WRITTEN QUESTION E-0100/04 by Marianne Thyssen (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Language arrangements on the Europa website.
Date: 2004-01-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Union, Internet site, access to EU information, dissemination of EU information, language policy, multilingualism, use of languages

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/163

In particular,
28 November 2003, of Mr Sok Yoeun’s appeal against the decision to extradite him to Cambodia.

the Commission has followed closely the rejection by the Thai appeals court, on

The latest information available to the Commission indicates that the Cambodian authorities have agreed,
in principle, to no longer pursue their request for extradition of Mr Sok Yoeun. The Thai Government
would take the necessary steps to ensure that Mr Sok Yoeun reunite with his family in Finland,
in
accordance with Thailand’s legal procedures and process of law.

As regards the more general question concerning the political situation in Cambodia, the Commission can
assure the Honourable Member that it will continue to call on all political forces in Cambodia to do their
utmost to reach a solution to the present political impasse in a peaceful manner, enabling the formation of
a new, democratically elected, government. One of the most important tasks of the new government, once
formed, will be the reform of the legal and judicial system.

(2004/C 84 E/0201)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0100/04

by Marianne Thyssen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Language arrangements on the ‘Europa’ website

(22 January 2004)

The ‘Europa’ website (http://europa.eu.int) is a means of communicating with the European public and,
given the development of the electronic media, will come to dominate such communication. Unfortunately
this site is increasingly making use of only three languages: French, English and German. It is true that the
website opens in all eleven official languages, but as soon as the important pages containing specific, up-
to-date information are reached, the number of available languages changes, so consistently that this would
seem to be a ‘policy’.

I am not aware whether a decision has been taken to limit the site to three languages, or whether this is
being done temporarily for practical reasons. However, I take the view that this policy is in violation of
Regulation No 1 of 1958 (1) determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community,
and with the Treaty. Both legal sources provide that European citizens may address the institutions in any
of the official EU languages and are entitled to receive a reply in the same language. As a Member of the
European Parliament, I am receiving an increasing number of remarks and complaints about this situation.
That is why I am asking this question.

Does the Commission not consider it important, given the increasing use of electronic communications,
that these contacts with the European public via the Europa website should take place in all the EU
languages? When approximately will the Commission take steps to ensure that its contacts with European
citizens via the Europa website take place in all the languages of the Union?

(1) OJ 17, 6.10.1958, p. 385.

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(26 February 2004)

The Commission would first inform the Honourable Member that the Europa site respects both the spirit
and the letter of the Treaties and Regulation No 1 of 1958. All legislative documents are available on the
site in all the official languages of the Union. This is also the case for pages containing general information
mostly intended for the general public. This is a sizeable undertaking, unparalleled anywhere in the world,
and one that the Commission will be continuing after enlargement on 1 May 2004 when the number of
official languages is set to nearly double.

The Honourable Member is nonetheless correct to note that, other than in the cases referred to above, the
Europa site is not available in all the official languages in its entirety. However, this is nothing new and
most certainly not any change in language policy as regards providing the public with information; it is

C 84 E/164

Official Journal of the European Union

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3.4.2004

merely a question of making rational use of the limited resources available. In particular, pages intended
more for a specialised audience and news pages that need to be available quickly are often published in
just a few languages. Such pages are published as quickly as possible in the languages available in order to
provide the target audience with the information on time.

(2004/C 84 E/0202)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0122/04

by Toine Manders (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 January 2004)

Subject: Debt and European professional football

It has emerged from an investigation carried out by the German football magazine ‘Kicker’ that the
European professional football industry is burdened with debts amounting to no less than EUR 7 billion.

According to their statistics, there are great differences between countries. Italian and Spanish professional
football organisations, for example, are in the red to the tune of about EUR 2 billion, whereas the total
debt of the highest division in the Netherlands was EUR 80 million in 2002. This shows the effectiveness
of the Dutch licensing system, which has been in force for years. The introduction of a licensing system for
professional football organisations in Europe under pressure from the European Commission is therefore
to be welcomed.

On the other hand, the astronomical level of debt of professional football clubs can play into the hands of
unauthorised State support practices, which often take place under pressure from local public opinion.

One possibility for dealing with the problems in the industry would be to set up an EU competition which
only football clubs from EU Member States could enter. Firstly, this would contribute to completing the
single market (cid:1) professional football could always be regarded as a service. Secondly, it would offer an
opportunity to apply the European legislation applicable in the football sector in a decisive and uniform
way. A single legal framework for the whole European professional football industry would, after all, give
greater legal certainty for all the parties concerned. The annual final of the EU competition could, for
example, be played in Brussels, so that the EU competition would also enhance the image of the EU.

1.

Is the Commission aware of the abovementioned indebtedness of European professional football?

Does the Commission agree that the resulting deterioration in the solvency of professional football

2.
organisations can encourage State support which violates EU law? If not, why not?

Is the Commission prepared to take steps to tackle these problems in European professional football?

3.
If so, what steps? If not, why not?

Is the Commission prepared to look at the possibility of setting up a European competition as

4.
outlined above? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(11 March 2004)

The Commission is aware of the fact that some professional football clubs are facing financial difficulties,
which, as stated by the Honourable Member, vary considerably from country to country.

It is possible that there may be increasing calls for public support for clubs in financial difficulty. However,
professional football clubs perform an economic activity and are therefore to be considered undertakings
in the meaning of Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty (although the question could be raised whether, and to
what extent, subsidies to football clubs affect trade between Member States, especially if the club concerned
is a local one which is unlikely to engage in competitions with clubs from other Member States). In as far