WRITTEN QUESTION P-3407/01 by Kyösti Virrankoski (ELDR) to the Commission. Scope of the Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC of 4 December 2000.
Date: 2001-12-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: boiler, degradation of the environment, environmental standard, fuel oil, heating, used oil, waste incineration

6.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 134 E/229

For the EQUAL Community Initiative, the Commission defined mainstreaming as one of the key principles.
Mainstreaming relates to a process that includes identifying lessons, clarifying the innovative element and
approach that produced the results, their dissemination, validation and transfer. In order to organise
mainstreaming of EQUAL on a broader scale and in all directions, the Commission is currently establishing
European Thematic Groups at European level which will draw together and share the good practice which
has been identified by the Member States thus contributing to the development of European employment
and social inclusion policies.

(2002/C 134 E/242)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3401/01

by Anneli Hulthén (PSE) to the Commission

(21 December 2001)

Subject: Research into the manufacture of paediatric medicinal products

The medicines that are the subject of current research and approval procedures are, almost without
exception, intended for adults and not for children. When children fall ill, they are often given the same
medicines as adults, albeit at lower doses. Such medicines have not been tested on children, however, the
reason being that children constitute a relatively small patient group and clinical trials are very expensive
to conduct in the case of medicinal products.

Medicines that work well for adults do not necessarily work as well for children. Children’s bodies are
growing, children have a higher metabolic rate than adults, and children are more sensitive to active
substances in medicines.

In December 2000, the Council adopted a resolution stressing that incentives were one possible route
Europe could take with a view to increasing the range of paediatric medicinal products.

What progress is the Commission making as regards devising measures to promote clinical research which
will result in better medicines for children?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2002)

The difficulties associated with the development of suitably adapted medicines for children is recognised by
the Commission.

In response to the Council’s resolution of December 2000, the Commission clearly indicated that it
recognised the problem and was prepared to take action in accordance with resource and priority
considerations.

The Commission is committed to the development of a new legislative proposal in 2002. A meeting with
Member States was organised on this subject in November 2001 and a consultation document is currently
under preparation in order to encourage input and discussion from all the stakeholders concerned.

(2002/C 134 E/243)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3407/01

by Kyösti Virrankoski (ELDR) to the Commission

(5 December 2001)

Subject: Scope of the Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC of 4 December 2000

In the Member States of the EU the use of waste oil for the production of heat energy is restricted,
particularly as regards small heating units. At the time, the reason for this was that it was not possible to
burn waste oil in small heating plants while complying with current emissions standards. However, oil

C 134 E/230

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2002

burners have now come on the market which are intended for the heating of small premises and which
use waste oil as fuel. These have been shown after careful testing to keep well within the existing emissions
standards and to burn waste oil much more cleanly than ordinary burners using light heating oil.

In the light of the above, will the Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC (1) adopted on 4 December
2000, which enters into force in 2005, apply to these high-technology oil burners with an output of
30-50 kW, which have been developed for the heating of small premises, which were planned from the
outset with waste oil in mind, and which burn no more than 5 litres of waste oil per hour?

(1) OJ L 332, 28.12.2000, p. 91.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2002)

The Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/ EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 4 December 2000,
applies in the case of the waste oil where it is used as regular or additional fuel in burners. There is no
capacity threshold below which the use of waste oil as fuel for heating in waste oil burners would be
exempt from the scope of the directive. Therefore burners with a capacity of 30 to 50 kilowatt (kW) used
for the generation of heat or energy and fired with waste oil as a regular or additional fuel fall within the
scope of the directive and would be treated as ‘co-incineration plants’ as defined in Article 3, paragraph.5,
in the context of Directive 2000/76/EC.

According to Article 20, Directive 2000/76/EC shall apply in the case of new plants from 28 December
2002 and in the case of existing plants from 28 December 2005.

(2002/C 134 E/244)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3411/01

by Anne Jensen (ELDR) to the Commission

(21 December 2001)

Subject: Compatibility of compulsory pension schemes with Articles 39 and 43 of the EC Treaty

the Schleswig-Holstein Dentists‘ association
Is the compulsory membership (‘Pflichtmitgliedschaft’) of
(Zahnärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein’)
the ‘Satzung für das Vorsorgungswerk der
Zahnärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein’ and the associated pension scheme compatible with the rules on
the freedom of establishment laid down in Article 43 and the free movement of workers laid down in
Article 39 of the EC Treaty?

in respect of

Freedom of establishment and the free movement of workers are two of the fundamental freedoms on
which the European Union’s legal system is based. Rules such as those mentioned above affect access to
the labour market in Germany. Any arrangements which obstruct or restrict access must be removed and
the Member States have undertaken to do so in Article 10 of the EC Treaty.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(7 February 2002)

Nationals of a Member State who carry out their professional activities, either as employees or self-
employed workers, in another Member State are obliged to comply with the rules governing the practice
of the profession in question in that Member State. However, if the effect of an obligation such as that