Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

ISSN 0378-6986

#### C 103
# Official Journal

Volume 38
### of the European Communities 24 April 1995

Volume 38

24 April 1995

##### English edition Information and Notices

Notice No Contents
Page

I Information

European Parliament

Written Questions with answer

95 / C 103 / 01 E-2101 / 94 by Jesus Cabezon Alonso to the Council
Subject : IV programme to fight poverty 1

95 / C 103 / 02 E-2157 / 94 by Stephen Hughes to the Commission
Subject : Risks to public health from mobile hand-held telephones 1

95 / C 103 / 03 E-2164 / 94 by Karla Peijs to the Commission
Subject : Obstacles to freedom of movement in relation to public invitations to tender 2

95 / C 103 / 04 E-2235 / 94 by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dôrfler to the Council
Subject : Incorporation of social clauses in the EU's generalized system of preferences 3

95 / C 103 / 05 E-2247 / 94 by Florus Wijsenbeek to the Commission
Subject : Overhead line voltages in Europe 3

95 / C 103 / 06 E-2253 / 94 by David Bowe to the Commission
Subject : Control and reduction of NO x Emissions 4

95 / C 103 / 07 E-2258 / 94 by Peter Truscott to the Council
Subject : European Council meetings ( secrecy ) 5

95 / C 103 / 08 E-2265 / 94 by Carlos Robles Piquer to the Commission
Subject : The drafting of legislation in the European Union 5

95 / C 103 / 09 E-2274 / 94 by Glyn Ford to the Commission
Subject : Commission as an equal opportunity employer 6

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E-2278 / 94 by José Barros Moura to the Commission
Subject : Fundamental freedoms within the police force

E-2281 / 94 by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué to the Commission
Subject : Ban on drift-nets

E-2318 / 94 by Christine Oddy to the Commission
Subject : Dangers of potassium

E-2319 / 94 by Christine Oddy to the Commission
Subject : Dangers of potassium fertilizers

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2318 / 94 and E-2319 / 94

E-2331 / 94 by Nel van Dijk to the Commission
Subject : Participation of women in decision-making processes

E-2342 / 94 by José Barros Moura to the Council
Subject : Neo-Nazi attacks on Portuguese nationals in Germany

E-2345 / 94 by Jean Baggioni to the Commission
Subject : Trans-European transport networks

E-2347 / 94 by Jean Baggioni to the Council
Subject : Europol Drugs Unit ( EDU )

E-2348 / 94 by Jean Baggioni to the Council
Subject : Europol ( European Police Office )

E-2349 / 94 by Jean-Pierre Bazin to the Commission
Subject : European Union employment measures in the Pays de Loire région

E-2350 / 94 by Jean-Pierre Bazin to the Commission
Subject : European Union measures to assist the Pays de Loire région

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2349 / 94 and E-2350 / 94

E-2352 / 94 by Helena Torres Marques to the Commission
Subject : Consequences of the Spanish hydrological plan for Portugal

E-2366 / 94 by Giovanni Burtone and Gerardo Bianco to the Council
Subject : Chaptalization of wine

E-2389 / 94 by Gerardo Bianco, Giovanni Burtone, Antonio Graziani, Danilo Poggiolini,
Carlo Secchi, Giampaolo D'Andrea, Maria Colombo Svevo, Livio Filippi and Pierluigi
Castagnetti to the Council
Subject : Independence of national central banks and the EC Treaty

E-2398 / 94 by Ole Krarup to the Commission
Subject : Collective agreements

E-2400 / 94 by Lis Jensen to the Commission
Subject : Collective agreement

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2398 / 94 and E-2400 / 94

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95 / C 103 / 26 E-2433 / 94 by Johanna Maij-Weggen and Petrus Cornelissen to the Commission
Subject : KLM flights between Schiphol and Orly 13

95 / C 103 / 27 E-2467 / 94 by Hedy d'Ancona to the Commission
Subject : Financial assistance to Valle di Bevera di Olivetta ( Provincia di Imperia-Italia ) 14

95 / C 103 / 28 E-2484 / 94 by Jean-Pierre Raffarin to the Commission
Subject : Financing of inter-regional cooperation programmes 14

95 / C 103 / 29 E-2490 / 94 by Jean-Pierre Raffarin to the Commission
Subject : Interreg Programme 14

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2484 / 94 and E-2490 / 94 14

