WRITTEN QUESTION P-0769/04 by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission. Safety of public buildings in areas of high seismic risk.
Date: 2004-03-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European standard, building regulations, building safety, earthquake, educational institution, public building

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/447

Will the Commission agree to look at this issue, with a view to considering some form of standardisation?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(30 March 2004)

The Commission is aware of differences in the grading of green, blue, red and black ski runs in different
European countries and between different skiing areas. The colour grading is in most cases based on
recommendations from the relevant national organisations, including the skiing federations and the cable
lift organisations in the ski centres. According to the representatives of the relevant organisations, the
grading in different countries does not vary significantly. Black ski runs are the most difficult ones, and the
grading is based on the average steepness of the run as a percentage and/or in degrees, as well as the
general characteristics of the run including width and curves. The exact borderline between the categories
differs to some degree in the different guidelines, so that for example some red runs in one country might
have been black in another country. The issue of further harmonisation of the exact borderlines based on
safety concerns has not been discussed in the relevant organisations since grading of runs is not reported
to have been a major cause of accidents.

In June 2003, the Commission adopted a general report on the safety of consumer services (1) which was
also submitted to the Parliament. The preliminary report identified tourism and sports and leisure services
(including skiing) as the key sectors for further initiatives at European level. Based on investigations of the
policies and legislation in Member States, the Commission’s conclusion in the report is that there is a
major lack of knowledge about risks in the area and that there is no evidence, at this stage, of distortions
to the internal market which would justify harmonised European legislation. Therefore the Commission
proposes, as a first step, to establish a legal framework in order to improve the knowledge base with
regard to accidents and injuries, to establish a procedure for exchange of information and a procedure for
the development of standards where this is deemed appropriate.

The Council in its Resolution of 1 December 2003 on safety of services for consumers (2) supported the
Commission’s approach in this area. The Commission is now in the process of following up the report,
in particular identifying priorities for action and assessing options. The skiing sector will be considered in
this context.

In the more general field of work on standardisation of services, the Commission recently mandated the
European standardisation organisations
(European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), European
Committee for Electro-technical Standardisation (Cenelec) and European Telecommunications Standards
Institute (ETSI)) to develop a standardisation work programme to support the internal market for services.
including standardisation of safety
These organisations will consider the priorities for standardisation,
issues, and present their work programme to the Commission by the end of 2004.

(1) COM(2003) 313 final.
(2) OJ C 299, 10.12.2003.

(2004/C 84 E/0522)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0769/04

by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(5 March 2004)

Subject: Safety of public buildings in areas of high seismic risk

Considering that:

(cid:1) in its Recommendation 2003/887/EC (1) of 11 December 2003 on the implementation and use of
Eurocodes for construction works and structural construction products, the European Commission
calls on Member States to use common codes in the construction and design of building works, based

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3.4.2004

on material resistance calculations that provide a guarantee of stability in the event of seismic events
or fire;

(cid:1) on 31 October 2002, an earthquake of medium intensity resulted in the collapse of a primary school

in the municipality of San Giuliano di Puglia (Molise, Italy), causing the deaths of 27 children;

(cid:1) the municipality of Bojano, which is in an area of maximum seismic risk (1 S=12), is located on the
same seismic fault (Matese) as San Giuliano and in 1 805 suffered losses and damage as a result of an
earthquake that caused 7 000 deaths (the public buildings in Bojano were erected in the absence of
any anti-seismic construction standards).

In order to avoid a repeat of the catastrophe that occurred in San Giuliano and in view of the danger
posed by seismic activity in the area (and to the municipality of Bojano in particular), would the
Commission not consider it appropriate to bring forward a legislative proposal on the ‘safety of public
buildings’ that calls on Member States to establish programmes for the surveying and evaluation of the
structural resistance of public buildings, and in particular schools, and makes it obligatory for all buildings
in areas of high seismic risk to be earthquake-proof.

(1) OJ L 332, 19.12.2003, p. 62.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(24 March 2004)

Eurocodes are European standards which guarantee a high level of safety in the construction works to
which they apply and thereby confer a presumption of conformity with essential requirement No 1
‘mechanical resistance and stability’ of the Construction Products Directive, including in areas at risk from
seismic movements.

However, the use of these standards is voluntary and alternative methods may also guarantee safety.
It should also be pointed out that under the terms of the Construction Products Directive, it is the Member
States which are responsible for the safety of construction works.

The purpose of the recommendation is to ask the Member States not only to accord Eurocodes the
presumption of conformity with their own safety requirements, but also to promote their use. This makes
it possible to achieve the prime objective of guaranteeing the free movement of engineering services and
products in the EU. In addition, the adoption of the Eurocodes by all the Member States should, in the
Commission’s view, facilitate the development of joint research activities, which should make it possible to
raise the general safety of construction works, particularly with regard to seismic risk.

The Commission has no current plans to put forward a legislative proposal obliging the Member States to
implement the Eurocodes. It does, however, closely monitor their implementation and reserves the right,
if necessary, to investigate other initiatives if the results expected are not achieved.

(2004/C 84 E/0523)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0787/04

by Marianne Thyssen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 March 2004)

Subject: Problems relating to the transposition into national law of Directive 2002/2/EC on the circulation

of compound feedingstuffs

On 29 January 2004 I received an answer from the Commission to my Written Question P-4074/03 (1)
law of Directive 2002/2/EC (2) on the
concerning problems relating to the transposition into national
circulation of compound feedingstuffs. The Commission indicated that
the
implementation of national measures had been suspended in three Member States.

it was aware that