WRITTEN QUESTION E-0155/04 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Disadvantaging certain categories of passengers through further restrictions on the sale of rail tickets from the Netherlands to other European destinations.
Date: 2004-01-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Netherlands, business policy, common transport policy, consumer protection, digital divide, electronic banking, electronic commerce, rail transport, retail outlet, ticket, transport company, transport user

C 84 E/320

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

unjustified. In actual fact, the adjective ‘Chechen’ serves only to specify a place (cid:1) generally hypothetical (cid:1)
where apprentice terrorists and European citizens might have chosen to go, or a place (cid:1) also generally
hypothetical (cid:1) where humanitarian aid might have been sent.

What is the Commission’s view of the use of the term ‘Chechen network’ by judges from EU Member
States? In particular, what is its view of the French judge Bruguière’s use of the term to refer to a criminal
case in which Chechens only appear to be involved because the EU citizens (not Chechens) accused in
these cases cited Chechens as possible recipients of financial aid, or Chechnya as a place where they could
carry out their plan for a holy war? Does the Commission not believe that by acting in this way judges
contribute, whether intentionally or not, to the dissemination of false information and to the undermining
of the image and the reputation of a whole people, and that they could therefore be responsible for
growing feelings among EU citizens of racial hatred and intolerance, and even of violence towards
Chechen refugees living in the European Union? Could the Commission ask the European Monitoring
Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in Vienna to carry out a thorough investigation into how widespread
the above practices are, with regard to both the Chechen people and to other peoples, and into the
political, legal and judicial implications that such practices could have?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(10 March 2004)

The Commission has no knowledge of the matters raised by the Honourable Member and, in any case, it is
not in a position to comment on the assessments and decisions made by judges in the Member States in
the course of their duties.

Nevertheless, the Commission shares the Honourable Member’s view that it is not appropriate to identify
the criminal conduct of individuals with a whole nation.

The Commission takes the view that the investigation requested does not fall within the areas of activity
laid down by Council Regulation (EC) No 1035/97 of 2 June 1997 establishing a European Monitoring
Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (1).

(1) OJ L 151, 10.6.1997.

(2004/C 84 E/0368)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0155/04

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 January 2004)

Subject: Disadvantaging certain categories of passengers through further restrictions on the sale of rail

tickets from the Netherlands to other European destinations

1.
Is the Commission aware that Nederlandse Spoorwegen, a company that, in contrast with railway
companies in other Member States, traditionally does not sell tickets to international destinations at the
usual station ticket offices and which has already reduced the number of its international ticket outlets to
ten in larger towns and cities and at Schiphol Airport, intends to close the remaining outlets in 2005?

2.
Is the Commission also aware that the planned alternatives will be limited to purchasing tickets over
the internet and from machines to a number of destinations in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany
and Switzerland, with the result that passengers travelling to, for example, Spain, Italy, Austria, Poland,
Denmark or the UK will be largely dependent on waiting times during opening hours at foreign stations?

3. What will the consequences be for people living outside the Netherlands who do not possess a
Netherlands bank card but who want to purchase a train ticket for a journey to a destination in another

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/321

European country? What will happen in the case of passengers who do not have internet access or who
decide to make an international train journey only at the last minute? Will such passengers have to travel
without a valid ticket?

Are there other EU Member States where rail tickets to foreign destinations can no longer be
4.
purchased at stations? Is the Commission aware of Member States where railway companies are
considering phasing out such sales?

Does the Commission think it acceptable that, running against the trend forwards of European
5.
integration,
the rail network is increasingly being divided into national entities, which, because of
restrictions on ticket sales and connections, are becoming less accessible to passengers from other Member
States?

6. What action can the Commission take against Member States and rail companies to prevent a
situation where the rail network is accessible in a normal way only to passengers in their own Member
State?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 2004)

The Commission has noted the information supplied by the Honourable Member.

It is hard for the Commission to assess the consequences of this decision. The fact remains, however, that
the rules of international rail transport require all passengers to be in possession of a valid ticket before
boarding an international service.

The Commission does not know of any initiatives in other Member States to end the sale of international
tickets at ticket offices and replace it with other forms of distribution. However, it is aware of the initiative
by the International Union of Railways (UIC) to introduce a system containing information on all the rail
its members (1). The UIC has also begun developing a reservation and sales system for
services of
international tickets issued by its members (Prifis (2)). These two systems should make it easier to obtain
information on international services and to buy international tickets.

The Commission is continuing to work to create an integrated European rail area and on 3 March 2004 it
adopted the third railway package, a set of measures to open up the market in international passenger
services and establish the rights and duties of passengers in international rail traffic. These proposals
include provisions requiring railway undertakings to cooperate with a view to offering passengers
integrated tickets for journeys involving several railway undertakings.

(1) Merits: Multiple European Railway Integrated Timetable Storage.
(2) Prifis: Price and Fare Information System.

(2004/C 84 E/0369)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0156/04

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 January 2004)

Subject: Commission’s accounting systems

I understand that the Internal Audit Service,
in a report entitled ‘IAS Review of the Commission’s
Accounting Framework (cid:1) Final Report’ dated 15 April 2003, made a number of recommendations to the
Commission regarding the accounting systems.