95 / C 103 / 30 E-2499 / 94 by Sir Jack Stewart-Clark to the Commission
Subject : Transport of live animais 15

95 / C 103 / 31 E-2500 / 94 by Kenneth Stewart to the Commission
Subject : Objective 1 Merseyside 15

95 / C 103 / 32 E-2505 / 94 by Gijs de Vries and Jan Mulder to the Commission
Subject : Coding of veterinary products 16

95 / C 103 / 33 E-2518 / 94 by Nel van Dijk to the Commission
Subject : Structural Fund support for intensive pig units 16

95 / C 103 / 34 E-2529 / 94 by José Apolinário to the Commission
Subject : Selection of projects to be included next in the plan of priority measures for tourism 17

95 / C 103 / 35 E-2530 / 94 by José Apolinário to the Commission
Subject : Priority measures in the field of tourism                   - 17

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2529 / 94 and E-2530 / 94 17

95 / C 103 / 36 E-2541 / 94 by Fiorella Ghilardotti to the Council
Subject : Appointment of Italian representatives on the Economic and Social Committee 18

95 / C 103 / 37 E-2543 / 94 by Miguel Arias Cañete and Carmen Fraga Estévez to the Commission
Subject : Implementation of the EEC-Dominica Fishing Agreement 18

95 / C 103 / 38 E-2545 / 94 by Miguel Arias Cañete and Carmen Fraga Estévez to the Commission
Subject : Implementation of the EEC                   - Argentina Fishing Agreement 19

95 / C 103 / 39 E-2550 / 94 by Miguel Arias Cañete and Carmen Fraga Estévez to the Commission
Subject : Implementation of the EEC-Iceland Fishing Agreement 19

95 / C 103 / 40 E-2553 / 94 by Mihail Papayannakis to the Commission
Subject : Dumping of toxic and dangerous waste in Greece 20

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95 / C 103 / 41 E-2555 / 94 by Mihail Papayannakis to the Commission
Subject : Enterprise programme for the environment in Greece and the disposal of toxic waste 20

95 / C 103 / 42 E-2556 / 94 by Maria Aramburu del Rio to the Commission
Subject : Delays in approval of the Objective 1 Operational Programme for Andalusia 20

95 / C 103 / 43 E-2565 / 94 by Christine Oddy to the Commission
Subject : GMB report on pay rates of young workers 21

95 / C 103 / 44 E-2599 / 94 by Alexandros Alavanos to the Commission
Subject : Entrance examinations for plastic arts courses at fine arts schools in Greece 22

95 / C 103 / 45 E-2602 / 94 by Erika Mann to the Council
Subject : EU financial assistance for Ukraine 22

95 / C 103 / 46 E-2603 / 94 by Marianne Thyssen to the Council
Subject : Languages used by Europol 23

95 / C 103 / 47 E-2606 / 94 by Glenys Kinnock to the Commission
Subject : Electro-magnetic fieids 23

95 / C 103 / 48 E-2607 / 94 by Yves Verwaerde to the Commission
Subject : Subsidies paid to French associations from the 1993 Community budget 24

95 / C 103 / 49 E-2609 / 94 by Cristiana Muscardini to the Council
Subject : Amendment of Directive 79 / 409 / EEC on wild birds 24

95 / C 103 / 50 E-2613 / 94 by Amedeo Amadeo to the Commission
Subject : Reform of the wine mârket 24

95 / C 103 / 51 E-2617 / 94 by Helena Torres Marques to the Council
Subject : Trans-European network projects : Lisbon-Valladolid motorway 25

95 / C 103 / 52 E-2628 / 94 by Jean-Yves Le Gallou to the Commission
Subject : Use of appropriation A-322 26

95 / C 103 / 53 E-2634 / 94 by Klaus Rehder to the Commission
Subject : Promotion of pan-European youth associations 26

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2628 / 94 and E-2634 / 94 26

95 / C 103 / 54 E-2629 / 94 by Freddy Blak to the Commission
Subject : Legal framework for fraud prevention 26

95 / C 103 / 55 E-2645 / 94 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis to the Commission
Subject : Level of payments and advances to Greece from the EU Structural Funds
( Objective 1 ) 26

95 / C 103 / 56 E-2648 / 94 by Jan Mulder to the Commission
Subject : Vaccination of animals against infectious disease 27

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95 / C 103 / 57 E-2663 / 94 by José Apolinário to the Commission
Subject : Reduced customs duties on maize imports 27

