WRITTEN QUESTION E-1810/03 by Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Erasmus World programme.
Date: 2003-06-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Catalonia, EU programme, European language, higher education, multilingualism

C 51 E/142

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

26.2.2004

(2004/C 51 E/156)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1802/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(28 May 2003)

Subject: Air passenger health

Will the Commission give the figures for the number of deaths in the EU due to air transport crashes in
each year for the last five years? Will it also estimate the number of deaths attributable to air transport in
other ways (such as deep vein thrombosis)? Is the Commission satisfied that it is treating air transport
health issues with enough priority?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(10 July 2003)

The number of passengers killed in commercial flights operated by Community carriers are given below:

(cid:1) 1998: 46;

(cid:1) 1999: 56;

(cid:1) 2000: 100;

(cid:1) 2001: 111;

(cid:1) 2002: 18.

(Source: Airclaims)

As for deaths caused by deep vein thrombosis attributable to air transport, this is not possible to estimate
at the present time. Deep vein thrombosis is linked to a number of factors and present data does not make
it possible to distinguish air transport from the others. However, the Commission is co-financing studies
designed to clarify the link between deep vein thrombosis and air transport, under the auspices of the
World Health Organisation. In early 2005 these will give results, which should allow conclusions to be
drawn on the link between air transport and deep vein thrombosis. In parallel, the Commission has
undertaken studies on the quality of cabin air and the health of aircrews, that might form the basis of
standards.

In addition to these initiatives, the Commission is contributing to a programme of work launched by the
European Civil Aviation Conference on the health of air passengers, including the collection of data on
medical incidents and the harmonisation of medical services to passengers.

(2004/C 51 E/157)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1810/03

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

(2 June 2003)

Subject: Erasmus World programme

The Council recently reached a political agreement concerning the implementation of the Erasmus World
programme. The aim of this programme is to create a quality framework with a view to attracting greater
numbers of postgraduate students from all parts of the world.

It has been suggested in various milieux that this programme should be viewed as an opportunity to boost
competitiveness and further the objectives laid down by the Lisbon European Council in March 2000 with
the aim of making the EU ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world’.

26.2.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Under the programme, it is planned to create grants for Masters-level courses, subject to the condition that
the courses should be offered in at least two of the EU’s official languages. This would have the effect of
marginalising the Catalan language in the teaching of Masters and other courses. Catalan, despite being the
native tongue of more than 7 million people and an official language in Catalonia, the Valencia region and
the Balearic islands, has still not been granted official status at EU level. The Catalan language will,
therefore, not be eligible for the above-mentioned aids. This amounts to yet another blow against the long-
established Catalan language and culture (cid:1) even more so considering that Barcelona, in which university-
level teaching is carried out mainly in Catalan, receives more Erasmus students than any other university
town in the Spanish state.

Does the Council intend to take action to correct the adverse effects of this policy on the teaching of

1.
Catalan (and other European languages) at university level?

Does the Council believe this policy to be compatible with the Commission’s efforts to promote

2.
multilingualism and the learning of non-majority languages in the Member States?

Reply

(2 October 2003)

The Council would like to emphasise the fact that neither the original Commission proposal on the
Erasmus Mundus programme, nor the common position adopted by the Council on 16 June 2003, lay
down conditions as regards the languages of instruction for Erasmus Mundus Masters programmes.
Moreover, compliance with the principle of subsidiarity and the basic principle of the autonomy of higher
education establishments involved in such progammes preclude any such requirement.

Furthermore, recital 7 of the common position highlights the importance of the principle of the linguistic
diversity in the Union’s relations with third countries and the annex states that such Masters are ‘without
prejudice to the language of instruction, provide for the use of at least two European languages spoken in
the Member States where the higher education institutions involved in the Erasmus Mundus Masters
Course are situated and, as appropriate, for language preparation and assistance for students.’ (Action 1:
Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses, paragraph 2(i)).

(2004/C 51 E/158)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1812/03

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

Subject: Electrical power line in Northern Catalonia

(2 June 2003)

The French electricity carrier RTE wishes to create a third (400 000-volt) electrical power line, linking the
French and Spanish states through Northern Catalonia (i.e. the territory which forms part of the French
region of Languedoc-Roussillon). At present, two ultra-high tension (400 000-volt) lines (THT lines) link
the Spanish state to nuclear power stations in France via the Pyrenees (Cantagrità-Herman on the western
side and Bajara-Vic on the eastern side). There are also two 225 000-volt lines (Pragueres-Biescas and
Arkale-Mougerre).

With this new line. the French public-sector electricity company EDF (‘Electricité de France’) hopes to
strengthen its commercial position in the Iberian peninsula. The agreement between the Spanish and
French governments provides for participation in the Hidrocantábrico company by the German electricity
company E-Bw, which is owned by EDF, in exchange for measures from the French authorities to permit
the reinforcement of the existing links between the two states.

The territory of Northern Catalonia is crossed (or will be in the future) by lines and links of multiple kinds:
the THT line, the high-speed rail line, the Rhône-Barcelona aqueduct, the dual-carriageway motorway, the
gas pipeline, etc. The present project is being fiercely contested in the territory’s social and political
milieux: the ‘Conseil Général’ (‘département’ council) and the municipal councils of all 41 local authorities
affected have expressed their opposition, banding together under the slogan ‘400 000 volts (cid:1) no thanks!’.
It is argued that the line will damage farmland and create electromagnetic fields which will have an adverse
effect on the inhabitants’ health. Its construction will also provide a justification for the French state to
retain its nuclear power stations and, indeed, to build more.