WRITTEN QUESTION E-3679/01 by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission. The needs of blind people when travelling.
Date: 2002-01-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: air transport, carriage of passengers, facilities for people with disabilities, physically disabled person, social policy

18.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 172 E/111

(2002/C 172 E/114)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3679/01

by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission

(17 January 2002)

Subject: The needs of blind people when travelling

A Finnish citizen, Lotta Lamminen, participated in an event organised in connection with the October
session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

As a blind person, Ms Lamminen is normally entitled to bring her guide dog with her into the cabin of the
plane and keep it with her throughout the flight. However, this time the ground staff of Air France in
Strasbourg refused to accept this arrangement. It was only after lengthy discussions with the staff of the
flight company and a conversation with the manager of the airport that Ms Lamminen was entitled to
bring her dog along with her.

The experience of travelling in a box in cargo would most probably have been frightening for the dog and
prevented it from helping Ms Lamminen according to its normal capacities for several days.

Has the Commission taken any measures to ensure that blind people’s needs when travelling are taken into
due consideration by flight companies?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(20 February 2002)

The Commission attaches great importance to ensuring that disabled people, including blind people, can
travel like any other citizen …

It has pushed Community airlines to prepare and adopt a voluntary commitment on service to passengers,
which includes meeting the needs of disabled people. Under this schemes airlines commit themselves,
among other things, to carry certified guide dogs in the cabin free of charge, subject to importation and
other regulation. Air France is among the companies that have signed the commitment and will begin
implementation in February 2002.

Valuable as such commitments are, the Commission believes that the rights of disabled people are so basic
that they must be guaranteed by law. It intends later this year to present proposals for legislation on
airlines’ contracts with passengers that, among other things, would create rights for disabled people. This
paper will discuss, among other things, how best to meet the needs of blind and other disabled people.
Before proposing this legislation, the Commission will consult interested parties by means of a consultation
paper, that will naturally be made available to the Parliament

(2002/C 172 E/115)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3680/01

by Jorge Moreira Da Silva (PPE-DE),
Chris Davies (ELDR), Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE)
and Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(17 January 2002)

Subject: Importation of dolphins

The import of cetacean species (known as whales, dolphins and porpoises) into the European Union for
primarily commercial purposes is banned by European Council Regulation (EC) 338/97 (1) of 9 December
1996. However, importation of live specimens of cetaceans, especially of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus) has continued in recent years.