WRITTEN QUESTION E-0314/03 by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Commission. Ireland's reporting record on implementation of environmental legislation.
Date: 2003-02-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Union membership, Ireland, application of EU law, disclosure of information, environmental law, report

7.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 268 E/89

The response to this in the guidelines was therefore to enable the Member States to grant tax exemption to
EC seafarers in order to reduce the competitive gap between EC seafarers and cheaper labour from third
countries.

In April 2001,
the Commission published a Communication on the training and recruitment of
seafarers (4). The Commission mentioned the cheaper labour from third countries as a reason for the
ever-decreasing employment of EC seafarers and announced, ‘The Commission services will continue to
monitor the results of the application of the guidelines and will take those results into account when
drafting the next revision of the guidelines, particularly in respect of measures to encourage employment’
(see page 10 of the Communication).

On the basis of the above, does the Commission agree that State aid supporting the employment of third-
country low-wage labour is contrary to the objective of supporting EC employment? How does the
Commission intend to encourage EC employment in the maritime sector with respect to the on-going
revision of the guidelines?

(1) OJ C 205, 5.7.1997, p. 5.
(2) COM(96) 81.
(3) OJ C 109, 8.4.1997, p. 1.
(4) COM(2001) 188.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(2 May 2003)

The 1997 Community guidelines on State aid to maritime transport indicate that Member States may help
shipowning companies become more competitive by reducing their operating costs, inter alia by granting
reductions or exemptions in respect of fiscal and social security burdens for seafarers.

A further aim of aid to maritime transport is to promote employment and maritime know-how in the
Community, both on board and on shore.

The Commission is currently preparing a communication on the review of the 1997 guidelines which will
confirm the objectives set previously and improve the instruments for achieving them.

(2003/C 268 E/091)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0314/03

by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Commission

(10 February 2003)

Subject: Ireland’s reporting record on implementation of environmental legislation

Directive 91/692/EEC (1) commits Member States to producing and forwarding to the Commission regular
reports on the implementation of environmental legislation at national level. Specifying individual pieces of
legislation, for the period since January 1998, could the Commission indicate how many reports should
have been received from Ireland, how many actually have been received, and, if it has been informed,
when it expects to receive any outstanding reports? Could it give an assessment of the impact of the failure
to forward reports required under this Directive?

(1) OJ L 377, 31.12.1991, p. 48.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(17 March 2003)

Reporting obligations under Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardising and
rationalising reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment concern three
main areas of environmental legislation.

C 268 E/90

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

7.11.2003

1.

Air quality

As far as the current reporting obligations in this field are concerned, which involve various air quality
Directives, Ireland has delivered the following reports:

(cid:1) Council Directive 80/779/EEC of 15 July 1980 on air quality limit values and guide values for sulphur
dioxide and suspended particulates (1), Council Directive 82/884/EEC of 3 December 1982 on a limit
value for lead in the air (2) and Council Directive 85/203/EEC of 7 March 1985 on air quality
standards for nitrogen dioxide (3).

Ireland has submitted the three-yearly report
(questionnaire (cid:1) Decision 96/511/EEC of 29 July
1996 (4)) covering the period 1997-1999. This report covers the three Directives and was due in
2000.

(cid:1) Council Directive 1996/62/EC of 27 September 1996 on ambient air quality assessment and
management (5) and Directive 1999/30/EC of 22 April 1999 relating to limit values for sulphur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air (6).

Ireland has submitted its report (questionnaire established by Decision 2001/839/EC of 8 November
2001 (7)) covering the year 2001.

(cid:1) Council Directive 94/67/EC of 16 December 1994 on the incineration of hazardous waste (8)

Ireland has answered the questionnaire (Decision 1998/184/EC of 25 February 1998 (9)) covering the
period 1998-2000.

