WRITTEN QUESTION E-0344/02 by Eija-Riitta Korhola (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Carriage of deceased persons within the EU.
Date: 2002-02-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU national, approximation of laws, death, free movement of persons, intra-EU transport, return migration

4.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 160 E/179

(2002/C 160 E/221)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0210/02

by Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 February 2002)

Subject: Return home of corpses within the EU

A growing number of Union citizens live in Member States other than their countries of origin. There are
numerous reasons for this: many EU citizens, for example, work in another Member State, tourism is
continuing to expand, and, in addition, more and more pensioners from northern Europe are settling
permanently in the South. An inevitable consequence of greater migration and the rise of travel is that EU
citizens are, to an ever-increasing extent, dying in parts of the EU outside their countries of origin.

However, at a time when the EU’s single market area is operating more and more efficiently, absurd
difficulties arise when a corpse is sent home from one Member State to another, resulting in needless costs
and distressing delays for the relatives of the deceased person.

For example, a zinc coffin is not required when transporting a corpse (by road) from Strasbourg to Lyons
(460 km) or from Ivalo to Helsinki (1 120 km), but has to be used when a corpse is transported from
Strasbourg to Baden Baden (50 km). There are no logical hygiene or safety reasons for these differences.

At present, the return home of corpses from one country to another is regulated by the 1937 Berlin
agreement and the Council of Europe Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses (concluded in Strasbourg in
1973). These agreements are now out of date because they are based on border policing of a kind no
longer carried out, least of all in the Schengen countries.

Is the Commission aware of this unfortunate but unavoidable situation, which is occurring as the EU’s
internal market area is expanding and borders are opening up?

Would it be possible to lay down rules to govern the return home of corpses in the EU whereby a journey
from one Member State to another would be as simple as a journey within the same Member State?

(2002/C 160 E/222)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0344/02

by Eija-Riitta Korhola (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 February 2002)

Subject: Carriage of deceased persons within the EU

A growing number of EU citizens are living in another EU country than their own: many EU citizens work
in another country, tourism continues to increase and ever more retired people from northern Europe are
moving permanently to southern Europe. An inevitable consequence of increased migration and travel is
that, increasingly, EU citizens are dying elsewhere in the EU than in their home country.

At the same time as the EU’s internal market is functioning ever more smoothly, absurd difficulties arise
with the repatriation of a deceased person from one EU Member State to another. This results in needless
cost and distressing delays for the relations of the deceased.

The repatriation of deceased persons from one country to another is governed by the Berlin Convention
(1937) and the Council of Europe Convention on the carriage of deceased persons (Strasbourg 1973).
These Conventions are no longer in keeping with the times since they are based on the kind of border
checks which no longer exist. For example, a zinc coffin is not necessary when transporting a deceased
person (by road) from Strasbourg to Lyon (460 km) but is essential when transporting the deceased person
from Strasbourg to Baden-Baden (50 km). There are no rational hygienic or safety grounds that would
justify this practice.

Does the EU Treaty require the European Union to guarantee the free repatriation of deceased persons
within the EU where the person in question is an EU citizen?

C 160 E/180

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.7.2002

Is the updating of the relevant provisions pending in the EU or internationally?

Would it be possible to secure the adoption of rules on the repatriation of deceased persons within the EU
that would make repatriation from one Member State to another as simple as transporting a deceased
person within a Member State?

What timetable could be envisaged for taking this matter forward?

(2002/C 160 E/223)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0346/02

by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Repatriation of deceased persons within the EU

(12 February 2002)

A growing number of EU citizens live in a different EU country from their home country. It follows
inevitably from the free movement of people that, increasingly, EU citizens are dying in a different EU
country from their home country. This results in needless cost and distressing delays for the relatives of the
deceased.

A zinc coffin is not needed when transporting a deceased person (by road) from Ivalo to Helsinki
(1 120 km) or from Strasbourg to Lyon (460 km). However, an expensive zinc coffin is essential when
transporting the deceased from Strasbourg to Baden-Baden (50 km).

At present, the repatriation of deceased persons from one state to another is governed by the Berlin
Convention (1937) and the Council of Europe Convention on the carriage of deceased persons (Strasbourg
1973; applicable in Finland since 1989). These Conventions are no longer up-to-date since they are based
on the kind of border checks that no longer exist. It is no longer possible to identify rational hygienic or
safety grounds that would justify the abovementioned use of zinc coffins when transporting deceased
persons between two EU countries.

What action does the Commission intend to take to ensure the adoption of rules on the repatriation of
deceased persons within the EU that would make repatriation from one Member State to another as simple
as transporting a deceased person within a Member State?

Does the EU Treaty require the European Union to guarantee the free repatriation of deceased persons
within the EU where the person in question is an EU citizen?

(2002/C 160 E/224)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0407/02

by Nicole Thomas-Mauro (NI) to the Commission

(11 February 2002)

Subject: Intra-Community repatriation of corpses

Cross-border transport of corpses is currently based on the 1937 Berlin Agreements and the 1973
Strasbourg Agreement. However, these agreements are no longer applicable, since they were based on the
presumption of border controls which no longer exist.

Could the Commission say:

A to what extent the Treaties require EU Member States to allow free intra-Community transfer of

human remains between their territories?

A whether it plans to look into ways of simplifying intra-Community transfer of deceased persons?