WRITTEN QUESTION E-0509/02 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Management of electronic waste.
Date: 2002-02-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, dangerous substance, electronic waste, environmental protection, public health, waste management

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/155

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(17 May 2002)

The Commission was made aware of the report by the media and has studied the report, which is

1.
published on the Internet site of the Dutch Court of Auditors.

2.
The report refers to facts which may affect the final declaration of the European Social Fund (ESF)
expenditure for the period 1994-1999 and its financial settlement. The Commission will investigate this
matter in collaboration with the Dutch authorities.

3.
The ministries of Education, Justice, Health and Agriculture have received ESF support to finance
projects. The Commission was not aware of specific irregularities in the management, by the ministries
referred to, of ESF projects. The Dutch authorities are in the process of carrying out comprehensive
controls of ESF-funded projects, including projects implemented by these ministries. These controls will
certainly reveal irregularities if they happened.

During the period mentioned, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) cofunded Dutch
4.
programmes under Objectives 1, 2 and 5b, as well as Community Initiative Programmes (CIPs) such as
Urban and Interreg. Unlike the European Social Fund, these programmes were run by the local authorities,
generally by provinces or groups of provinces, and not by the ministries to which the honourable member
has referred.

The management and control systems and the managing bodies differ according to the Structural Funds
concerned, and the level of risk should therefore also be different. As yet, the checks and audits the
Commission has carried out on projects cofunded under the ERDF have revealed no irregularities of the
kind mentioned by the honourable member and observed by the Dutch Court of Auditors.

The Regional Policy Directorate-General (DG REGIO) proposes to carry out closure audits on a sample of
programmes from the period in question, taking into account the risk of this type of shortcoming.

The projects financed by the Guidance section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund
(EAGGF) and the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) are also quite different from those
financed by the ESF and the Commission has not, so far, identified such problems as with ESF in relation
to EAGGF and FIFG projects. The Commission carries out regular on-the-spot checks in the Member States
and for both programmes control visits to The Netherlands are planned in 2002. Furthermore, during the
closure of the relevant 1994-1999 programmes, the Commission will carefully examine the follow-up of
the shortcomings and irregularities detected,
findings of the Dutch Court of
Auditors.

including the relevant

(2002/C 205 E/167)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0509/02

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 February 2002)

Subject: Management of electronic waste

The management of electronic waste (computers, printers, fax machines etc.) is a problem assuming ever
greater proportions as the volume increases year by year. In 1998 alone, the European Union reportedly
produced 8 million tonnes of such waste.

1. What risks to public health are associated with the uncontrolled dumping of electronic waste?

2. What measures will the Commission take to ensure that an integrated approach is taken to the
management of electronic waste?

C 205 E/156

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(2 April 2002)

The main problems in this context are the leaching and evaporation of hazardous substances. Leaching of
mercury takes place when certain electronic devices, such as circuit breakers, are destroyed. The same is
true for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from condensers. When brominated flame retarded plastic or
cadmium containing plastics are landfilled, both polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and cadmium
may leach into the soil and groundwater. It had been found that significant amounts of lead ions are
dissolved from broken lead containing glass, such as the cone glass of cathode ray tubes, by the acidic
groundwater often found in landfills. Therefore, pollution from cone glass in landfills is likely. Not only the
leaching of mercury poses specific problems. The vaporisation of metallic mercury and dimethylene
mercury, both part of waste, is also of concern. In addition, uncontrolled fires may arise at the landfills. In
such fires, both metals and other chemical substances, such as the extremely toxic dioxins and furans
including tetrachloro-dibenzo-dioxin (TCDD) and polychlorinated and polybrominated dioxins and furans
(PCDDs, PBDDs and PCDFs) from halogenated flame retardant products and PCB containing condensers
may be emitted.

In order to tackle this problem, the Commission adopted on 13 June 2000 two proposals (1) for Directives
on the management of waste from electrical and electronic equipment as well as on the restrictions of
hazardous waste in electrical and electronic appliances. The Council adopted two common positions on
these proposals on 4 December 2001 (2). The Common Positions are presently being considered by the
Parliament for its Second Reading.

(1) OJ C 365 E, 19.12.2000.
(2) SEC(2001) 2021 final and SEC(2001) 2023 final.

(2002/C 205 E/168)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0517/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 February 2002)

Subject: Use of predatory pricing by new entrants to the market to force out established airlines, and the

adverse impact on passengers, employees and the environment

1.
Can the Commission confirm that, although the number of air passengers has fallen since
11 September 2001, after years of growth, and although old, established airlines such as Sabena and
Swissair have collapsed, new smaller airlines such as Virgin, Easyjet and Ryanair are taking over a growing
share of the market by starting up new scheduled services, taking over part of the rights of airlines which
have ceased to operate and buying new aircraft on a large scale?

2.
Can the Commission confirm that Ryanair, which intends to increase the size of its fleet fourfold by
buying 150 Boeing 737-800s and, inter alia, to introduce a new service between London and Eindhoven,
is now the most profitable airline in Europe? How can these large profits at a time of generally declining
profitability be explained?

3. What implications does the combination of low fares and rapid expansion have for safety, quality,
continuity of service, the environment and employees? At the expense of what desirable objectives are
practitioners of predatory pricing and low-cost carriers able to provide services so cheaply in comparison
with other airlines?

4.
Does the Commission anticipate new types of crisis in aviation if practitioners of predatory pricing
come to dominate, old airlines go bankrupt and international transport collapses on account of instability
and excessive risks?