WRITTEN QUESTION P-3748/02 by Francesco Speroni (NI) to the Council. Population of the Member States.
Date: 2002-12-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU national, European Union, Eurostat, foreign national, national, population statistics, residence

18.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 222 E/103

The Joint Research Centre, which the Commission has proposed to be the future Community Reference
Laboratory, has already established a network of genetically modified organisms (GMO) laboratories in the
Member States with the main objective of developing validated detection methods and to discuss technical
issues related to sampling, identification and quantification of GM material.

All of these initiatives will further facilitate the control and inspection of GM food carried out by the
Member States.

The dialogue with third countries on GM food, including the United States, takes place in different fora at
various levels. Standards, guidelines and recommendations for regulating GM food, including the labelling
of such products, are discussed within Codex Alimentarius, notably in the Codex Committee on Food
Labelling and in the Codex Task Force on Foods derived from Modern Biotechnology. In this context as
well as in other fora, the Commission is promoting and defending the regulatory approach agreed in the
Community.

The United States as well as other third countries are well informed about our forthcoming legislation. The
Commission proposal on GM Food and Feed has been notified to the World Trade Organisation (WTO),
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to trade (TBT) committees. Several
countries, including the United States, have made comments to which the Commission has responded. The
Commission response
available on web-site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/gmo/gmo_ongoi-
nit_en.html.

is

(1) Commission Recommendation of 25 January 2002 concerning a coordinated programme for the official control of

foodstuffs for 2002 (cid:1) OJ L 26, 30.1.2002.

(2) Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 1997 concerning novel foods and

novel food ingredients (cid:1) OJ L 43, 14.2.1997.

(3) Council Regulation (EC) No 1139/98 of 26 May 1998 concerning the compulsory indication of the labelling of
certain foodstuffs produced from genetically modified organisms of particulars other than those provided in
Directive 79/112/EEC.

(4) Commission Regulation (EC) No 49/2000 of 10 January 2000 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1139/98
concerning the compulsory indication on the labelling of certain foodstuffs produced from genetically modified
organisms of particulars other than those provided for in Directive 79/112/EEC.

(5) Commission Regulation (EC) No 50/2000 of 10 January 2000 on the labelling of foodstuffs and food ingredients
containing additives and flavourings that have been genetically modified or have been produced from genetically
modified organisms.

(2003/C 222 E/120)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3748/02

by Francesco Speroni (NI) to the Council

(13 December 2002)

Subject: Population of the Member States

The protocols annexed to the Treaty of Nice refer to the ‘total population of the Union’ without clarifying
the meaning of the term.

As far as the Union is concerned, does the term apply only to the total number of residents who are Union
citizens or does it denote the total number of residents including those who are not Union citizens, or
some other body of residents?

When calculating the total population of the Union, how are Union citizens living outside the Union
factored in? For the purposes of the 62 % quorum, is the population of individual Member States calculated
with reference to:

(a) all residents of the Member State in question, irrespective of their nationality;

(b) all residents who are nationals of that Member State or another Member State;

(c) nationals of that Member State living on its territory and no other citizens;

C 222 E/104

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

18.9.2003

(d) nationals of that Member State living on its territory or in another Member State and those citizens

only;

(e) all nationals of that Member State, wherever they may live; or

(f)

a body of citizens composed in some other way?

Reply

(8 May 2003)

The Council has not yet discussed these specific aspects but will examine these questions and their
implications in good time before 1 November 2004 when the said criterion will enter into force. With
regard to the statistics used by the Union, the Council would inform the Honourable Member that it is
customary to refer to those provided by Eurostat.

(2003/C 222 E/121)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3757/02

by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Commission

(23 December 2002)

Subject: Quantified environmental objectives in the transport sector

In the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme the Commission was invited, in the context of
the target of an 8 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, to submit by the end of 2002 quantified
environmental objectives for a sustainable transport system (Article 5(2)(d)). A Commission group of
experts has proposed quantified objectives for three areas (greenhouse gases, air quality and noise).

At its meeting of 6 December 2002 the Council recognised these three areas (cid:1) greenhouse gases,
emissions of pollutants and noise (cid:1) as priorities for the transport sector and stressed the need for
medium- and long-term environmental targets in the transport sector.

What stage has been reached in the Commission’s deliberations? When will the Commission submit a
proposal for quantified environmental objectives in the transport sector?

Will the Commission keep to the schedule set in the Sixth Environment Action Programme? If not, why
not?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 2003)

In the 2001 White Paper on the Common Transport Policy (1), the Commission noted that for achieving
the ultimate objective of sustainable transport, ‘… [t]his sustainable transport system needs to be defined in
operational terms in order to give the policy-makers useful information to go on. Where possible, the
objectives put forward need to be quantified. The Commission plans to submit a communication in 2002
to spell out these objectives’. Such an invitation was also contained in the Sixth Environment Action
Programme.

The Council conclusions of 6 December 2002 mention that three areas, greenhouse gases, pollutant
emissions and noise, need further actions both from Member States and the Community. Work is
underway in all sectors.

In the same Council conclusions, the Council welcomes that the Commission is actively pursuing its work
on the examination of possible use of indicative long-term and intermediate environmental targets for
transport sector on Community level.