WRITTEN QUESTION E-0197/04 by Ward Beysen (NI) to the Commission. Use of State funds to reduce electricity prices for industrial users.
Date: 2004-01-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: State aid, United Kingdom, control of State aid, electrical energy, intermediate consumption, price of energy, reduced price

C 84 E/174

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Does the Commission intend the comparison of basic working and employment conditions to be made on
the basis of an overall comparison rather than an item-by-item comparison?

Does the Commission intend to make it clear in the proposed directive that temporary workers should be
paid according to their qualifications, expertise and the nature of the job (cid:1) meaning that in some
circumstances temporary workers could be paid less than permanent workers?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 2004)

The Honourable Member questions the Commission about certain provisions in the proposed directive on
working conditions for temporary agency workers.

Regarding the definition of salary, the Commission noted that during their negotiations in the Council the
Member States deemed it necessary to point out that the principle of non-discrimination does not apply to
occupational social security schemes, including occupational pension and health insurance schemes and
financial contribution schemes. On the other hand it has always been very clear that overtime is included
in the definition of salary. Providing for the contrary or granting such an exemption has not at any time
been considered.

With regard to general working and employment conditions, reference should be made to the amended
Commission proposal. The principle of non-discrimination has essentially been reformulated in such a
manner as to rule out any alternative. The same basic working and employment conditions that the
worker would have enjoyed if he/she had been recruited directly by the user undertaking to hold the same
job, should be applied to the temporary agency worker. From now on, the point of reference is the post
held by the temporary agency worker. Their situation is no longer comparable to that of any similar
worker employed by the user undertaking. On the other hand, the basic working and employment
conditions that should be set are those that the user undertaking would have had to apply if, instead of
employing an agency temp, it had decided to recruit directly, for an identical period of time

(2004/C 84 E/0214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0197/04

by Ward Beysen (NI) to the Commission

(29 January 2004)

Subject: Use of State funds to reduce electricity prices for industrial users

The latest figures from Eurostat show that the downward trend in the cost of electricity to industrial users
is coming to an end. With this in mind, I have noted the statements emanating from Britain that it is
proposed to grant industrial customers a generous (10 %) State subsidy on electricity prices.

According to my information, the statement issued on this subject was based on consultation with the
Commission.

In view of the vital role of industrial electricity prices in attracting domestic investment, I should be
interested to know the Commission’s opinion of this approach. Does the Commission intend to make this
instrument available to all Member States?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(10 March 2004)

The Commission is not aware of any British proposal to grant industrial customers a ten per cent State
subsidy on electricity prices that the Honourable Member refers to in his written question.

3.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/175

The Commission is watching developments in the energy market with all due attention. It will request
information from the United Kingdom authorities to investigate the alleged subsidy. The Commission will
not fail to take appropriate action if infringements of the relevant Community legislation are discovered.

All due attention would be given to any more detailed information on such proposals that the Honourable
Member might provide to the Commission.

(2004/C 84 E/0215)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0200/04

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 January 2004)

Subject: The ‘Bob Programme’ and road accidents

According to the Community’s Financial Report for 2002, the foreword to which was written by the
Commissioner responsible for the budget, Michaele Schreyer, 40 000 people died and 1,7 million were
injured in road accidents in the European Union in the year 2000 (pages 57 and 58 of the document).
The Commission supports the ‘Bob Programme’, the aim of which is to encourage car users to designate a
person among their group who will not consume alcoholic drinks during their outing so as to be able to
drive the others back safely after the event. On page 58 of the document it is stated that the ‘Bob
programme’ was first implemented in Belgium in 1995, to be copied subsequently by other Member States
adopting different names (e.g. ‘Lince’ in Spain, ‘Joker’ in Portugal etc.), while in Greece and the Netherlands
the programme was introduced under the name of ‘Bob’.

What data does the Commission have on the results of implementing the programme in Greece? Has there
been a decrease, and by what percentage, in road accidents in Greece, the country with the most fatal
accidents in proportion to its population in the whole of the Union? What funding did the Greek
authorities receive to implement the programme and how was that funding used?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(26 February 2004)

Between 2001 and 2003, the Commission supported ‘designated driver’ road-safety campaigns in Greece
and several other Member States, encouraging people not to drink and drive.

The maximum grants allocated to Greece were EUR 174 000, EUR 163 000 and EUR 72 000 respectively,
which is between 22 % and 7 % of total grants.

This funding was used to adapt the Belgian ‘BOB’ campaign to Greek culture. Specifically, this involved
producing posters, TV and radio spots, advertising inserts in the press, and an educational video,
developing a website, and, in collaboration with driving schools, organising a training course for young
drivers.

One of the objectives of the Greek campaign was to reduce the number of alcohol-related road accidents
by 15 % in three years. The provisional statistics for 2003 show that the total number of fatalities fell by
22 percentage points between 2000 and 2003.

On 27 May 2003, the Commission held a public seminar in Brussels to assess the effectiveness of these
including the
campaigns with all the organisers.
presentation of the Greek campaign, can be found on the website for the Directorate-General for Energy
and Transport (1).

Information on the presentations that were made,

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/road/roadsafety/behaviour/alcohol/conf_designated_drivers_en.htm