WRITTEN QUESTION E-2412/03 by Charlotte Cederschiöld (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Network and information security.
Date: 2003-07-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: action programme, computer crime, data protection, trans-European network

C 65 E/144

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.3.2004

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2410/03 and P-2608/03
given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(8 October 2003)

Germany intends to introduce a mileage-based motorway user charge for heavy goods vehicles. The user
charge has been fixed at 12,6 cents per kilometer on average. On 6 March Germany has notified to the
Commission its intention to introduce a toll reimbursement system based on excise duties in order to
allow compensation for an intended increase of the user charge of 15 cents on average.

The Commission has to assess if the notified measure is compatible with the common market and fully in
line with the relevant Community legislation. Due to the doubts raised by the notified measure, the
Commission decided on 23 July 2003 to open the formal investigation procedure laid down in Article 88
§2 of the EC Treaty to allow Germany and other interested parties to make comments. On 27 August
2003, a short version of the decision summarising all the relevant issues of fact and law has been
published in the Official Journal of the European Union (1).

At this stage, the Commission cannot exclude that the notified measure constitutes State aid to road
haulage firms and can, therefore, not exclude that it distorts or threatens to distort competition.

As regards to the introduction of the toll system itself, the Commission was informed that the German
Government will start a test phase on a voluntary basis for heavy goods vehicles using German motorways
on 31 August 2003. The collection of the toll, however, will be postponed to 2 November 2003. In this
connection, the Commission decided on 26 August 2003, together with the Federal Republic of Germany,
to set up a working group in order to examine the remaining technical questions before the formal
introduction of the toll. The Commission’s aim is to make sure that the principle of free movement of
goods will not be hampered and that the system fully respects the principle of non-discrimination. (2)

(1) OJ C 202, 27.8.2003.
(2)

In particular Article 28 of the EC Treaty and Article 7 paragraph 4 and 5 of the Directive 1999/62/EC of the
Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 1999 on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain
infrastructures, OJ L 187, 20.7.1999.

(2004/C 65 E/160)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2412/03

by Charlotte Cederschiöld (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Network and information security

(21 July 2003)

The European Parliament
Regulation establishing the European Network and Information Security Agency.

together with industry have welcomed the Commission proposal

for a

What other steps is the Commission envisaging in order to accelerate the Union’s network and information
security agenda? Can we expect any initiatives taking a global approach to these issues?

Can we expect the dialogue between policy-makers and parties with an interest in the field to continue and
even intensify, e.g. within such fora as the Cybercrime Forum?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(18 September 2003)

The Commission thanks the Honourable Member for the interest in the network and information security
agenda. As she is aware, the Commission’s proposal to establishing a European Network and Information
Security Agency will be discussed shortly in the Parliament. The Commission hopes it can count on the
Honourable Member’s support for a swift adoption of the Regulation.

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/145

Already a substantial amount of activities have been deployed in the area of network and information
security and cybercrime following the Commission’s Communications ‘Network and Information Security:
proposal for a European policy approach’ from June 2001, and ‘Creating a Safer Information Society by
Improving the Security of
from
January 2001.

Information Infrastructures and Combating Computer-related crime’

These activities range from an increased emphasis on security within the eEurope 2002 and 2005 action
plans, through sustained research efforts in the Information Society Technology (IST) research programmes
and the review of existing legislation (e.g. the new electronic communications legal framework and the
Electronic Signatures Directive (1)) to supporting standardisation efforts at European level and increased
security requirements for the exchange of data between public administrations, and a proposal for a
Framework Decision on attacks against information systems (2).

The broader approach on cyber-security mentioned by the Honourable Member consists in the
Commission’s view of the three categories of actions conducted respectively in the areas of the electronic
communications and data protection legal framework, the network and information security activities and
the policy on cyber-crime and information infrastructure protection.

Concerning cyber-crime related activities, the Commission intends to intensify the discussions on the
security and protection of information infrastructures between involved parties of the public and private
sector through the organisation of workshops and expert meetings in fora such as the Forum on the
prevention of organised crime. An initial workshop with the private sector is scheduled to take place in
October 2003.

(1) Directive 1999/93/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on a Community framework for

electronic signatures, OJ L 13, 19.1.2000.

(2) OJ C 203 E, 27.8.2002.

(2004/C 65 E/161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2415/03

by Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 July 2003)

Subject: Towards an integrated and competitive Community energy market

Electrical interconnection capacity remains, in the case of Spain, well below the target of 19 % of national
consumption set by the Barcelona European Council of 15/16 March 2002 as the minimum desirable
level.

What measures is the Commission taking to ensure that, in the coming months, countries like Spain that
are a long way from reaching this target develop new power lines with neighbouring countries that enable
completion of an integrated and competitive Community energy market?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(12 September 2003)

The target set by the Barcelona European Council of 15/16 March 2002 as the minimum desirable level is
actually 10 % of national capacity production. It is true that Spain’s interconnection capacity is far below
the desirable level.

The Commission is well aware that a strong trans-border network is a key instrument both for improving
the security of supply and for establishing an efficient and competitive electricity market, and that the
interconnection network is below the optimal
it
commissioned a study on Analysis of Electricity Network Capacities and Identification of Congestion and
presented a Communication on energy infrastructure (1).

level and needs to be extended. For these reasons,