do-me/EUR-LEX huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3045/01 by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission. Provision of lifeguards.
Date: 2001-11-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, bathing water, child, death, public safety

C 115 E/218

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

16.5.2002

Nonetheless, any citizen of the EU is free to use his or her mother tongue when submitting such
proposals.

the Commission not consider

Does
strongly recommending the use of English constitutes
discrimination against the large number of citizens of the Union who do not have a good command of
that language?

that

Will the Commission ensure that all applications are treated in exactly the same way, irrespective of the
language of the Union in which they are drafted?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 2001)

The Commission does not insist that the technical description of Life-Environment proposals is submitted
solely or also in English. It simply recommends to present the technical part of the proposals (and only
this) also or only in English, because various internal Commission and external experts participate in the
evaluation of the proposals.

Each applicant has the right to present a proposal in any of the official Community languages. For this
purpose the complete application form has been published in all official
languages. The Commission
assures that all applications in whatever Community language are dealt with in the same manner and that
no discrimination occurs during the evaluation of each file (for example a large coverage of Community
languages is assured in expert panels).

(2002/C 115 E/233)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3045/01

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(5 November 2001)

Subject: Provision of lifeguards

Is the Commission aware of a recent UK study into the number of children who drown in pools and in the
sea in Member States of the EU every year?

In the light of this study, would the Commission consider initiating a systematic recording of figures in all
Member States in the EU?

What plans does the Commission have to introduce a Regulation on the provision of lifeguards at public
pools and beaches?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 2001)

The Commission is not aware of the study referred to by the Honourable Member but is collecting the
information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.

(2002/C 115 E/234)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3057/01

by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

(5 November 2001)

Subject: Controls on the manufacture and importation of medical equipment

In August this year 12 deaths in Spain (in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona) were apparently caused by use
of the dialysis machines which the multinational company Baxter markets all over Europe. A few days ago
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2154/2001 of 5 November 2001 amending Regulation (EC) No 1358/2001 laying down specific communication measures in the beef and veal sector
Date: 2001-11-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: beef, communications policy, consumer information, food inspection, product safety, public awareness campaign

6.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 289/3

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2154/2001

of 5 November 2001

amending Regulation (EC) No 1358/2001 laying down specific communication measures in the beef
and veal sector

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(6)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000 of 19
December 2000 on information and promotion actions for
agricultural products on the internal market (1), and in par-
ticular Articles 12 and 16 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

lays
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1358/2001 (2)
down specific communication measures in the beef and
veal sector.

Article 5(3) and 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1358/2001
lay down a deadline of 20 October 2001 for a Commis-
sion decision on the programmes presented.

Many of the programmes presented require adjustments
to remove any promotional measure if
they are to
conform to the guidelines annexed to Regulation (EC)
No 1358/2001.

a

As
programmes have been asked to adjust them.

administering

various

bodies

result,

the

Pending those
the
Commission decision should be postponed to 30
November 2001.

the deadline

adjustments,

for

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion delivered at
the joint
meeting of Management Committees on the promotion
of agricultural products,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 1358/2001 is amended as follows:

1. Article 5(3) is replaced by the following:

‘3.
After the programmes have been evaluated, where
necessary using technical assistance, the Commission shall
approve programmes, in accordance with the procedure laid
down in Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000, by
30 November 2001 at the latest.’

2. In Article 9(3), the second subparagraph is replaced by the

following:

‘After informing the Management Committees referred to in
Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000, the Commis-
sion shall decide which programmes are selected by 30
November 2001 at the latest.’

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publica-
tion in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 5 November 2001.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 328, 23.12.2000, p. 2.
(2) OJ L 182, 4.7.2001, p. 34.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2961/01 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Council. Statements made by Louis Michel against the Italian Prime Minister.
Date: 2001-11-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Belgium, Italy, ministry, public statement, television

6.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 134 E/159

Added to these questions are possible legal problems linked to the possession of such data, as
transmissions could be intercepted.

