WRITTEN QUESTION E-3041/03 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Serious defects in Greek ambulances.
Date: 2003-10-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community support framework, Greece, aid system, emergency medical treatment, medical device, transport of patients

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/45

countries into the world economy. The Council recalls, on this occasion the importance of food security
and sustainable rural development as one of
the European Community’s
development assistance activities.

the six priority areas of

The fight against poverty is one of the development objectives defined in the Millennium Declaration
adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000, which aimed to halve by 2015
poverty, hunger and diseases linked with poverty such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Community
development cooperation policy is therefore closely linked to commitments made at international level.

The Council recalls that it approved the conclusions of the United Nations Conference in Monterrey. At the
Barcelona European Council
in March 2002 the Member States committed themselves collectively to
increase their official development aid, which should reach 0,39 % of the GNP of the Member States by
2006, which would be a first significant step on the road to achieving the United Nations target of
devoting 0,7 % of GNP to official development aid. It should be noted that the European Union and its
Member States already finance more than 50 % of total development aid.

In the Council conclusions of May 2002, the European Union agreed that a substantial share of this
increase in the volume of ODA (official development aid) should go to support social development in
developing countries, with special emphasis on improving health and education, including the three major
transmissible diseases.

Finally, in the third Committee of UNGA 58 which started on 6 October 2003, the EU had prepared a
resolution on the rights of the child which addressed the issues of child poverty and child health.

In the current draft resolution the EU recognises that strengthened availability and effective allocation of
resources are required in order to ensure that all the development and poverty reduction goals as set out in
the United Nations Millennium Declaration, are realised within their time framework, and to promote the
enjoyment of the rights of the child.

The EU is also seeking in this text to promote the realisation of the highest attainable standard of health
through,
‘inter alia’, the development of sustainable health systems and social services paying particular
attention to the prevention of disease, malnutrition, disability and infant and child mortality, to prenatal
and post-natal health care, to the special needs of adolescents, to reproductive and sexual health and to
threats from substance abuse and violence, and ensuring access to such systems and services. Mention is
also made of the need to ensure the effective prevention of HIV infections, providing support and
rehabilitation to children and their families affected by HIV/AIDS and protecting children affected by HIV/
AIDS from all forms of discrimination, stigma, abuse and neglect.

(2004/C 84 E/0051)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3041/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(17 October 2003)

Subject: Serious defects in Greek ambulances

The ‘New Democracy’ party has repeatedly brought up in the Greek parliament the question of the
provision of ambulances belonging to the National Emergency Aid Centre (EKAB), the specifications which
should be met, transparency in the choice of the vehicle makes bought and the equipment that they
should have in order to be able to carry out their difficult tasks.

Workers at EKAB have on many occasions pointed out that many of these ambulances lack the requisite
portable artificial respiration equipment (which is designed to give the first supplies of oxygen to an

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3.4.2004

injured person), as well as another acutely essential piece of equipment, the defibrillator, which ought to be
in every ambulance to administer repeated electrical shocks to a patient who has had a heart attack.

The ‘New Democracy’ party has repeatedly pointed out (through the social issues coordinator responsible
for this area, our former European Parliament colleague Nikitas Kaklamanis) the problem of lack of
transparency in the choice of ambulances makes bought from time to time (thanks to the second and third
Community support frameworks).

Could the Commission set out the exact total amounts which have been made available by the EU from
1994 until the present, and indicate precisely which operational programmes (either via the CSF or
Community initiatives) apply to the provision of ambulances and other emergency medical care transport
units? Has the Commission been informed of the above-mentioned defects in ambulance equipment? What
is the Commission’s position with regard to the allegations by workers at EKAB that for a city such as
Athens (with five million residents) there are only 72 ambulances, amounting to one ambulance for every
70 000 city residents; hence the recent incident (on 30 September 2003) of the injured motorcyclist in
Athens who waited for two hours in a heap on the road for an ambulance to arrive?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(10 March 2004)

The Honourable Member is informed of the following, as regards the fourth paragraph of his question:

According to the Greek authorities, the following ambulances and other emergency medical care

1.
transport units have been co-funded by the EU between 1994 and 2003:

(cid:1) CSF II (operational programme ‘Health and welfare’):

(cid:1) 1997-1998: 60 medical care mobile units (cid:1) approximately EUR 4 798 000

(cid:1) 2001: 116 ambulances (cid:1) approximately EUR 4 672 000

(cid:1) 1994-1999: five helicopters (cid:1) approximately EUR 17 757 000

(cid:1) CSF III (operational programme ‘Health and welfare’):

(cid:1) 2004: 100 ambulances (cid:1) approximately EUR 5 391 000

(cid:1) 2004: 25 medical care mobile units (cid:1) approximately EUR 2 578 000

These procurements are to be completed by the Summer of 2004.

Between 1999 and mid-2004, the EU will have co-funded the provision of ambulances and other
emergency medical care transport units with a total cost of EUR 35 159 000 (EU contribution:
EUR 26 397 000).

According to the Greek authorities the situation of the equipment of the ambulances and mobile

2.
units is as follows:

(cid:1) The two outstanding procurements

to be completed by mid-2004 are based on the CEN,
the

type B (ambulances) and type C (mobile units) standards of

EN1789:1999, EN1865:1999,
European specifications. They will therefore be fully equipped.

(cid:1) The CSF II co-funded ambulances and mobile units are considered, apart

from the absence of
defibrillators in the ambulances, adequately equipped. The accompanying Annex describes in detail the
equipment of each ambulance and mobile unit. As far as the absence of defibrillators in ambulances is
concerned, the Board of Administration of the National Emergency Aid Centre (EKAV) has decided at
its 15th meeting, on 27 November 2003, to furnish up to the mid-2004 each ambulance with one
defibrillator.

3.
Regarding the question on the number of available ambulances / mobile units and their adequacy in
covering the needs of Athens (or any other part of Greece), the Honourable Member is informed that this
is exclusively a responsibility of the Member State.