WRITTEN QUESTION E-1987/01 by Dorette Corbey (PSE) and Jan Wiersma (PSE) to the Council. 33rd ICAO General Meeting (25 September to 5 October 2001).
Date: 2001-07-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: aviation fuel, environmental protection, fuel tax, reduction of gas emissions, tax system

C 81 E/88

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

(2002/C 81 E/102)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1982/01

by Guido Podest(cid:224) (PPE-DE) to the Council

(12 July 2001)

Subject:

(cid:145)Wolf children(cid:146)

In rare cases (cid:145)wolf children(cid:146), having been abandoned or run away from their parents, have been known to
live in forests among animals which enable them to survive.

The most recent case involved a Chilean boy who was abandoned by his parents and found after living for
ten years with a pack of stray dogs that had kept him alive on bitches(cid:146) milk.

Scientific and political circles do not appear to have taken sufficient notice of such an exceptional
phenomenon.

Given that, in the year 2001, such things must never ever be allowed to happen again and that Article 24
of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights guarantees the rights of the child, what attention is the Council
bringing to bear on the matter and what humanitarian and economic assistance is it providing to the
countries where cases occur, to ensure that they accept responsibility for them and prevent any repetition
in the future?

Reply

(26 November 2001)

1.

The Council has not had the opportunity to examine the question raised by the Honourable Member.

2.
In the framework of its development cooperation policy and in close cooperation with the least
developed countries, the Council has for several years implemented a number of policies and instruments
to aid the development of those countries so that any repetition of cases such as that mentioned by the
Honourable Member will be avoided.

3. More specifically as regards Chile, under the Regulation on financial and technical assistance to, and
economic cooperation with, the developing countries in Asia and Latin America, the European Union has
implemented a cooperation mechanism covering financial and technical aspects as well as economic
cooperation. This aid is intended principally for the least favoured sectors of the population of Chile. It is
intended in particular for development of the rural sector and improvement of the level of food security, as
well as development of the private sector (SMEs), protection of the natural resource environment and
tropical forests, the fight against drugs, democratisation, effective public administration, protection of
human rights, protection of women and children, aid to minority ethnic groups, economic cooperation
with a structural impact on the economy, the development of sectoral policies and the development of
national institutions.

(2002/C 81 E/103)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1987/01

by Dorette Corbey (PSE) and Jan Wiersma (PSE) to the Council

Subject: 33rd ICAO General Meeting (25 September to 5 October 2001)

(12 July 2001)

On 14 December 2000, Parliament adopted a resolution on the Commission communication to the
Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions
on the taxation of aircraft fuel (1), in which Parliament calls on the Presidency and the Commission to keep
Parliament fully informed about the 33rd General Meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO) scheduled for 25 September to 5 October 2001.

Having regard to prevailing climate problems and the contribution made by air travel to CO2 emissions,
the ICAO meeting appears, not least in the light of EU sustainable development strategy, to present a good
opportunity for taking practical steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions by air traffic.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Can the Council state what the EU contribution will be in relation in particular to excise duty or
1.
aircraft fuel? What other measures to limit CO2 emissions by air traffic does the EU propose? What is the
EU reaction to the development by Boeing of the high-speed Sonic Cruiser aircraft that will use 35 % more
fuel than normal aircraft (see The Times, 19 June 2001)?

Does the Presidency intend to inform Parliament well in advance of the 33rd ICAO General Meeting

2.
of what the EU contribution will be? If so, when and how?

Does the Presidency intend to inform Parliament on conclusion of the 33rd ICAO General Meeting of

3.
the outcome of that event? If so, when and how?

(1) COM(2000) 110 (cid:129) C5-0207/2000 (cid:129) 2000/2114(COS).

Reply

(6 December 2001)

1.
The Council would remind the Honourable Members of Parliament that, at its meeting on 29 June
2000, it endorsed in a general way the Conclusions set out in the Commission Communication on the
taxation of aircraft fuel submitted on 3 March 2000, but added the following comments:

(cid:129) The great majority of delegations thought that, in principle and in terms of the consistency of the
taxation scheme, fuel for commercial aviation should be taxed in the same way as any other fuel.

(cid:129) However, consideration should be given to the question of competition with third countries and any
distortion of competition with socio-economic consequences should be avoided; a unilateral measure
by the European Community introducing taxation would not be desirable.

(cid:129) In the circumstances it was thought that the strategy to be followed should be to transfer discussion of

this matter to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

(cid:129) The Council also considered that other fiscal measures or other technological solutions could be
envisaged to reduce CO2 emissions; it noted that the Commission was prepared to examine such
measures.

Concerning the Boeing (cid:145)Sonic-Cruiser(cid:146), the Honourable Parliamentarians will probably understand
2.
that it is premature for the European Union to take a position on a plane that is still at an early design
stage. However, the environmental concerns of the EU are well known to the aeronautical
industry
throughout the world and in particular to Boeing, a company that is very well acquainted with the
European market and its regulatory environment.

3.
The European Community and its Member States have submitted, for debate at the 33rd International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly, a working document containing recommendations on a
strategy for the development of market-based measures in order to reduce emissions from aviation. The
ICAO Assembly will be invited to recognise the work already done in the field of market-based measures
and reaffirm the importance of continuing to pursue and finalise work on guidance to be given to States
on emission-related levies (such as fuel taxes and emissions charges), including measures that clarify that
environmental costs may be internalised.

The European Parliament will be informed before and after the 33rd ICAO Assembly through the

4.
regular institutional mechanisms provided to that effect.