WRITTEN QUESTION E-3575/03 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Council. EU Identity document for the disabled.
Date: 2003-12-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, competence of the Member States, disabled person, equal treatment, facilities for people with disabilities, identity document, integration of people with disabilities

C 84 E/248

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 2004)

The Commission has received a large number of letters and e-mails from the Chairman of the Lloyd’s
Names Association (LNA). Receipt of four letters sent in January 2003 were acknowledged in writing by
the letter of the Internal Market Directorate-General dated 30 January 2003. The Commission considered
these comments as part of its assessment when deciding to close (1) the case in October 2003. Many
comments related to the past situation at Lloyd’s, i.e. before the entry into force of the Financial Services
and Markets Act 2000, or had regard to non-prudential matters.

The Honourable Member has not fully specified the Court finding to which he refers. However, in the light
of the enquiries made by the Commission and having regard to other correspondence received from the
LNA Chairman, the Commission considers that this Court finding could relate to the decision of Lord
Justice Thomas in the English Commercial Court case of Sphere Drake v. Sterling Cooke Brown (SCB).
On the basis of the information provided by the LNA Chairman, this case relates primarily to matters in an
individual Lloyd’s syndicate during the period 1992-1996 and was therefore not directly relevant to the
Commission’s assessment of the compatibility of the new regulatory regime.

(1) Please see Commission Press Release IP/03/1386.

(2004/C 84 E/0294)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3575/03

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Council

(5 December 2003)

Subject: EU Identity document for the disabled

Some 37 million citizens of the EU (cid:1) or ten per cent of the population (cid:1) suffer from some kind of
disability. European Year of People with Disabilities which ends in a few weeks’ time should provide a
fresh impetus and achieve practical results in the fight for the equal treatment of disabled EU citizens so as
to enable them to participate fully in all areas of life in future.

One step in this direction would be the introduction of a Europe-wide identity document for the disabled
guaranteeing facilities and privileges regardless of nationality and making them readily available to all
disabled persons. In my Written Question E-2173/02 (1) of 18 July 2002 I already pointed to the need for
such an identity document for the disabled.

Since each Member State is free to determine the scope of the facilities and privileges accorded to the
disabled, a uniform EU identity document for the disabled is needed. It should guarantee each disabled
citizen of the Union the same rights in each country.

Will the Council answer the following questions:

(cid:1) Has the EU already developed initial ideas about the introduction of an identity document for the

disabled which is valid throughout the EU?

(cid:1) If so, will it say what these ideas are?

(cid:1) If not, does it not agree that an identity document for the disabled which is valid throughout the EU

should be introduced?

(1) OJ C 277 E, 14.11.2002, p. 257.

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/249

Reply

(11 March 2004)

The Council recalls to the Honourable Parliamentarian that it is for the Member States to deal with identity
cards.

The Council has repeatedly expressed its concern regarding the situation of People with Disabilities but has
never discussed of the questions raised by the Honourable Parliamentarian.

(2004/C 84 E/0295)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3621/03

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 December 2003)

Subject: Presence of chlophen in food produced in various regions of Greece

The published conclusions drawn from research carried out by Athens University and the Demokritos
research centre have established the presence of chlophen in milk produce in various regions of Greece,
such as Kozani and Aspropirgos.

In view of the danger associated with the presence of chlophen in food and the fact that these regions are
industrial areas in which clophen discharges have been identified in the past, will the Commission say:

1. whether the competent authorities have carried out checks in the above regions,

2. what measures the Commission intends to take to test for the presence of clophen in food produced

in the above regions, and

3. whether there will be a special control programme and, if so, when it will begin to operate? Should
clophen be found in food and thus constitute a serious health hazard to consumers, what measures
will the Commission take?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(7 April 2004)

As announced in the holding reply to this written question, the Commission requested the reports from
research carried out by Athens University and the Demokritos research centre concerning the presence of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in milk produced in various regions of Greece. However, despite several
requests to the competent authorities of Greece and the authors of the report, this information has not
been received.

On the other hand, the competent authorities of Greece have informed the Commission that in accordance
with Commission Recommendation 2002/201/EC of 4 March 2002 on the reduction of the presence of
dioxins, furans and PCBs in feedingstuffs and foodstuffs (1), a national monitoring programme was initiated
in 2003 for dioxins, furans and PCBs.

The analyses were performed in accordance with Commission Directive 2002/69/EC of 26 July 2002
laying down the sampling methods and the methods of analysis for the official control of dioxins and the
determination of dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs (2) and Commission Directive 2002/70/EC of 26 July 2002
establishing requirements for the determination of levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in feedingstuffs (2).

The results of this monitoring programme have been provided to the Commission. They indicate that the
levels of dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs in food (including milk) of Greek origin are low. However,
the competent authority of Greece indicated that the national monitoring programme did not include milk
samples originating from the regions mentioned in the question. The competent authority of Greece made