WRITTEN QUESTION E-1478/02 by Herman Schmid (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Prohibition of child labour.
Date: 2002-05-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC Directive, EU Member State, EU institution, child labour, children's rights, dissemination of EU information, national implementing measure, report

C 277 E/212

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.11.2002

(2002/C 277 E/232)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1471/02

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Outbreak of rare diseases in the Milazzo industrial area

(27 May 2002)

For some years now there have been an abnormal number of deaths from cancer and from chronic
respiratory diseases in the industrial area of Milazzo (Sicily).

In the same industrial area, there have been recent cases of an extremely rare disease, namely amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis, which leads to paresis and atrophy of the muscles of the upper and lower limbs. As a
result, average incidence in Italy has risen from 2 to 25 in 100 000.

Despite repeated requests, the Italian government has failed to declare the zone a ‘high environmental risk
area’, and to date nothing has been done to protect the inhabitants’ right to a healthy environment.

The Commission:

1. Does it believe it should carry out detailed scientific research on the links between this alarming
outbreak of disease in the Milazzo area and the pollution caused by the huge local industrial complex?

2. Will it call on the Italian government to take all possible steps, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that
the industrial activity concerned is carried out in a fashion compatible with public health, in view of
the present increasing risks?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2002)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member’s concern that the Union must protect citizens’ right to a
healthy environment.

According to the principle of subsidiarity and the competencies attributed to the Community in the area of
public health the instruments available to the Commission, such as the new Public Health Programme,
address issues of general concern. The situation described has, however, a local character, and the
consideration of the possible steps to take in this situation is, therefore, the responsibility of the Italian
authorities. These steps could include carrying out possible epidemiological or specific research studies in
the area at issue.

(2002/C 277 E/233)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1478/02

by Herman Schmid (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(27 May 2002)

Subject: Prohibition of child labour

Council Directive 1994/33 (1) on the protection of young people at work contains, inter alia, provisions
prohibiting child labour (Articles 1(1), 4(1) etc.) and others defining conditions and exemptions etc.
Article 17 prescribes that the provisions shall be incorporated into national legislation and regulations, and
that the Member States shall report to the Commission every five years on the practical implementation of
the directive. The Commission shall regularly report to the European Parliament, the Council and the
Economic and Social Committee on the implementation of the directive.

1.

2.

Has the directive been incorporated into the Member States’ legislation (in full or in part)?

Has the Commission received reports for the first five-year period?

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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3.

4.

Are these reports accessible to Members of the European Parliament and the general public?

Has the Commission drawn up a summary of the reports received?

Does the Commission know to what extent the directive is implemented in practical administration

5.
in the Member States?

Does the Commission know of any infringements of these rules in any of the Member States which

6.
have resulted in legal action and, possibly, convictions at national level or in the Court of Justice?

(1) OJ L 216, 20.8.1994, p. 12.

Answer given by Ms Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2002)

the Member States have now transposed Council Directive 94/33/EC of 22 June 1994 on the

All
protection of young people at work.

In 2001, a document was drawn up setting out the real situation regarding the transposition of Directive
94/33/EC in the 15 Member States of the Union. The Commission is sending a copy of this report directly
to the Honourable Member and to the General Secretariat of the Parliament.

Moreover, in a letter dated 6 November 2001, the Commission asked all the Member States to send it,
implementation within the meaning of Article 17(4) of
without delay, the national report on practical
Directive 94/33/EC. The national reports of most of the Member States have now been received. A
reminder letter was sent to the other Member States on 3 May 2002.

In accordance with Article 17(4) and (5) of the Directive, the national reports and the Commission’s report
will be submitted to Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee, in principle during
the last quarter of 2002.

(2002/C 277 E/234)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1480/02

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Intervention against trade union blockade

(22 May 2002)

At the beginning of the year, the Commission intervened on behalf of an Estonian shipping company
against two Finnish trade unions. The background was that the trade unions, in full compliance with
Finnish law, had blockaded an Estonian ship. The trade unions were demanding that the Estonian Shipping
Company (Esco) should respect Finnish agreements.

How does the Commission justify its intervention and on what legal basis did it act? Does the Commission
consider that it has the right to intervene in legal trade union disputes?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2002)

On 31 January 2002, the Commission opened an infringement procedure against Finland because of its
failure to take any measure to prevent/reduce the effects of several boycott actions undertaken by the
Finnish Unions against the ships of an Estonian shipowner. Prior to taking this action, the Commission
had repeatedly encouraged Finnish and Estonian authorities to resolve this issue bilaterally.