WRITTEN QUESTION E-1178/03 by Brice Hortefeux (PPE-DE)and Christine De Veyrac (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Commission proposal concerning Directive 1999/96/EC.
Date: 2003-04-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: air quality, anti-pollution device, combustion gases, consolidation of EU law, environmental protection, motor vehicle, technical standard

9.10.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 242 E/221

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0948/03, E-0949/03, E-0950/03,
E-0951/03, E-0952/03, E-0953/03, E-0954/03, E-0955/03,
E-0956/03, E-0957/03, E-0958/03, E-0959/03 and E-0960/03
given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(29 April 2003)

The documents in the Commission’s possession show that all
the municipalities referred to have
participated in EQUAL projects. This Community initiative started a year behind schedule, and the Italian
development partnerships are nearly all in phase II. It is therefore still too early to assess the utilisation of
EQUAL funds by the regional authorities. As regards the detailed monitoring of projects submitted and
selected, the Commission invites the Honourable Member to consult the EQUAL website, and in particular
the requested information is available: https://
the EQUAL Common Database (ECDB), where all
equal.cec.eu.int/equal/jsp/index.jsp?lang=en.

However, the Commission would remind the Honourable Member that these Community funds are
managed decentrally. Responsibility for implementation lies with the managing authorities (regions,
autonomous provinces, ministries) which distribute the available funding among the various projects,
including those on equal opportunities for men and women. The Commission is not involved in selecting
the projects to be financed and, generally speaking, can only emphasise the efficiency of the managing
authorities responsible for the municipalities concerned.

for the years 1999 and 2000,

The list of projects that were awarded funding under the Fourth Action Programme on equal opportunities
for women and men,
the following address: http://
europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/equ_opp/fund_en.html, under the section ‘Fourth Action Pro-
gramme on Equal Opportunities for women and men (1996-2000)’. The publications entitled ‘Directory
of projects 1999’ and ‘Directory of projects 2000’, also provide information about the project promoters,
as well as a short description of the activities, target groups and results. As for the remaining years, none
of the Italian municipalities referred to in the above-mentioned written questions was awarded funding
under the Fourth Action Programme on equal opportunities for women and men.

is available at

(2003/C 242 E/260)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1178/03

by Brice Hortefeux (PPE-DE)
and Christine De Veyrac (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 April 2003)

Subject: Commission proposal concerning Directive 1999/96/EC

Pursuant to Directive 1999/96/EC (1), by 31 December 2000 the Commission was to submit a proposal to
Parliament and the Council confirming or complementing this directive, with the aim of clarifying the
points included in its Article 7,

in particular:

(cid:1) the development of compression ignition engine and gas engine emission control technology, taking

into account the interdependence of such technology with fuel quality;

(cid:1) the need to improve the accuracy of the current measurement and sampling procedures for very low

levels of particulates from engines;

(cid:1) rules laying down the introduction of an OBD system for heavy-duty vehicles from 1 October 2005;

(cid:1) appropriate limits for pollutants currently non-regulated as a consequence of

the widespread

introduction of new alternative fuels.

C 242 E/222

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

9.10.2003

It is clear, unfortunately, that this timetable has not been adhered to. As this proposal comes under the
codecision procedure, any further delay would give rise to concern.

This being so, can the Commission state whether a new timetable has been adopted and what provisions
have been made to give the industries concerned sufficient time to comply with the new legislation?

(1) OJ L 44, 16.2.2000, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(8 May 2003)

The Commission would like to refer the Honourable Members to its reply to Written Questions P-0628/03
by Mrs Grossetête (1) and P-1031/03 by Mrs Darras (2).

The Commission proposal to amend Directive 1999/96/EC (3) is in the final stages of preparation and
adoption. This delay is a consequence of the need to reconstruct the way in which proposals in the field of
automotive construction are made to improve the efficiency of the decision making process, to take
account of the need to update and simplify the Community acquis (4) and to take account of recent inter-
institutional agreements.

As such, the existing annexes laid down in Council Directive 88/77/EEC of 3 December 1987 (5) and the
amendments necessary to introduce the new technical requirements required by Directive 1999/96/EC are
being recast according to the Inter-Institutional Agreement of 28 November 2001 between the Parliament,
Council and Commission on a more structured use of the recasting technique for legal acts (6).

It is envisaged that the Commission will adopt the proposal for a Directive within about three months.

(1)
JO C 222 E, 18.9.2003, p. 222.
(2) OJ C 222 E, 18.9.2003, p. 246.
(3) Directive 1999/96/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on the approximation of the
laws of the Member States relating to measures to be taken against the emission of gaseous and particulate
pollutants from compression ignition engines for use in vehicles, and the emission of gaseous pollutants from
positive ignition engines fuelled with natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas for use in vehicles and amending
Council Directive 88/77/EEC.

(4) COM(2003) 71 final.
(5) OJ L 36, 9.2.1988.
(6)

Inter-institutional Agreement of 28 November 2001 on a more structured use of the recasting technique for legal
acts (cid:1) OJ C 77, 28.3.2002.

(2003/C 242 E/261)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1238/03

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(2 April 2003)

Subject: Benzodiazepine drugs dependence

The Commission will have noted the recent
for a Council
recommendation on the risks associated with addictive prescription drugs such as benzodiazepines, and
for, patients suffering long term withdrawal symptoms or
best practice treatment of, and support
permanent impairment. (Resolution on the proposal for a Council Recommendation on the Prevention and
Reduction of risks associated with drug dependence (cid:1) Malliori report A5-0021/2003).

request by the European Parliament

Medical misprescription of benzodiazepines has led to many cases of addiction and severe mental
problems amongst patients, but the drugs are also stolen and sold extensively for use in association with
illegal drugs.

the Commission give consideration to the preparation of guidelines and recommendations as

Will
requested?