WRITTEN QUESTION E-3513/03 by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN)and Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Water.
Date: 2003-11-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, exchange of information, national implementing measure, water, water protection

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/821

(c)

the European Regional Development Fund;

(d) EU environmental and energy programmes;

(e)

the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (Guidance Section and Guarantee Section);

(f) other EU programmes?

How much was paid from the individual programmes and funds for cross-border projects involving

2.
Saarland and, respectively, Luxembourg, Belgium and Lorraine?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 2004)

In view of the length of its answer, the Commission is sending it direct to the Honourable Member and to
Parliament’s Secretariat.

(2004/C 78 E/0874)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3513/03

by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN)
and Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(25 November 2003)

Subject: Water

Could the Commission say whether any (and, if so, how many) of the Member Sates have so far complied
with Article 24 of Directive 2000/60/EC (1)? Will the Commission be able to report to Parliament by
January 2004? In 2002, did the Commission submit to the Regulatory Committee the plan referred to in
Article 19 of the Directive, and what effect has that plan had as regards a possible resolution (cid:1) or, indeed,
action (cid:1) in respect of the rules relating to water?

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(19 January 2004)

Article 24 of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of
23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, requires the
transposition of the Directive into national legislation by 22 December 2003. The 10 Acceding Countries
will have to complete transposition of the Directive by the date of accession.

The Commission will report on the state of transposition and notification shortly after the deadlines have
passed. The Commission will initiate legal proceedings on ‘non-communication’ for those countries which
do not give notification in time.

the Water Framework Directive requires the Commission to inform the
Article 19 paragraph 1 of
Committee established under Article 21 of an ‘indicative plan of measures having an impact on water
legislation which intends to propose in the near future,
including any emerging from the proposals,
control measures and strategies developed under Article 16’. On 6 May 2003, the Commission reported to
the first meeting of the Committee on the state of development of the Daughter Directives on priority
substances (Article 16) and groundwater (Article 17). The documents for the Committee meeting were sent
to Parliament through the regular transmission routes.

In addition to the formal reports to the Committee, the Commission is working closely with the Member
States, the Candidate and European Economic Area (EEA) Countries, stakeholders, non-governmental
in the
organisations (NGOs) and other organisations,

including the European Environment Agency,

C 78 E/822

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

development of new water policies through the Expert Advisory Fora which were established in 2001.
In this respect, the Expert Advisory Forum on Groundwater successfully finalised its work in June 2003
and enabled the Commission to present its proposal on 19 September 2003 (1).

Six meetings of the Expert Advisory Forum on Priority Substances have already taken place from March
2001 to November 2003. The preparatory work is still ongoing and the next meeting is scheduled for
8 March 2004.

(1) COM(2003) 550 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0875)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3518/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(25 November 2003)

Subject: Bioptic driving

1. Will the Commission outline the minimum vision standards (including acuity and vision fields) for
driving licensure stipulated by EU regulation?

2. Will it also outline the specific vision standards (that go beyond the EU minimum) for each Member
State?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(15 January 2004)

1.
The minimal vision requirements for obtaining a driving licence can be found in Article 6 of
Annex III of Council Directive 91/439/EEC of 29 July 1991 (1). The Commission does not anticipate
proposing any revisions to this Directive on the question of minimum vision standards.

All Member States have introduced visual

2.
requirements that correspond with the minimum
requirements of the above mentioned Directive. As the Honourable Member has been informed of in the
Commission’s reply to his previous questions E-1231/03 (2), E-2568/03 (3) and E-2569/03 (4), a special
working group for vision has been established in 2003 which plans to screen the legislation/actual
situation in the different Member States during the coming year 2004. The results of this examination will
be made public by the Commission as soon as they are available.

(1) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991.
(2) OJ C 58 E, 6.3.2004, p. 52.
(3) OJ C 58 E, 6.3.2004, p. 181.
(4) See page 129.

(2004/C 78 E/0876)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3541/03

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(28 November 2003)

Subject: US ‘ghost ships’ moored in the UK

Under its responsibilities for the application of environmental and transport legislation, what is the
position of the Commission on the risks posed by the four ships from the US Reserve Fleet, known as the
ghost fleet, which are now moored at and in transit to Hartlepool?