WRITTEN QUESTION P-0615/03 by Christos Folias (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Proposed reform of the Common Organisations of the Market (COMs).
Date: 2003-02-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, administrative expenditure (EU), common organisation of markets, consultancy, impact study, operation of the Institutions, reform of the CAP

14.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/207

(2003/C 192 E/248)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0606/03

by Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 March 2003)

Subject: Reception of Catalan and Basque television channels in France

Subsequent to its reply to a previous question on this matter tabled on 5 December 2001 (H-0953/01 (1)),
the Commission forwarded a copy of a letter from Mr Dominique Baudis, the chairman of France’s Conseil
supérieur de l’audiovisuel (Senior Council for Audiovisual Matters).

Mr Baudis indicates, among other things that, with an eye to social and cultural pluralism, the reception of
Catalan and Basque television channels in northern Catalonia and the northern Basque Country is subject
to authorisation by the institution over which he presides.

Does the Commission consider this authorisation system to conform to the principle of freedom to
broadcast and receive television services within the EU and to Article 2a(1) of the ‘Television without
frontiers’ directive guaranteeing the freedom to receive television broadcasts from another Member State?

(1) Written reply of 5.2.2002.

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(8 April 2003)

The Commission would point out to the Honourable Member that the authorisation referred to in the
letter from the Chairman of France’s Senior Council for Audiovisual Matters (CSA) is not a reception
authorisation for the Catalonian and Basque television channels. French legislation does not lay down any
specific arrangements for cross-border television broadcasts in a regional or local language.

On the other hand:

(cid:1) the use by a television channel of a frequency assigned to France is, following a call for tenders issued
to authorisation under the conditions laid down in Act No 86-1067 of

by the CSA, subject
30 September 1986, as amended, concerning freedom of communication;

(cid:1) in border regions, the overspill of broadcasts from a terrestrial television channel for which another
Member State, such as Spain, is responsible, is not subject to authorisation following a call for tenders
if the frequency used is the responsibility of a State other than France. However, if such overspill
interferes with French television broadcasts, the French authority in charge of managing frequencies,
i.e. the National Frequency Agency, must get in touch with its counterpart in the State concerned in
order to remedy this.

The Commission considers that such a situation is fully compatible with the ‘television without frontiers’
Directive (1).

(1) Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3 October 1989 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law,
regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities (cid:1)
OJ L 298, 17.10.1989.

(2003/C 192 E/249)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0615/03

by Christos Folias (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 February 2003)

Subject: Proposed reform of the Common Organisations of the Market (COMs)

Will the Commission answer the following questions relating to the proposed reform of the Common
Organisations of the Market (COMs) as part of the interim review of the Common Agricultural Policy.

C 192 E/208

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

Has it used the services of outside consultants to any degree, and if so:

(cid:1) Who were these consultants? And

(cid:1) What amounts did it pay in fees for these external services?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2003)

The Commission has not used the services of outside consultants for the preparation and the formulation
of the proposed reform of the common organisations of the markets as part of the current review of the
Common Agricultural Policy.

However, as far as the impact analyses of the proposals is concerned, the Commission made use of the
following outside consultants in order to obtain independent external assessments of the proposals, as a
complement to the Commission’s own internal analyses:

(a) Eurocare (European Centre for Agricultural, Regional and Environmental Policy Research) GmbH,

Bonn, Germany;

(b)

the Centre for World Food Studies (Sow-vu), Amsterdam, The Netherlands;

(c) Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), University of Missouri (cid:1) Columbia, USA.

The totality of the fees paid for the services in relation to these external independent impact assessments
amounted to EUR 40,000.

(2003/C 192 E/250)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0618/03

by Dagmar Roth-Behrendt (PSE)
and Christa Prets (PSE) to the Commission

(3 March 2003)

Subject: Safety risk for divers owing to non-standard Deco tables

Deco tables protect divers from accidents (decompression accidents). Based on the length of time which
the diver plans to spend at particular depths, the Deco tables make it possible to calculate the safety stops
which the diver should make when ascending to prevent decompression sickness.

Both professional and recreational divers face the problem that there are no standard Deco tables in EU
countries. The absence of European standards with a view to uniform Deco tables means that different
times are given in the different EU countries for the duration of the dive at various depths, which increases
the risk of diving accidents.

The 1992 Deco tables were modified in some EU countries in 2000. However, the changes made were not
standardised.

Given that there are no uniform rules for Deco tables at European level, and divers consequently face an
increased health risk, can the Commission answer the following questions:

1.

2.

Is the Commission aware of this problem?

Is the Commission considering taking steps to resolve this problem at European level?