WRITTEN QUESTION P-2817/03 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Revamped Olympic Airlines.
Date: 2003-09-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, air transport, application of EU law, demerger, job preservation, merger control, privatisation, transport company, transport staff

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/497

Since the Belgian authorities took no appropriate action to put an end to this situation, the Commission
brought proceedings against Belgium under Article 226 of the EC Treaty.

In its defence, Belgium indicated that two changes had been made to the French Community’s legislation
in order to end the infringement: an amendment to Article 1 of the Royal Decree of 20 July 1971, and
repeal of the automatic equivalence system which had applied to Luxembourg diplomas since 1999.

The Commission considers that the amendment to the Royal Decree of 1971 was sufficient to put and end
to the infringement.

Nonetheless, the Commission considers that it would have been more logical for Belgium to look into
whether it might be possible to introduce an automatic equivalence system for the secondary school
diplomas of other Member States similar to that applied to Luxembourg. Abolishing the automatic
equivalence so far granted to Luxembourg nationals would appear to amount in practice to reintroducing
an administrative condition which had not in the past been considered necessary.

The Commission has not received any complaints from students from other Member States concerning
recognition of their secondary education certificates by the French Community for the purposes of
enrolling at a Belgian university for the 2003/2004 academic year. The Commission would be grateful for
any information the Honourable Member can provide in this respect.

If, on the basis of specific complaints, it transpires that students from Luxembourg (or other Member
States) are subject to an administrative procedure which bears no reasonable relation to the needs
otherwise served by the equivalence procedure and which could constitute an obstacle to student mobility,
the Commission may consider instituting new infringement proceedings against Belgium under Article 226
of the EC Treaty.

(2004/C 84 E/0575)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2817/03

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(18 September 2003)

Subject: Revamped Olympic Airlines

On 29 August the Greek Transport Minister, Mr Christos Verelis, tabled an amendment in Parliament
announcing the creation of the revamped Olympic Airlines, to be called Olympic Airlines. This new
company will be exclusively concerned with flight operations inherited from the merger of the relevant
branches of Olympic Airways, Olympic Aviation and Macedonian Airlines. The minister also said that
Olympic Airlines would employ 1 850 people and have capital of EUR 140 million. He stated that
Macedonian Airlines provided the legal framework for the creation of the new company, while the
procedure for spinning off operations was entirely in line with Community and national legislation.

1. Was the Commission regularly briefed during the procedure for the creation of the revamped
Olympic Airlines, as the Greek Government has declared?

To what extent does the Commission consider the specific solution compatible with Community law,

2.
and how safe are the jobs of employees in this new company?

3.

How and when does the Commission intend to intervene in this specific case?

Answer given by Ms de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(20 October 2003)

The Commission had regular contacts with the Greek authorities regarding the proposed privatisation of
Olympic Airways. However, the information received was relatively incomplete. In order to speed up the
the
transmission of

the privatisation law on 5 September 2003,

following passage of

information,

C 84 E/498

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Commission adopted a decision on 8 September 2003 enjoining Greece to send it any relevant
information concerning the privatisation of Olympic Airways. The Commission received a reply from the
Greek authorities, dated 11 September 2003. This is now being examined.

As the Commission does not have all the details of the proposed privatisation, it cannot give an opinion
on its compliance with Community law. Moreover, at this stage no information is available on the social
aspects of the plan, or the arrangements for winding up activities which will not be taken over by the new
company.

The Commission is still in close contact with the Greek authorities, who have undertaken to send it the
final privatisation plan before it is implemented, so that the Commission may give an opinion on its
compliance with Community law.

(2004/C 84 E/0576)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2861/03

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 September 2003)

Subject: GM crops

in response to a request for the banning of GM crops in Upper Austria,
On 2nd September 2003,
Commissioner Wallström said ‘I have, of course, full respect for the concerns of the Austrian authorities
for the protection of the environment and human health, and have no problem to recognise that
co-existence is an important issue to be addressed. However, I would like to point out that these are
common concerns, shared by many regions across Europe, for which it is possible to find a viable
response within the existing legal framework.’

Would the Commission please tell us what it considers to constitute a ‘viable response’ for regions such as
Upper Austria or the south-west of England, where organic farming is an important sector of agriculture?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(6 November 2003)

The Commission is fully aware of the need to ensure co-existence between conventional, organic and
genetically modified crops. This is reflected by the commitment of the Commission under Action 17 of its
Communication on Life Sciences and Biotechnology (cid:1) A strategy for Europe (1), to address co-existence.

At this juncture, it is important to point out that the protection of human health and the environment, is
and has always been taken into account as part of the risk assessment under the authorising legislation for
genetically modified organisms (GMOs). If an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment was
identified during this assessment then approval of that GMO would either not be granted or conditions
included in the consent to address that risk.

Since only authorised GMOs can be cultivated in the Union, and the environmental and health aspects are
covered by Directive 2001/18/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 on the
deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and repealing Council Directive
90/220/EEC (2),
the pending issues still to be addressed in the context of co-existence concern the
economic aspects (monetary losses) associated with the admixture of GM and non GM-crops.

A new article to address co-existence from this perspective will be introduced into Directive 2001/18/EC
allowing Member States to take appropriate measures to avoid the unintended presence of GMOs in other
products. This article was adopted in the framework of negotiations during the second reading of the
proposal (3) on GM food and feed.