WRITTEN QUESTION E-1101/01 by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission. The need for a level playing field in the road haulage industry.
Date: 2001-04-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, road transport, transport regulations, transport safety

C 340 E/170

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

In answer to Question P-0357/01 (1), the Commission refers to the rules governing (cid:145)the integrity of UEFA
competitions for club teams: clubs(cid:146) independence(cid:146), approved by UEFA in 1998, which according to UEFA
itself are intended to protect the sporting integrity of club competitions. The Commission is currently
investigating whether or not this measure falls outside the ban instituted by Article 81(1) of the EC Treaty.
The Commission says that no final position has yet been adopted.

Has the Commission now adopted a final position on the rules governing (cid:145)the integrity of UEFA
independence(cid:146), approved by UEFA in 1998? If so, what is the

1.
competitions for club teams: clubs(cid:146)
Commission(cid:146)s final position? If not, when will the Commission announce its final position?

2.
On what legal grounds does the Commission assert that the rules governing (cid:145)the integrity of UEFA
competitions for club teams: clubs(cid:146) independence(cid:146), approved by UEFA in 1998, either do or do not comply
with Article 81(1) of the EC Treaty?

(1) OJ C 235 E, 21.8.2001, p. 185.

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(14 June 2001)

The Commission refers to its reply to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s Written Question P-0357/01.

The Commission has not yet adopted a definitive position on the Union of European Football Associations
(UEFA) rules governing (cid:145)the protection of integrity of the UEFA club competitions(cid:146).

The Commission will publicly announce its definitive position as soon as possible.

(2001/C 340 E/195)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1101/01

by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission

(6 April 2001)

Subject: The need for a level playing field in the road haulage industry

Given that UK HGVs are subject to safety checks every six weeks, why are vehicles registered in Northern
Ireland (part of the UK) and other Member States in the EU only subjecting their vehicles to equivalent
checks every six months or less?

Why are vehicles weighed before they board ferries sailing from the UK (to avoid overloading), but not
when sailing to the UK from ports such as Calais? Is this lack of checks prejudicing the safety of ships,
crew and passengers?

In the UK, every tachograph is subject to regular and rigorous checks, in contrast to the practice in some
other Member States where they are subject to random checks (for example Germany). What measures are
planned to address this serious anomaly?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2001)

The Commission fully shares the Honourable Member concern about safety and fair competition in road
haulage. For this reason there are a number of Community Directives that apply to the road haulage
sectors in all Member States. These Directives require vehicles and their equipment to be checked on
a regular basis, but Member States may establish more onerous regimes for their own registered vehicles.
Consequently, the United Kingdom or any other Member State could check the roadworthiness condition
of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) or inspect the tachograph more frequently than the minimum required in
the Directives.

4.12.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/171

However, the Honourable Member(cid:146)s question refers to practices in the United Kingdom that are not
required in Community law.
in transposing the Community Directives within their national
legislation,
the United Kingdom has not opted for more frequent checks and inspections than the
Directives require.

Indeed,

On the first point, Community law (1) requires that heavy goods vehicles in all Member States undertake
a regulated roadworthiness inspection at least once every year. The Directive establishes minimum testing
and inspection intervals leaving Member States the possibility to require more frequent testing of vehicles
registered on their territory if they wish. Both the United Kingdom and Ireland(cid:146)s legislative requirements
for checking HGVs are in compliance with the Directive, i.e. they both require annual roadworthiness
inspections.

On the second point, there are no Community requirements that require vehicles to be weighed when
boarding a ferry but it is the operators responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are within the statutory
maximum weight
their ferries are not
overloaded. The Commission has no knowledge of an established link between maritime accidents and the
overloading of lorries. It should also be noted that systematic controls of lorries at internal Community
frontiers are not permitted (2).

limits and the ferry company(cid:146)s responsibility to ensure that

Concerning the third point on tachograph checks, Community legislation (3) defines the content of checks
at installation or repair and minimum frequency for periodic inspection and sets minimum standards
the
during road side checks and in transport companies.
Commission produces a biennial report (4) on the level of compliance on the basis of information provided
by the Member States. Such reports do not show particular discrepancies in the level of compliance as
reported by the individual Member States.

In the context of Directive 88/599/EEC,

(1) Council Directive 96/96/EC of 20 December 1996 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating

to roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers (OJ L 46, 17.2.1997).

(2) Council Regulation (EEC) No 4060/89 of 21 December 1989 on the elimination of controls performed at the
frontiers of Member States in the field of road and inland waterway transport (OJ L 390, 30.12.1989) and Council
Regulation (EEC) No 3912/92 of 17 December 1992 on controls carried out within the Community in the field of
road and inland waterway transport in respect of means of transport registered or put into circulation in a third
country (OJ L 395, 31.12.1992).

(3) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 of 20 December 1985 on recording equipment in road transport (article 12
and Annex I Chapter VI), (OJ L 370, 31.12.1985) and Council Directive 88/599/EEC of 23 November 1988 on
standard checking procedures for the implementation of Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85 on the harmonization of
certain social legislation relating to road transport and Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in
road transport (OJ L 325, 29.11.1988).

(4) COM(2000) 84 final.

(2001/C 340 E/196)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1103/01

by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission

(27 March 2001)

Subject: Urban Waste Water Directive

Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) concerning urban waste water treatment seeks to protect the environ-
ment from the harmful effects of both domestic and industrial waste water discharges. Creameries in
certain peripheral areas of
the
requirements of the implementing legislation. Certain operators are having to build expensive pipes to
pump their biodegradable waste, such as surplus whey, out to sea.

facing grave financial difficulties because of

the EU are, however,

Is it permissible, under the rules of the Directive, for a company to build an outflow pipe from its premises
that would feed its biodegradable waste into the outflow pipe from a local waste treatment plant, after the
treatment stage, so that both sets of discharge are pumped out to sea, provided that suitable arrangements
are made for the metering of both sets of discharge separately? In this context, is the Commission aware of