disadvantage compared
with their colleagues living in Germany.

Since the tax may also be creating obstacles to employment that go against the aim of promoting a cross-
frontier labour market, the following questions arise:

1. Does the Commission believe that this state of affairs is compatible with freedom of movement in the

European Union?

2. What action has it taken or does it intend to take to solve this problem?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(8 June 2001)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Members to its answer to Written Question E-1478/00 by
Mrs Riis-Jłrgensen (1). The Commission is still pursuing the infringement proceedings against Denmark.

(1) OJ C 53 E, 20.2.2001.

(2001/C 318 E/181)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0976/01

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Shellfish hygiene directive

Could the Commission confirm when and if the main shellfish-producing countries such as France, Ireland
and the Netherlands are intending to implement Annex III, paragraph 2, (of COM(2000) 438 final of
14 July 2000) of the new (cid:145)sanitary survey(cid:146) provisions?

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/169

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(4 May 2001)

Council Directive 91/492/EEC of 15 July 1991, lays down the health conditions for the production and
the placing on the market of live bivalve molluscs (1).

The document referred to by the Honourable Member is one of several proposals for a recast of
Community hygiene rules which are now the subject of consideration by the Parliament and by the
Council. The final text of the recast proposals will only be known upon completion of the co-decision
process now underway.

The present requirements in relation to determination of the faecal contamination level of a production
area for live bivalve molluscs are set down in Chapter I of the Annex to Council Directive 91/492/EEC and
all the Member States must apply these rules.

(1) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991.

(2001/C 318 E/182)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0984/01

by Ulpu Iivari (PSE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Poor quality of text used in an information campaign supported by the EU

The European Union and an organisation called Intercitrus are cooperating in the running of a marketing
campaign to encourage the consumption of citrus fruit, part of which takes the form of the website
www.orangefruit.net. The whole of the Finnish-language text on this site is linguistically clumsy and in
many respects totally substandard. Even the European Union is referred to there as (cid:145)Euroopan yhteisyys(cid:146).

The following excerpts give the flavour of the whole:

Since 1998, the European Commonwealth and Intercitrus have placed a bet on health, they have
made different campaigns advertising the healthy and tasty qualities of natural oranges and
clementines.

Disseminating the qualities of oranges and clementines and explaining the advantages of eating them
to the customers, these are the objectives of the campaign, funded by Intercitrus and the European
Commonwealth is also involved in the funding.

According to the website, at least € 4,6 million have been spent on the campaign. It is running in eight
Member States.

In the light of the above:

1. What measures does the Commission propose to take to improve the quality of the language used in

this campaign?

2. What measures does the Commission propose to take to ensure that the language used in all
campaigns receiving support from the European Union is error-free and comprehensible and thus that
these campaigns also promote, inter alia, the objectives of the European Year of Languages 2001?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2001)

The Commission would like to inform the Honourable Member that the dynamic link to the Finnish text
from the home page of the Internet site in question ((cid:146)orangefruit.net(cid:146)) has been severed. The Commission
has also asked InterCitrus to remove the page in Finnish as well. Obviously the Community will not be
part-financing the Finnish part of the site in any way.