WRITTEN QUESTION E-0832/02 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Requirement for solar panels to be fitted to new buildings.
Date: 2002-03-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Andalusia, building services, energy policy, energy supply, renewable energy, security of supply, solar collector, solar energy

C 229 E/144

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

26.9.2002

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(7 June 2002)

The Directorate-General for Education and Culture basically recruits its category A staff from among
officials who apply for posts internally in response to notices of vacancies or, less often, from lists of
persons who have passed competitive examinations. The job profiles published refer to various criteria and
requirements, including specialisation in a particular discipline and professional experience.

The training and/or professional experience of category A staff in the Directorate-General is above all in
the fields of law, social and political sciences, history, sociology, literature, languages and economics, and
even information technology. However, there are no statistics which allow the percentage of specialists in
a discipline referred to by the Honourable Member to be specified.

The total number of category A officials and temporary staff is 221, some of whom are of course working
in interdisciplinary departments within the Directorate-General and are not concerned with political
dossiers or the implementation of programmes.

Furthermore, the Directorate-General acquires the additional expertise it needs by drawing on the services
of seconded national experts. For example, the Culture Unit is currently making use of the knowledge of a
seconded national expert with a master’s degree in anthropology.

(2002/C 229 E/165)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0832/02

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Requirement for solar panels to be fitted to new buildings

(26 March 2002)

In view of the rather passive approach taken in the Spanish region of Andalusia as regards the use of solar-
energy equipment, the Fuengirola local council is considering an amendment to its general town-planning
scheme in order to make it compulsory for solar panels to be fitted to new buildings.

In principle the Andalusian regional government has welcomed the new law, under which it will be
compulsory for solar panels to be fitted to all new buildings in the town, and is likely to give its assent in
the matter.

Does the Commission consider it to be legitimate 4 and even advisable 4 to encourage and promote the
fitting of solar-energy equipment to new buildings as a way of overcoming the reluctance and the
ambivalence demonstrated by the promoters of new buildings vis-à-vis such equipment?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(7 May 2002)

As it is mentioned in the Green Paper for the security of energy supply (1), renewable energy sources of
energy have a considerable potential for increasing security of energy supply. The Commission has set up a
target of doubling the share of renewables in global energy consumption from 6 % in 1997 to 12 % in
2010. The type of solar energy referred to by the Honourable Member is included in this Community
objective.

The new proposal for the Directive on the energy performance of buildings (2) considers the use of
renewable energy sources integrated in buildings. Recognising that supply-side efforts will only succeed if
they are accompanied by policies to rationalise the demand for energy. This Directive is in its final stage of
approval.

The Commission also recognises in the Green Paper for the security of energy supply, that there is a need,
under the umbrella of subsidiarity, to adapt national, regional and local regulations to give priority to
renewable energy sources.

26.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 229 E/145

Therefore, the Commission considers advisable and praiseworthy to encourage the integration of solar
energy in building as part of town planning and this type of measure are in line with Commission policy
on renewable energy sources. The renewable energy market in the Union cannot be expected to develop
regularly without a voluntarist policy in the medium term on the part of the public authorities. However,
the specific renewable energy sectors chosen by Member States is decided under the umbrella of
subsidiarity and based on different variable factors like technical potential of the different sources, socio-
economic conditions, cost-benefit analysis and others.

(1) Green Paper Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply. COM(2000) 769 final.
(2) OJ C 213 E, 31.7.2001.

(2002/C 229 E/166)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0833/02

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 March 2002)

Subject: Spain’s call for a sugar quota commensurate with the amount of sugar it consumes

Spanish farmers consider that their country is these days the only major sugar producer with a quota
lower than its demand and that it will also be the only country neglected when the EU is enlarged to take
in eastern Europe.

Within the sugar industry it is thought that the current production quota should be increased by at least
50 000 tonnes to 1 million tonnes 4 a figure which is closer to the country’s consumption, calculated at
1,2 million tonnes.

Why does the European Union maintain this form of discrimination against Spain, which the sugar
industry regards as unacceptable? To what extent would the Commission be prepared to consider the
complaints of Spanish sugar growers, who feel themselves to be unfairly neglected and discriminated
against under Community law, by comparison with the favourable treatment received by other major
Community sugar producers?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(29 April 2002)

Spain’s sugar quotas were negotiated at the time of accession on the basis of average sugar production
figures with recent production of isoglucose taken into account. Overall Spain was not in the shortfall.

The quota system principles do not permit adjustment in line with the trend of national production or
consumption levels. Beet growers in Spain are thus being treated in the same way as growers in other
Member States and are in no way discriminated against or disfavoured.

As the Community is overall in surplus for sugar and refund-aided exports are restricted under World
Trade Organisation rules, any increase in one national quota implies reductions among the others.

When retention of the quota system has been decided on, as last occurred in June 2001 (Council
Regulation (EC) No 1260/2001 of 19 June 2001 on common organisation of the markets in the sugar
sector (1)) the Council has not seen fit to reopen discussion of the allocations.

(1) OJ L 178, 30.6.2001.