95 / C 103 / 58 E-2669 / 94 by Cristiana Muscardini to the Commission
Subject : Arrangements for the transition period between the old and new Commission 28

95 / C 103 / 59 E-2681 / 94 by Willi Görlach to the Commission
Subject : EU finance for a cure complex in Greece 28

95 / C 103 / 60 E-2686 / 94 by Isidoro Sanchez Garcia to the Council
Subject : Statute for the outermost regions of the Community 29

95 / C 103 / 61 E-2688 / 94 by Alan Gillis to the Commission
Subject : Banana import licenses 29

95 / C 103 / 62 E-2693 / 94 by Markus Ferber to the Commission
Subject : Legal protection for inventions in Europe 30

95 / C 103 / 63 E-2722 / 94 by Anita Pollack to the Commission
Subject : Bull-bars ( roo-bars ) on road vehicles 30

95 / C 103 / 64 E-2725 / 94 by Alex Smith to the Commission
Subject : EU-USA environmental cooperation / Japanese nuclear waste 31

95 / C 103 / 65 E-2726 / 94 by Eryl McNally, Maren Gunther, Anne André-Léonard and Wilmya
Zimmermann to the Commission

Subject : Commission representation at the UN World Conference on Women 32

95 / C 103 / 66 E-2739 / 94 by Mihail Papayannakis to the Commission
Subject : Chemical Industry of northern Greece ( CING ) 32

95 / C 103 / 67 E-2746 / 94 by Nel van Dijk to the Commission
Subject : Further State aid by the Netherlands to manure processing projects after 1994 33

95 / C 103 / 68 E-2782 / 94 by Nel van Dijk to the Commission
Subject : Continuation of Dutch State aid for manure processing projects after 1994 34

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2746 / 94 and E-2782 / 94 34

95 / C 103 / 69 E-2769 / 94 by Carmen Díez de Rivera Icaza to the Commission
Subject : Corine and the European Environment Agency 35

95 / C 103 / 70 E-2771 / 94 by Carmen Díez de Rivera Icaza to the Commission
Subject : A common retirement age 35

95 / C 103 / 71 E-2772 / 94 by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué to the Commission
Subject : The European cultural and artistic heritage 35

95 / C 103 / 72 E-2773 / 94 by Hans-Gert Poettering to the Commission
Subject : Community framework for regional aid for capital-intensive investment 36

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E-2786 / 94 by Anita Pollack to the Commission
Subject : Petrol and air pollution :

E-2787 / 94 by Anita Pollack to the Commission
Subject : Siberian forests

E-2795 / 94 by Yves Verwaerde to the Council
Subject : Report by the Court of Auditors of the European Union — European Parliament property
projects in Brussels

E-2796 / 94 by David Bowe to the Commission
Subject : International Baccalaureate .

E-2801 / 94 by Gerardo Fernandez - Albor to the Commission
Subject : EU standardization of ALTE certificates

E-2807 / 94 by Magda Aelvoet to the Commission
Subject : Redundancies caused by failure to approve Community guidelines in time

E-2812 / 94 by Richard Balfe to the Commission
Subject : Safety helmets to prevent fatal cycling accidents

E-2813 / 94 by Barbara Weiler to the Commission
Subject : Transposition of Directive 91 / 533 / EEC (' Obligation to inform ')

E-2816 / 94 by Jean-Pierre Raffarin to the Council
Subject : Transfer of early-retirement benefits to country of residence

E-2818 / 94 by José Barros Moura to the Commission
Subject : Experience in connection with employment in Portugal

E-2836 / 94 by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke to the Commission
Subject : Monitoring Committees ( Funds )

E-2837 / 94 by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke to the Commission

Subject : Aid from the Funds and VAT

E-2839 / 94 by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke to the Commission
Subject : Problems concerning MIDA

E-2841 / 94 by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke to the Commission
Subject : Information in relation to access to the ESF

E-2844 / 94 by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke to the Commission
Subject : Incomes in aquaculture

E-2846 / 94 by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke to the Commission
Subject : Applications for payments for fisheries projects

E-2848 / 94 by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke to the Commission
Subject : EU observers in former Yugoslavia

E-2855 / 94 by Glyn Ford to the Council
Subject : Asylum seekers

E-2863 / 94 by Winifred Ewing to the Commission
Subject : Lesser used languages throughout the European Union

