WRITTEN QUESTION E-2124/01 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Transposition of transport legislation.
Date: 2001-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, application of EU law, common transport policy, infringement procedure (EU), national implementing measure, transport regulations

C 40 E/192

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.2.2002

The procedure for the annual fixing of compensatory aid involves a series of tasks which all take time if
the data is to be correct and reliable. This may explain why the annual regulation on compensatory aid is
sometimes adopted and published late.

The Commission would also point out that it adopted Regulation (EC) No 471/2001 of 8 March 2001
amending Regulation (EEC) No 1858/93 laying down detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EEC)
No 404/93 as regards the aid scheme to compensate for loss of income from marketing in the banana
sector. This Regulation provides for the payment of a sixth advance for bananas marketed during the
months of November and December to take account of cash-flow problems on the part of producers,
pending the determination of the compensatory aid and payment of the balance.

(1) OJ L 162, 19.6.2001.

(2002/C 40 E/208)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2124/01

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(13 July 2001)

Subject: Transposition of transport legislation

According to data published by the Commission in May 2001, 30 % of Community transport legislation
has not been transposed into the legislation of all the Member States. Will the Commission say which
specific transport policy directives are being violated by Greece and what measures it intends to take to
ensure the implementation of Community legislation in such a dynamic but sensitive sector?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(6 September 2001)

The fragmentation factor, or the percentage of directives for which not all Member States have notified
national transposition measures to the Commission yet, is indeed still very high in the transport sector
(30 % in May 2001). However, the transposition rate in that sector, or the ratio of national measures
Member States have notified to Commission as transposed to the number to be transposed) has improved
slightly, from 88,5 % on 31 December 2000 to 94 % on 1 July 2001.

The transposition of directives continues to be a problem in some Member States, for example in the case
of maritime transport in the Netherlands (81 %) and inland transport in Greece (80 %).

Greece(cid:146)s transposition backlog is one of the worst, with only 86 % of all transport directives transposed by
1 July 2001. The Commission has accordingly been obliged to institute numerous infringement procedures
(21) against Greece for failure to notify national transposition measures. Ten of these procedures are still in
progress: it has been decided to bring seven of them before the Court of Justice and to deliver a reasoned
opinion on three of them. The problems basically concern the inland transport sector, in particular the
directives on the transport of dangerous goods.

The Commission regularly monitors the progress Member States are making in transposing directives and
it is planned to hold a special meeting on the transposition of directives with the Greek authorities before
the end of the year.