WRITTEN QUESTION E-3502/03 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Air quality standards in areas of heavy traffic.
Date: 2003-11-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, air quality, commercial vehicle, environmental standard, motor vehicle pollution, police checks, pollution control, road traffic

C 78 E/566

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27.3.2004

(cid:1) what measures has it taken or does it intend to take to encourage the Cuban authorities to provide

decent treatment for prisoners who are quite obviously not common criminals;

(cid:1) what means does it intend to use to increase European political pressure on the Cuban regime in

favour of freedom, democracy and the respect of citizens’ basic rights?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 2004)

1.
The Delegation of the Commission in Havana has been informed that two political prisoners in
Holguin Ivan Hernandez Carrillo and Angel Moya Acosta, have been held in punishment cells, since
October 17 and 18 respectively. The Delegation was informed, as well, that five political prisoners in the
same prison were in hunger strike in protest of the punishment of their fellows, since October 18. The
names of these five political prisoners on hunger strike are: Antonio Díaz Sánchez, Alfredo Dominguez
Batista, Adolfo Fernández Sainz, Mario Enrique Mayo y Arnaldo Ramos Lauzerique.

The Delegation of the Commission has also been reported that the three political prisoners mentioned by
the Honourable Member, i.e. Rafael Ibarra Roque, Pedro Arguelles Morán and Arturo Suárez Ramos, have
been subject to cruel and degrading treatment or punishment, as well as other political prisoners including
Oscar Elias Biscet, Francisco Chaviano, Nestor Rodriguez Lovaina, Oscar Espinosa Chepe and Juan Carlos
Gonzalez Leiva.

On November 28 the Human Rights Working Group of Union embassies in Cuba held a meeting were
Mr Oswaldo Paya, recipient of the Sakharov prize 2002, was invited to attend. Mr Paya reported on the
pressure under which dissidents as well as relatives of political prisoners were living, and expressed his
deep concern about the health situation of prisoners, and in particular those currently on hunger strike.
Mr Paya essentially deplored: withholding food rations for political prisoners (cid:1) hunger being used as a
the
punishment; restrictions of visits when abuse,
unbearable state of punishment cells (no light, no WC, rats);
lack of appropriate treatment of sick
prisoners.

torture or inhuman treatment was denounced;

The Commission, through its Delegation in Havana, is a member of the Human Rights Working
2.
Group of Union Embassies in Cuba. To ensure coherence and provide leverage the Commission will not
act independently of the Member States. Measures are taken in full consent with the Member States and on
the basis of a previously agreed course of action at Union level. The Commission participates as well in all
Troika demarches, including those related to human rights matters.

3.
limit
The Commission fully implements the measures taken by the Council on 5 June 2003 e.g.
bilateral high level governmental visits, reduce the profile of Member States’ participation in cultural events
and invite Cuban dissidents at national days celebrations.

(2004/C 78 E/0601)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3502/03

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 November 2003)

Subject: Air quality standards in areas of heavy traffic

Increasing levels of traffic and the atmospheric and noise pollution associated with these increases are a
regular topic for discussion in South Tyrol, which is a transit region. The limit values for particulates and
nitrogen oxides need to be tightened up, and stricter emission controls are necessary. Fine dust particles
absorb toxic substances, accumulate in the lungs and cause severe respiratory diseases, and these noxious
emissions are mainly caused by heavy goods traffic on transit routes. Although particulate filters are

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Official Journal of the European Union

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available for lorries, they are seldom used, and the same is true for buses and trains, which, although
thought of as environmentally friendly forms of transport, use engines which no longer meet current
emission standards.

What steps are being taken to reduce pollution?

Will limit values be set which reflect the increasing levels of traffic?

Why are stricter checks of engine emissions not being introduced?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(14 January 2004)

Directive 1999/96/EC (1) introduced new emission requirements for new heavy-duty vehicles in two stages.
The Euro 4 stage, due to be mandatory from October 2006 for all new heavy-duty vehicles, will lower the
emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) by some 30 % compared to the present legal requirements while the
emission of particulates will be lowered by some 80 %. A second mandatory stage (Euro 5) will apply to all
new heavy-duty vehicles from October 2009 and this will result in a lowering of NOX by a total of 60 %
compared to the present legal requirements. Now, the Commission is investigating a further stage of
emission reduction for heavy-duty vehicles, concentrating on the primary pollutants NOX and particulates.
Further reductions could be foreseen in a Euro 6 stage in the timeframe 2012-2013.

These limit values apply to new vehicles that first enter into service on the roads of the Union. The
Commission has no plans to introduce new vehicle emission standards that vary as traffic levels increase.
However, the scientific programme of work that may lead to the definition of a Commission proposal for
the Euro 6 stage takes into account the increase in traffic throughout the Union and in regional areas.

Stricter checks of emissions are being supplemented by the introduction of new technical measures for on-
board diagnostic (OBD) systems on heavy-duty vehicles. OBD is to be a part of the Euro 4 stage from
2006. OBD will monitor non-compliance of emissions in real-time and inform the driver and repair garage
if there is a problem with the emission control systems that needs attention. The Commission is also
working on a new method for checking the in-use conformity of heavy-duty vehicles in service through
the use of portable emission monitoring systems (PEMS) which will supplement the technical measures of
the Euro 4 stage.

(1) Directive 1999/96/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on the approximation of the
laws of the Member States relating to measures to be taken against the emission of gaseous and particulate
pollutants from compression ignition engines for use in vehicles, and the emission of gaseous pollutants from
positive ignition engines fuelled with natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas for use in vehicles and amending
Council Directive 88/77/EEC, OJ L 44, 16.2.2000.

(2004/C 78 E/0602)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3506/03

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 November 2003)

Subject: Community legislation on DNA

Experts claim that adoption of legislation on DNA at Community level would help to solve more crimes,
thanks to the employment of techniques which allow the identification of individuals, which would in turn
render Community collaboration on prosecuting crime more efficient.