WRITTEN QUESTION E-1324/03 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission. Statement by Mr Gómez-Reino on the resignation of the Santer Commission.
Date: 2003-04-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European official, Luxembourg, President of the Commission, duties of civil servants, fraud against the EU, freedom of expression, public statement, report

21.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 280 E/131

What steps has the Commission taken to ensure that this world leading industry is not forced into
extinction due to a directive about which it was not properly consulted?

Will the Commission look favourably upon an application for these craftsmen and women to be granted a
de minimis exemption from this directive?

(1) OJ L 181, 9.7.1997, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(8 May 2003)

The Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC (PED) has been adopted in 1997 after intense consultations
with Member States, the Parliament and industry and has to be applied in all Member States since May
2002. It lays down harmonised rules concerning the essential requirements and certification procedures for
pressure equipment to be placed on the market or put into service with regard to the safety risk arising
laws by a unique European legislation, thereby
from pressure and replaces former manifold national
simplifying cross-border procedures and reducing cost. This is particularly true for small manufacturers
having little administrative resources and for manufacturers, which are export-oriented due to the
uniqueness and the high quality of their products. The Commission recognises that the adaptation to the
requirements of the PED implies some initial investment for manufactures, which however has been kept
as low as possible due to a sufficiently long ‘notice’ period of five years.

The main objective of the PED is to minimise and control safety risks for the citizen. Existing exemptions
of certain products (e.g. products of small dimensions) or products used under certain conditions (e.g.
experimentation, presentation at exhibitions) from the PED are justified, since the associated safety risks are
minor, covered by some more specific regulations or well-controlled due to the special circumstances.

An exemption from the PED based on the (small) size of the manufacturer or the ‘uniqueness’ of a product
would not be adequate, because these criteria are not related to its safety risk. The dangerous potential
created by a copper boiler is not diminished if it is ‘unique’ or produced by a small manufacturer.
Therefore, the Commission does not look favourably upon a ‘de minimis’ exemption from the PED.

(2003/C 280 E/150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1324/03

by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission

(8 April 2003)

Subject: Statement by Mr Gómez-Reino on the resignation of the Santer Commission

In the ‘European Voice’ of 27 March (cid:1) 2 April in an article by David Cronin, Mr Santiago Gómez-Reino is
quoted as saying that Jacques Santer and his Commission stepped down due to fraud allegations that were
‘disproportionate, completely unjust and for a large part simply non-existent’.

Does the current Commission agree with the statement by Mr Santiago Gómez-Reino?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(28 May 2003)

The Commission would refer
Mr Dell’Alba (1)

(1) See page 83.

the Honourable Member

to its answer

to written E-0749/03 by