For these reasons, the introduction of a system of direct transmission of data cannot be envisaged at
present without a prior analysis of all these implications. The Commission does not therefore intend to
include such a measure among its proposals on civil aviation safety.

(2002/C 134 E/160)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2961/01

by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Council

(5 November 2001)

Subject: Statements made by Louis Michel against the Italian Prime Minister

Is the Council aware of the statements made by Louis Michel, the Belgian Foreign Minister, (broadcast on
the RTL-TV1 channel and reported by the Wall Street Journal Europe on 9 October 2001), in which he
gave ‘marks’ to the main world leaders?

Does the Council know that Mr Michel, incredibly, gave the same valuation for the Italian Prime Minister
as for the Taleban regime and is it aware of the repeated attacks made by Mr Michel, the President-in-
Office of the EU, against the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi?

What steps will the Council take with regard to Mr Michel, who is arbitrarily and wrongfully exploiting his
official position to attack the leader of the government of one of the founding countries of the European
Union, making statements which deeply offend not only the Prime Minister, but also the Italian State and
its citizens?

Reply

(14 February 2002)

It is not for the Council to comment on the statements made by Mr Louis Michel. In any case, Mr Louis
Michel was speaking in a personal capacity, and not as President of the Council of the European Union.

(2002/C 134 E/161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2962/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(25 October 2001)

Subject: Incorporating rising insurance premiums into air fares on a self-financing basis

1.
Can the Commission confirm that, by comparison with other large modern businesses, the profit
margins of airlines have been conspicuously low for very many years in spite of the fact that, unlike other
transport services, aviation is in a position to benefit from tax exemptions based on long-standing
international agreements?

2.
Is low profit margin the key reason for the failure to establish sufficient hedging reserves, one
consequence of this being that, at an earlier stage than in other businesses, aviation’s response to financial
setbacks is to plan workforce cuts and ask governments to subsidise or underwrite operating risks which
are hard or very costly to insure?
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3113/01 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Health spending.
Date: 2001-11-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, Eurostat, OECD, data collection, gross domestic product, health expenditure

18.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 93 E/217

In addition to these actions, which are either envisaged or already under preparation, the Commission has
regular contacts with all Member States concerned with a view to receiving up-to-date information and
exchanging views on how to curtail piracy more effectively.

(1) COM(98) 569 final.
(2) COM(2000) 789 final.

(2002/C 93 E/262)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3113/01

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 November 2001)

Subject: Health spending

Could the Commission please supply, as a proportion of GDP, figures for expenditure on health-care

1.
in each EU Member State by:

(a) governments,

(b)

individuals?

Could the Commission please state the average EU expenditure on health-care as a proportion of

2.
GDP, using the most recent figures available?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 2001)

Eurostat does not yet collect data on health expenditures on a routine basis. Eurostat is aware, however, of
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Health Policy Unit collecting and
disseminating data relating to health expenditures on a routine basis for a considerable time period. This
collection also includes data for Member States.

It has to be mentioned that countries provide OECD with national data referring to health expenditures as
defined in the national context. A common framework concept and the application of common definitions
have always been aimed for, but could not yet be achieved to a satisfactory degree. Users of the OECD data
dissemination system are therefore advised to use these data with caution. It is strongly suggested to refrain
from comparisons across countries, as a remarkable share of the inter-country differences presented may
originate from the boundaries of the health care system in one country being defined in a wider sense,
whereas in another a more narrow definition may apply.

It should be mentioned, that the existing lack of data comparability across countries has initiated a joint
OECD/Eurostat initiative to introduce the framework concept of ‘System of Health Accounts’ (SHA) in
1997. With the application of this SHA framework concept in the Member States the data quality,
availability and comparability will raise substantially.

As to now, SHA prototype data exist for health expenditures in roughly 50 % of the Member States. The
Member States promised to have routine SHA data available by the end of 2002.

A table of OECD is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat despite the
serious methodological concerns mentioned above, as they are the only data currently available.