2. Waste

As regards Community legislation on waste, pursuant to Article 5 of Council Directive 91/692/EEC
Member States are required to submit reports to the Commission at intervals of three years. For the period
1998 to 2000 reports were due for the following Directives: 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975 on waste (10)
(as amended by Directive 91/156/EEC of 18 March 1991 (11)); 91/689/EECof 12 December 1991 on
hazardous waste (12); 75/439/EEC of 16 June 1975 on the disposal of waste oils (13); 86/278/EEC of
12 June 1986 on the protection of the environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is
used in agriculture (14); and 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste (15). Ireland
has transmitted to the Commission all reports due.

3. Water

Reporting on water-related Directives for the period since January 1998:

(cid:1) For the reporting period January 1996 to December 1998: reports on all Directives have been

received, except Directive 76/464/EEC of 4 May 1976 (16).

(cid:1) For the reporting period January 1999 to December 2001: reports have been received on Directives
80/778/EEC of 15 July 1980 (17) and on Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 (18); no reports
have been received on the other Directives.

The operational consequences of a lack of reports under the different water Directives vary from Directive
to Directive. The reports under Directives 80/778/EEC and 76/160/EEC provide sound information on the
quality of drinking water and of bathing water; the Drinking Water Directive will, by December 2003, be
repealed and replaced by the new Drinking Water Directive 98/83/EEC of 3 November 1998 (19),
containing reporting obligations as well. Directive 76/160/EEC is under revision, with a Commission
Proposal for a new Bathing Water Directive currently in political negotiations at the Parliament and the
Council and containing reporting obligations as well. As for the other Directives, they will, by 2007 and
2013 respectively, be repealed by the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 (20), or
be replaced by the Water Framework Daughter Directives to be proposed by the Commission.

7.11.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 268 E/91

In conclusion, no report was overdue on the date of the Commission reply to the written question by the
Honourable Member as far as air quality and waste are concerned. The most important reports were
received for water-related issues.

(1) OJ L 229, 30.8.1980.
(2) OJ L 378, 31.12.1982.
(3) OJ L 87, 27.3.1985.
(4) OJ L 213, 22.8.1996.
(5) OJ L 296, 21.11.1996.
(6) OJ L 163, 29.6.1999.
(7) OJ L 319, 4.12.2001.
(8) OJ L 365, 31.12.1994.
(9) OJ L 67, 7.3.1998.
(10) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975.
(11) OJ L 78, 26.3.1991.
(12) OJ L 377, 31.12.1991.
(13) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975, as amended by Directive 87/101/EEC of 22 December 1986, OJ L 42, 12.2.1987.
(14) OJ L 181, 4.7.1986.
(15) OJ L 365, 31.12.1994.
(16) OJ L 129, 18.5.1976.
(17) OJ L 229, 30.8.1980.
(18) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976.
(19) OJ L 330, 5.12.1998.
(20) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.

(2003/C 268 E/092)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0316/03

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 February 2003)

Subject: Validation studies of non-animal tests

In July 2002, ECVAM (1) identified the 13 non-animal tests listed below as being technically ready to
complete prevalidation or validation studies by 2003:

(cid:1) Human skin reconstructed skin model;

(cid:1) Skin-integrity function test;

(cid:1) Eye irritation QSAR or ESR;

(cid:1) Acute systemic toxicity QSAR/DEREK;

(cid:1) Biokinetics in vitro screens for metabolism;

(cid:1) Biokinetics human liver cell sandwich culture;

(cid:1) Target organ/system toxicity (neurotoxicity) 3D brain cell cultures and neuroblastoma cell line;

(cid:1) Target organ/neurotocicity Glial and neuronal cell cultures;

(cid:1) Genotoxicity/genotoxic carcinogens in vitro micronucleus test;

(cid:1) Reproductive toxicity (male fertility) Leydig cell line test;

(cid:1) Endocrine disruption cell systems for receptor binding;

(cid:1) Endocrine disruption QSAR to predict receptor binding.