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E-2864 / 94 by Winifred Ewing to the Commission
Subject : EU aid for town twinnings 45

E-2869 / 94 by Winifred Ewing to the Commission
Subject : Nuclear power in the Ukraine 46

E-2874 / 94 by Winifred Ewing to the Commission
Subject : Late payments by the Commission 47

E-2878 / 94 by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz to the Commission
Subject : Euratom loans - 47

E-2881 / 94 by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz to the Commission
Subject : Environmental impact assessments and Euratom loans 48

E-2882 / 94 by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz to the Commission
Subject : EU and EIB loans for nuclear energy projects 48

E-2886 / 94 by Sir Jack Stewart-Clark to the Commission
Subject : Language teachers 48

E-2887 / 94 by Concepció Ferrer to the Commission
Subject : Allocation of the reserve earmarked for the adaptation of fishery structures 49

E-2894 / 94 by Maren Günther to the Commission
Subject : The need for more decentralized management of the Phare and Tacis Programmes . . 49

E-2 / 95 by José Apolinário to the Commission
Subject : Retention by Ifadap ( Portugal ) of a percentage of the aid granted to farmers from EAGGF
Guidance Section funds 50

E-13 / 95 by Maria Izquierdo Rojo to the Commission
Subject : EU financial aid for the programme to eradicate cannabis growing in Morocco 51

E - 1 9 / 95 by Jean Gol to the Commission
Subject : Overall plan for humanitarian aid projects — criteria and conditions of eligibility for
humanitarian aid 51

E-25 / 95 by Mihail Papayannakis to the Commission
Subject : Computerization of the IKA 52

E-34 / 95 by André Sainjon to the Commission
Subject : Hungary's reinforcement of customs protection for cars 52

E-35 / 95 by Jean-Pierre Raffarin to the Council
Subject : Redirection of investment to western regions 53

E-36 / 95 by Mark Killilea to the Commission
Subject : Structural Funds and child-care support programmes in Ireland 53

E-47 / 95 by Jürgen Schroder to the Commission
Subject : Community initiatives and the Free State of Saxony 54

E-63 / 95 by Ursula Schleicher to the Commission
Subject : Labelling of consumer goods 54

( Continued overleaf )

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95 / C 103 / 110 E - 66 / 95 by Jannis Sakellariou to the Commission
Subject : Arms shipments by individual EU Member States to Sudan's neighbours 55

95 / C 103 / 111 E-67 / 95 by Jannis Sakellariou to the Commission
Subject : Military aid by individual EU Member States to the Sudanese Government 55

Joint answer to Written Questions E                 - 66 / 95 and E-67 / 95 55

95 / C 103 / 112 E-75 / 95 by Hiltrud Breyer to the Commission
Subject : EU aid for the Saarland 55

95 / C 103 / 113 E-76 / 95 by Helwin Peter and Doris Pack to the Commission
Subject : Allocation of aid to the Saarland over the last five yers 56

Joint answer to Written Questions E-75 / 95 and E-76 / 95 56

95 / C 103 / 114 E-81 / 95 by Ludivina Garcia Arias to the Commission
Subject : Council Directive of 20 October 1980 56

95 / C 103 / 115 E-88 / 95 by Cristiana Muscardini to the Commission
Subject : The activities of the Milan Euro Info Centres 57

95 / C 103 / 116 E - 1 09 / 95 by Manuel Medina Ortega to the Commission
Subject : Fishery agreements with Morocco 57

95 / C 103 / 117 E-l 13 / 95 by Joaquin Sisó Cruellas to the Commission
Subject : Eco-taxes 57

95 / C 103 / 118 E-l 16 / 95 by Joaquin Sisó Cruellas to the Commission
Subject : The ' Eures ' employment network 58

95 / C 103 / 119 E-318 / 95 by Glyn Ford to the Commission
Subject : Use of the leghold trap 58

95 / C 103 / 120 E-3 19 / 95 by Glyn Ford to the Commission
Subject : Use of leghold traps 58

95 / C 103 / 121 E-320 / 95 by Glyn Ford to the Commission
Subject : Régulation ( EEC ) No 3254 / 91 58

95 / C 103 / 122 E-321 / 95 by Glyn Ford to the Commission
Subject : Humane killing 59

Joint answer to Written Questions E-318 / 95, E-319 / 95, E-320 / 95 and E-321 / 95 ... 59

