WRITTEN QUESTION E-0745/03 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission. List of standards.
Date: 2003-03-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European standard, exchange of information, standard, standardisation, technical standard

15.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 11 E/113

(2004/C 11 E/112)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0745/03

by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission

(11 March 2003)

Subject: List of standards

Will the Commission publish a list of all standards that are considered binding under EU directives and
regulations stating both the total number of pages and whether they should be added to the figure of
97 000 pages of EU rules recently produced by the Commission?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(28 March 2003)

If the term ‘standards’ used in the English-language version of the written question is a reference to
technical standards within the meaning of Parliament and Council Directive 98/34/EC of 22 June 1998
laying down a procedure for the provision of
technical standards and
regulations (1), it must be pointed out that these are not binding standards but voluntary standards, which
do not fall within the rule-making remit of the Community legislator.

information in the field of

The 97 000 pages to which the Honourable Member refers represent, as far as secondary Community
legislation (regulations, directives and decisions within the meaning of Article 249 of the EC Treaty) is
concerned, the entire body of binding legal rules in force at the end of 2002. Such technical standards
could not, therefore, be added to them.

If the term ‘standards’ refers to technical standards that take the form of one of the three binding legal
instruments provided for in Article 249, all those standards can be included in the 97 000 pages
mentioned above.

In both cases, the amount of research needed to provide a detailed answer to the Honourable Member’s
question would be disproportionate to the result sought and would go beyond the scope of an answer to a
written question.

(1) OJ L 204, 21.7.1998.

(2004/C 11 E/113)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0755/03

by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission

(12 March 2003)

Subject: Obtaining the opinion of the general public in the assessment of the implications of projects in

areas of conservation

According to Article 6 of the FFH Directive (92/43/EEC (1)), any plan or project that is likely to have a
significant effect on a special area of conservation must be assessed for its implications for the site in view
of the site’s conservation objectives. In the light of the assessment of the implications for the site, the
competent authorities may agree to the plan or project only after having ascertained that it will not
adversely affect the integrity of the site concerned and, if appropriate, after having obtained the opinion of
the general public.

In Austria, Article 6 of the FFH Directive was transposed into nine provincial laws on nature conservation.
However, eight of these new provincial
laws stipulate that the opinion of the general public must be
obtained. The authorities are not able, therefore, to decide for themselves, according to each individual
case, whether or not to obtain the opinion of the general public.