WRITTEN QUESTION E-1330/01 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Aircraft passengers and deep vein thrombosis.
Date: 2001-05-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: air transport, cardiovascular disease, carriage of passengers, common transport policy, consumer information, consumer protection, health risk

C 147 E/2

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

(2002/C 147 E/002)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1026/01

by Professor Sir Neil MacCormick (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Off-piste skiing

In view of the frequency of accidents occurring to off-piste skiers, even those accompanied by tour guides,
will the Commission consider the possibility of reviewing safety conditions at ski resorts and the potential
desirability of a directive laying down framework safety standards in all the Member States?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(21 June 2001)

There is no Community legislation applicable to the safety of off-piste skiing.

The Commission does not plan to prepare a specific proposal for a directive laying down safety standards
for off-piste skiing. Off-piste skiing is just one of the many sport and recreational activities involving
potential risks. A proliferation of sectoral Community directives to deal with such risks would not
represent a viable approach.

However, the Commission intends to present to the Parliament and the Council, by the end of 2001, a
communication on the safety of services. This will assess the need for Community measures and propose a
suitable approach for Community action. Tourist activities will be considered in this communication
alongside other services. But the idea behind possible future Community initiatives on the safety of services
is to set a framework piece of legislation, similar in its spirit to the Directive on General Product Safety,
not to go into the specifics of particular activities. Moreover, subsidiarity considerations would probably
preclude measures such as restricting or submitting to conditions the access to off-piste skiing activities.

(2002/C 147 E/003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1330/01

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(3 May 2001)

Subject: Aircraft passengers and deep vein thrombosis

Further to the reply to my parliamentary question E-0191/01 (1) given by Commissioner Mrs de Palacio on
15 March 2001, which stated that the Commission had written to various bodies urging airlines to take
various actions, including advising passengers once on board aircraft on what to do to lessen the chance of
thrombosis, what response has the Commission received?

Has it evidence that airlines are now taking such action and, in particular, including such advice in pre-
take-off information briefings?

Is it satisfied with the response to date?

(1) OJ C 235 E, 21.8.2001, p. 131.

20.6.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 147 E/3

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(6 July 2001)

The Commission refers to the reply it has given to Written Question E-1189/01 of Mr Juan Naranjo
Escobar (1), setting out developments regarding the Commission’s involvement on this subject.

On the matter of action taken by the airlines, the Commission has since received replies from the
Associations it had contacted and from a number of airlines regarding the specific actions they have taken.
inserts in inflight magazines,
Such actions have included leaflets distributed to individual passengers,
inflight videos showing exercises passengers can do, etc. All will contribute to raise the level of
information and awareness of passengers, and ultimately, to protect them.

In view of the relatively short timespan since the initiative was launched and of developments at
international level, the Commission is at present quite satisfied with the serious approach to the problem,
but will continue to monitor all initiatives.

(1) OJ C 340 E, 4.12.2001, p. 195.

(2002/C 147 E/004)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1479/01

by Rainer Wieland (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(18 May 2001)

Subject: Translation of application forms

1.
Article 3 of Council Regulation No 1 of 1958 determining the languages to be used by the European
Economic Community (1) is worded as follows: ‘Documents which an institution of the Community sends
to a Member State or to a person subject to the jurisdiction of a Member State shall be drafted in the
language of such State’. The same should apply to application forms and preliminary documents. Is the
Commission aware that many application forms and preliminary documents for funding (for example
TACIS CBC) are only available in one official language?

From the point of view of equal opportunities and in view of the fact that 2001 has been declared

2.
the European Year of Languages, does the Commission consider this justified?

3.
How does the Commission ensure that
applicants being placed at an unfair advantage?

this does not result

in,

for example, English-speaking

From what date will the Commission ensure that preliminary documents and application forms are

4.
available simultaneously in all official languages?

(1) OJ 17, 6.10.1958, p. 385.

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 2002)

The Commission reaffirms its commitment to maintaining linguistic diversity in the Community as
exemplified by the projects undertaken during the European Year of Languages in 2001.

Decisions and official documents relating to external aid, including the Manual of Instructions adopted by
the Commission on 10 November 1999 (1), are available in the eleven Community languages. Likewise,
where at all possible, official documents relating to financing projects presented to the management
committees, as is the case under the TACIS programme referred to by the Honourable Member.