WRITTEN QUESTION E-3104/03 by Marianne Eriksson (GUE/NGL),Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) and Joke Swiebel (PSE) to the Council. Funding EQUAL projects and sexual orientation discrimination.
Date: 2003-10-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, EU initiative, European Employment Strategy, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, invitation to tender

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/49

Has the Commission seen the preliminary results of this study?

Has the Commission made its own calculations of the cost of Turkey joining the EU? If so, what were its
findings? How do the costs of Turkey’s membership compare with those for the ten new accession States?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(7 November 2003)

The Commission is aware of the study to which the Honourable Member refers but has not seen the
detailed results. Such estimates depend on a large number of hypotheses, such as the timing of possible
accession, rates of economic development and the outcome of accession negotiations. The Commission
considers that it is not possible to define in detail a number of hypotheses which would be necessary for
any such calculation.

(2004/C 84 E/0055)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3064/03

by Bernd Lange (PSE) and Wilhelm Piecyk (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Vehicle emissions outside of the test cycle

(17 October 2003)

Pollution readings carried out by the German Federal Environmental Agency have shown that cars usually
considered to be particularly environmentally friendly only keep within the EU’s strict exhaust emission
limits up to a speed of 120 km/h. Beyond that, however, emission levels rise many times over, proving
that the cars concerned are not so environmentally friendly after all.

Is the Commission aware of this phenomenon?

Does the Commission intend to take account of emissions outside of the test cycle in its anticipated
proposal for a future Euro V category of exhaust emission limits for cars, and will it restrict the extent to
which the applicable limits are exceeded?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(14 November 2003)

The Commission is aware that some motor vehicles can modulate the emission performance in certain
driving conditions that are not covered by the present type-approval emissions test.

Emissions outside the test cycle are one of the issues on the agenda of the working group on Euro V
standards that has been set up under the Motor Vehicles Emissions Group.

(2004/C 84 E/0056)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3104/03

by Marianne Eriksson (GUE/NGL),
Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) and Joke Swiebel (PSE) to the Council

Subject: Funding EQUAL projects and sexual orientation discrimination

(22 October 2003)

Article 13 of the EC Treaty, Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and Article 1 of Directive
2000/78/EC (1) establishing a general
framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation

C 84 E/50

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

prohibit discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation. At Community level there is an integrated
strategy to combat discrimination and social exclusion. Focusing on the labour market, EQUAL forms part
of that strategy. Member States shall formulate their strategy for EQUAL on the basis of thematic fields in
the four pillars of the European Employment Strategy. Within these fields Member States shall ensure that
their proposals principally benefit those subject to the main forms of discrimination (based on sex, racial
or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation) and inequality.

We are informed that under the current EQUAL programme, only four partnerships out of 1 400 are
related to sexual orientation discrimination. Could the Council
inform us whether this information is
correct?

Could the Council inform us whether all Member States have included sexual orientation discrimination in
the national call for proposals under the current EQUAL programme? If not, could the Council give us an
explanation for these omissions by the individual Member States?

The next round of EQUAL will be launched in spring 2004. Could the Council inform us whether all
Member States, including the accession countries, intend to explicitly mention in their national call for
proposals discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation? If not, what action is the Council prepared
to undertake to increase the number of applications focusing on sexual orientation?

(1) OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16.

Reply

(8 March 2004)

The EQUAL Initiative is implemented in the framework of the Structural Funds Regulations and,

1.
more specifically, through the European Social Fund.

The Council would draw the Honourable Members’ attention to the fact that, pursuant to Council
Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 (1) of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural
Funds,
those funds and therefore the Community initiatives is the shared
responsibility of
the European Commission and the Member States’ governments working in close
cooperation.

the administration of

2.
In accordance with the guidelines and Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, the Commission, and
not the Council, is responsible for monitoring, implementing and evaluating the interventions covered by
EQUAL. Therefore, the Council is not in a position to confirm whether the information reported by the
Honourable Members of the EP is correct and would suggest that they forward their question directly to
the Commission.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2004/C 84 E/0057)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3115/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(22 October 2003)

Subject: Spreading of false scientific claims regarding the effectiveness of condoms in combating AIDS by

Catholic Church leaders/the Holy See/the Vatican City State

Knowing that:

(cid:1) On 10 October 2003 the British daily newspaper ‘The Guardian’ published an article entitled ‘We have
faith in condoms’ stating that Catholic Church leaders/alias the Holy See/alias the Vatican City State
are warning against using condoms to prevent AIDS, claiming that the HIV virus can pass through the
thick mesh of rubber in condoms, hence making them useless for protection;