WRITTEN QUESTION E-0803/04 by Markus Ferber (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Application for a grant by Mr Doriano Cataffo.
Date: 2004-03-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community support framework, EU financing arrangements, building industry, business ethics, economic offence

C 84 E/674

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Do the Member States follow the guidelines laid down by the Commission on 24 December 2002,

2.
including the amendments included as of 1 January 2004?

If not, what does the Commission plan to do to ensure that these guidelines are followed?

If so, does the Commission not take the view that, given the major differences, it is time to work towards
further harmonisation of these charges in the short term?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(22 April 2004)

The Commission does not have an overview of charges made for rendering and associated costs, in the
different Member States. If the Honourable Member has such information, would he please forward it to
the Commission.

All Member States except Luxembourg have accepted in writing to respect the guidelines referred to by the
Honourable Member. As to Luxembourg, the Commission has just proposed appropriate measures.

It would not seem that differences in the costs charged by renderers in various Member States could
properly be dealt with through State aid provisions. The play of competition forces should ensure that
comparable prices are charged in comparable situations.

(2004/C 84 E/0761)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0803/04

by Markus Ferber (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 March 2004)

Subject: Application for a grant by Mr Doriano Cataffo

My office has received a question from the lawyers’ firm of Kiederle, Dr Schulz & Kollegen of Augsburg,
acting on behalf of its client Mr Bernhard Oswald, Pfarrer-Steinacker-Str. 15a, D-86551 Aichach, Germany.

In 2002, Mr Oswald instructed Mr Doriano Cataffo, Via R. Ricci 46, I-84129 Salerno, Italy, to apply to the
Commission for a grant. Using the money, Mr Oswald intended to buy a plot of land at Herzog-Max-Str. 7,
D-86551 Aichach/Unterwittelsbach, Germany,
in order to build a guesthouse there. Mr Cataffo had
promised him that he would be able to obtain EU funding for the project under the Community Support
Framework 2000-2006.

Although Mr Cataffo has been paid for his work, it does not appear that any application has been made.
Mr Oswald therefore wishes to bring an action against Mr Cataffo.

I would ask the Commission to answer the following questions in order to clarify the situation:

1. Did Mr Cataffo submit an application for a grant as described above, on behalf of Mr Oswald?

2.

3.

4.

If so, was the application approved, and has the money been paid?

Is it in principle possible for aid to be granted for such building projects?

the Commission aware of

Is
Schulz & Kollegen, has acted in similar ways on a number of occasions?

the activities of Mr Cataffo, who, according to Kiederle, Dr

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/675

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2004)

The Commission has found no evidence that the project quoted by the Honourable Member has been
co-financed by Structural Funds through the current 2000-2006 Objective 2 Programme for Bavaria.
The Bavarian authorities responsible for the management of the projects supported by the programme are
not aware of a request in this respect. There is no evidence that any other EU aid instrument available to
Bavarian authorities has been involved.

Any submission for obtaining funds has to be addressed to the designated managing authority in Bavaria
responsible for the above programme.

Mr. Cataffo has come to the attention of the Commission on a previous occasion as a result of Written
Question E-2566/03 submitted by the Honourable Member (1).

(1) OJ C 78 E, 27.3.2004.

(2004/C 84 E/0762)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0809/04

by Ian Hudghton (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(8 March 2004)

Subject: Terrestrial trunked radio masts

The Commission, in its implementation report on Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC (1),
limiting
public exposure to electromagnetic fields (0Hz to 300 GHz), Section 8.3, states that ‘recent findings in the
extremely low frequency area … have to be evaluated.’ It further states that the Commission will review its
recommendations ‘taking into account the latest scientific data and advice.’

TETRA is being introduced in the UK to serve the police and emergency services. It operates at ultra high
frequency (395 Mhz) pulses of around 17,6Hz, a frequency which has been shown as causing damage to
the nervous and immune systems in human beings. The UK Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones
in their Government-commissioned study of 2000, the Stewart Report, said that modulation around the
frequency of 16Hz ‘should be avoided’ because of possible health impacts.

In spite of this, 3 000 masts are being erected across the UK, 700 in my constituency (Scotland) amidst
growing public concern that the system has never been properly evaluated on health grounds. Meanwhile
amongst police personnel who are already using the system, symptoms associated with exposure to
mobile-communications-type radiation levels such as sleep disruption, migraine headaches and so on are
already being reported.

The regulations governing public exposure to electromagnetic fields were fixed prior to the introduction of
TETRA. In light of its own report on the implementation of Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC,
would the Commission agree that, in the interests of public health, a moratorium be placed on further
development of this system until a proper evaluation of health risks has been carried out?

(1) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999, p. 59.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(7 April 2004)

On 12 July 1999 the Council adopted Recommendation 1999/519/EC limiting the exposure of the general
public to non-ionising radiation with the view of protecting human health in a frequency range of 0 Herz
(Hz) to 300 Gigaherz (Ghz). This also covers the frequencies mentioned by the Honourable Member.