WRITTEN QUESTION E-3094/01 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Counterfeit compact discs.
Date: 2001-11-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, Greece, audiovisual piracy, economic offence, exchange of information, fraud, record, tax collection

C 93 E/216

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

The letter of formal notice was sent out on 30 June 1998 (and a reply received on 26 October 1998); a
second letter, which remained unanswered, was then sent on 9 July 1999.

The reasoned opinion was delivered on 24 February 2000. Greece replied in two letters of 8 May 2000
and 13 November 2000 respectively.

Following a meeting with the Commission in Athens in June 2001, the Greek authorities sent a circular to
the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) reminding it that it was obliged to comply with Presidential Decree
107/93 and register EU nationals holding architectural diplomas obtained in other Member States.

The Commission is in the process of assessing the specific action taken following this circular before it
decides whether to bring this matter before the Court of Justice.

(2002/C 93 E/261)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3094/01

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 November 2001)

Subject: Counterfeit compact discs

According to reports in the Greek press and statements by representatives of record companies in Greece,
CD piracy has assumed vast proportions, with the situation in Greece comparable to Egypt in 1984. At
European level, Greece is far and away the top player in this respect, while worldwide it is in the top ten,
alongside such countries as Malaysia and Paraguay. Illegal production of compact discs accounts for 50 %
of the current market in Greece, totalling 9-10 million counterfeit discs.

Furthermore, estimates published in the Greek press indicate annual losses of government revenue from
tax of Drs 7 billion. According to the Economic Crime Squad, it constitutes a serious crime which the
public becomes inured to, it creates an uncontrolled parallel economy with high untaxed earnings, while
creating indifference among some sections of society to a criminal act on the pretext of social tolerance.

What are the Commission’s views on this unprecedented situation in Greece? What are the corresponding
figures for the other 14 Member States? Have the Greek authorities informed the Commission of the
extent of the problem? What steps will the Commission take at European level to eliminate it?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 2001)

The Commission is aware of the phenomenon of Compact Disc (CD) piracy on a global scale, but also in
Europe and in certain Member States. In view of the increasing problem of counterfeit and pirated goods
and its negative effect on innovation and employment, the Commission consulted interested parties in
1998 by means of a Green Paper (1) to determine the economic impact of this phenomenon on the single
market, to assess the effectiveness of the applicable legislation and suggest approaches that could be
explored with a view to improving the situation.

this Green Paper

led to the development of an Action Plan (Communication of
The results of
30 November 2000 on the follow-up to the Green paper on combating counterfeiting and piracy in the
single market (2)) containing actions to be carried out as a matter of urgency and notably: a proposal for a
Directive for strengthening the means of enforcing intellectual property rights, improving exchange of
information and administrative cooperation; in the framework of existing programmes, training activities
for officials of law enforcement authorities; and the launching of a study on a methodology for collecting,
analysing and comparing data on counterfeiting and piracy. Of these actions, the Commission is at present
finalising the proposal for an enforcement Directive;
it is developing active training programmes for
Member States and is continuing and adapting further training programmes for applicant countries (for
example, via the TAIEX, PHARE and TACIS programmes) and has already launched the study mentioned
which should be completed in the course of 2002.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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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.