WRITTEN QUESTION E-0806/02 by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Road accidents in the EU.
Date: 2002-03-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU police cooperation, approximation of laws, enlargement of the Union, exchange of information, highway code, information system, road safety, transport accident

26.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 229 E/139

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2002)

The Common Fisheries Policy applies to the waters falling under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of Member
States in the Aegean, Baltic, Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. It also applies to Community fishing vessels
in all waters. It does not apply to the extra-European territories of Member States except for French
overseas departments, as only those territories form part of the Union.

(2002/C 229 E/159)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0806/02

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 March 2002)

Subject: Road accidents in the EU

At the inauguration in Madrid of the Eleventh International Road Safety Congress, it was stressed that,
every year in the EU, road accidents kill over 40 000 people and cause serious injuries to another
1,6 million. In view of these statistics, the work of bodies such as TISPOL (the European Traffic Police
Network), based on the exchange of information between European traffic police forces, can make a useful
and immediate contribution to road safety in the EU. What are the most recent data that the Commission
can supply on trends concerning road accidents in towns and cities? Are all the EU’s traffic police forces
represented in TISPOL? To what extent can TISPOL’s experience be transposed to third countries?

The number of motor vehicles in use in the EU is constantly rising, as the data of the last decade shows.
This trend needs to be accompanied by higher standards of road safety; nonetheless, different rules
continue to prevail for such crucial aspects as breath-testing and drug checks on drivers. To what extent
does the Commission believe it necessary to harmonise the road safety codes and penalties operated by the
Member States and the technologies and other means employed for purposes of road safety within the
Union? What action has the Commission taken to put an end to a state of affairs in which road accidents
are the biggest single cause of death among young Europeans aged between 14 and 25?

Answer given by Ms de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(6 May 2002)

Although the situation should certainly not be considered satisfactory, the drop in road accidents in the
European Union is more marked in urban areas than in other areas. In particular, the number of road
deaths in cities and towns has been falling more rapidly than elsewhere for a number of years.

Police forces from all Member States except Luxembourg, Austria and Portugal are currently represented in
the Tispol Council (Traffic Information System Police, the European network of traffic police forces).
Norway, Slovenia and Switzerland are also members of Tispol and yet other European countries are
involved in operations initiated by Tispol. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland have indicated that
they were considering membership. In future, Tispol could play a role in improving road safety in the new
Member States by the exchange of know-how and best practices, and by joint operations.

The Commission believes that harmonising certain regulations, penalties and controls, and adopting
guidelines on best practices in the area of technologies and other means, are essential steps for making
Europe’s roads safer. For more information on the Commission’s past and future initiatives, we invite the
Honourable Member to refer to the chapter on unsafe roads in the White Paper on European transport
policy (1).

C 229 E/140

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

26.9.2002

As regards young people aged between 14 and 25, the Commission subsidised several awareness-raising
campaigns in 2001, as it had done in previous years, specifically targeted at this population group. Actions
carried out successfully at national or local level will be reviewed in 2002 in order to put together and
circulate a guide on best practices.

In any case, road safety is, in all its aspects, a shared responsibility. The situation can only be substantially
improved if all actors (users, transport undertakings, manufacturers, teachers, police forces), at all levels
(Community, national, regional and local), are firmly resolved to take action.

(1) White Paper = European transport policy for 2010: time to decide, COM(2001) 370 final.

(2002/C 229 E/160)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0808/02

by Emilia Müller (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 March 2002)

Subject: Purchase of mobile phones in Italy

A German family bought a mobile phone for use with prepaid cards in Italy and registered it at their
address in Germany. The phone worked perfectly at first, but when the family went to stay in Italy again, it
was blocked by the network operator concerned. When they queried this with the network operator, they
were told that foreigners cannot buy mobile phones in Italy.

Will the Commission therefore state:

1. Whether the Italian network operator is justified in denying all foreign citizens the right to buy mobile

phones for use with prepaid cards?

2.

3.

If so, what grounds does it have for acting as it has, and how are its actions justified?

If not, what can be done to remedy this deplorable state of affairs?

4. What action it recommends the purchaser to take in this case?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(11 June 2002)

The Commission is aware of the existence of different regimes used by the operators with respect to
mobile phones which can be used with a pre-paid card:

= Blocked phones. These phones, which have a ‘SIMlock’ can only be used with a pre-paid card of the
same telecoms operator within the same or in different Member States. For example, if somebody buys
a blocked pre-paid mobile phone from a German operator and he wants to use it in Italy he will have
to use his German pre-paid card. This means that the service will be provided by an Italian operator
with whom the German operator has previously concluded a roaming agreement, and the user will be
charged a roaming tariff which may be higher than that of an international call whether he calls
Germany, Italy or other countries. The Commission conducted a sector inquiry into roaming which
found that prices were generally high and unrelated to costs. The Commission is now engaged in a
follow up action under the competition rules.

= Non-blocked phones. These can be used with pre-paid cards from different operators within the same
or in different Member States. For example, if somebody buys a non-blocked pre-paid mobile phone
from a German operator and he wants to use it in Italy, it is to his advantage to use a pre-paid card
from an Italian operator. This means that the service will be entirely provided by an Italian operator
and the user would be charged the price applicable to national calls if he calls another number in Italy,
or the price applicable to international calls if he is calling abroad.