WRITTEN QUESTION E-1633/02 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Violent video games.
Date: 2002-06-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: automatic game, child protection, market approval, public morality, software, youth violence

C 301 E/196

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5.12.2002

Is that true?

If so, what is the Commission doing to ensure proper application of the Directive in all Member States?

(1) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975, p. 23.
(2) OJ L 42, 12.2.1987, p. 43.
(3) OJ L 377, 31.12.1991, p. 48.

(2002/C 301 E/206)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1642/02

by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Commission

(3 June 2002)

Subject: Recycling of waste oil

I have been dealing with the issue of the regeneration of waste oil in the EU ever since I was elected to the
European Parliament in 1994, when I drew the attention of the Commissioner at the time, Mrs Bjerregard,
to the fact that Directive 75/439/EEC (1) was not being properly transposed in the Member States.

I am still receiving complaints that the principle enshrined in the Directive stipulating that priority will be
is being ignored in almost all the Member States, despite formal
given to the recycling of waste oil
notifications on the part of the Commission.

What will the Commission do to tackle this problem?

(1) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975, p. 23.

Joint answer
to Written Questions P-1627/02 and P-1642/02
given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(28 June 2002)

The Commission shares the concern of the Honourable Members on the implementation of Council
Directive 75/439/EEC of 16 June 1975, on the disposal of waste oils, as amended by Council Directives
87/101/EEC of 22 December 1986, and 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationaliz-
ing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment, as on the disposal of
waste oils and in particular the practical implementation of Article 3 thereof.

Indeed, Article 3(1) of the Directive requires that ‘where technical, economic and organisational constraints
so allow, Member States shall take the measures necessary to give priority to the processing of waste oils
by regeneration.’

On the basis of the information in its possession, the Commission has launched in 2000 and 2001,
infringement actions against 13 Member States (all except Italy and Luxembourg) for failure to implement
the priority that must be given to the regeneration of waste oils where technical, organisational and
economical constraints so allow.

(2002/C 301 E/207)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1633/02

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(10 June 2002)

Subject: Violent video games

Video games now represent a thriving market within the computer games sector, one characteristic of
which appears to be the exponential growth in sales of violent video games. At the same time, newspapers

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are full of reports concerning juvenile crime. Psychiatrists are examining a possible link between habitual
exposure to violence and the perpetration of crime. Traditional
institutions (schools and families) are
unable to educate against violence if society lacks suitable ‘antibodies’ to counter the epidemic of violence
which is sweeping through it and which is being spread partly by video games.

In response to this disturbing situation which is affecting the younger generations as never before, ‘self-
discipline’ in the video cassette and video games sector currently consists merely in stamping products
with the word ‘hard’. It has been demonstrated that this scheme serves only to encourage sales to minors.

Has the Commission any information on the scale of the phenomenon?

Does the Commission not consider that such material helps to feed an addiction to violence and leads to
the acceptance of violence (including sexual violence and violence against minors) as something normal?

Is the Commission willing to propose to the EU governments that the sale of violent video games to
minors be made an offence?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(24 July 2002)

A prerequisite for the development of the audiovisual and information services sector in the EU is not only
that a number of favourable economic and political conditions should exist, but also that a certain degree
of protection be provided for the general interests of Europe’s citizens.

Following the publication of the Green paper on the protection of minors and human dignity (1), which set
off a broad debate on the intersectoral problems of protecting minors and human dignity in the context of
all audiovisual and information services irrespective of how they are disseminated, the Commission in
1998 submitted a proposal for a ‘Recommendation on the protection of minors and human dignity in
audiovisual and information services’, which was adopted by the Council on 28 May 1998 (2). The
Recommendation provides guidelines for the implementation of self-regulation at national level.

After two years’
Commission’s evaluation report (3).

implementation, the results have already been encouraging, as can be seen from the

The question of the legality of certain video games and their distribution is a matter for the Member States.

At the same time, the video games industry is, by way of self-regulation, in the process of drawing up a
classification system for video games at European level, which should be operational next year.

(1) COM(96) 483 final.
(2) OJ C 189, 17.6.1998.
(3) COM(2001) 106 final.

(2002/C 301 E/208)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1639/02

by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission

(10 June 2002)

Subject: Foot-and-mouth disease in South Korea

In early May there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in South Korea. 92 000 pigs and cattle have
since been slaughtered. This outbreak came only a few weeks before the start of the football World Cup
that is taking place from 31 May to 30 June 2002 in Japan and South Korea. Ten of the 15 EU Member
States have qualified for the World Cup (Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy,
Portugal, Spain and Sweden).