95 / C 103 / 123 E-3 69195 by Christine Crawley to the Commission
Subject : Difficulties for UK citizens in Italy 59

95 / C 103 / 124 E-398 / 95 by Glenys Kinnock to the Commission
Subject : Aid conditionality and drug ' control performance 59

95 / C 103 / 125 E-404 / 95 by Jean-Pierre Raffarin to the Commission
Subject : Funding of the ' Coupe d' Europe des Saveurs régionales ' 60

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24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 1

I

( Information )

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2101 / 94

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2157 / 94

by Jesús Cabezón Alonso ( PSE )

Cabezón Alonso ( PSE ) by Stephen Hughes ( PSE )

to the Council to the Commission

(7 October 1994 )

to the Commission

( 18 October 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 01 ( 95 / C 103 / 02 )

Subject : IV programme to fight poverty Subject : Risks to public health from mobile hand-held

telephones

On what criteria did the Council refuse to approve the IV
programme to combat social exclusion and encourage
solidarity which had been approved by both Commission
and Parliament ?

Does the Council not think that even taking account of the
principle of subsidiarity, the ' added value ' of a Community
programme such as this is extremely positive in fighting
social exclusion and its causes ?

Answer

Can the Commission provide information on health risks
posed by the use of hand-held mobile telephone
equipment ?

Can the Commission provide the information in relation to
telephone equipment marketed in the past . and now in use,
equipment now being marketed and the next generation of
equipment and express the risk in relation to the wattage of
the equipment in question ?

( 16 March 199 S ) Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

( 21 February 1995 )

As the President of the Council said in his address in the

debate on combating social exclusion and poverty that took
place at the plenary sitting on 27 October 1994, the Council Exposure to electro-magnetic fields at
is aware of the dire circumstances of the poorest and most involved in cellular radio
vulnerable groups in our society . However, to date the MHz ) is known to induce heating in
Council has been unable to reach agreement on the IV magnitude of which depends on the
programme to combat poverty proposed by the from the source of the field in question .
Commission .

The Honourable Member will find further details in the

replies given in the abovementioned debate .

Exposure to electro-magnetic fields at the frequency range
involved in cellular radio telecommunications ( 890 to 1 900
MHz ) is known to induce heating in tissues and organs, the
magnitude of which depends on the radiated power received
from the source of the field in question . Temperature rises of
about 1 °C from such heating, can, depending on the person
concerned and the specific environmental conditions,
produce a variety of health effects such as reduced metabolic
heat production and vasodilation, increased plasma
corticosteroid levels, growth retardation and post-natal
changes in behaviour . More severe effects may occur at
higher temperatures .

No C 103 / 2 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

On the basis of the scientific evidence available, the
international non-ionizing radiation commission has set an
upper limit for the specific energy absorption rate for the
whole body of 0,4 watts per kilo ( W / kg ) for workers and
0,08 W / kg for the general public ( 1 ). The former value was
used in the proposal by the Commission for a Directive on
the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the
exposure of workers to the risks from physical agents ( 2 ).

Exposure from cellular radio handsets, and the attendant
health risk, is very difficult to quantify . Power classes for
such transmitters vary ; the harmonized European standard
known as GSM ( Groupe Spécial Mobile ), operating in
frequencies spread around 900 MHz, has three classes
at 0,8, 2,5 and 5 W, whereas the newer personal
communication networks ( PCN ), such as the DCS1800
with frequencies spread around 1 800 MHz has two classes
at 1 and 0,25 W. Calculations reported in a survey carried
out on behalf of the Commission show that the maximum

radiated power from a GSM handset ( class 3 ) would be

1,11 W which would correspond to a maximum specific
energy absorption rate of 3,4 W / kg, with the corresponding
value for a DCS1800 handset being 1 W / kg .

Such values must, however, be interpreted with caution, as
the exact exposure circumstances may well be different from
those used in the above ' worst-case ' calculations .

(») ' Health Physics ' 24 ( 1988 ), 1, pp . 115—123 .

( 2 ) OJ No C 230, 19 . 8 . 1994, p . 3 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2164 / 94

by Karla Peijs ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 18 October 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 03 )

Subject : Obstacles to freedom of movement in relation to

public invitations to tender

Is the European Commission aware that, in Belgium, free
competition for public works contracts is restricted by a
regulation stipulating technical and financial criteria for the
recognition of public contractors ?

Construction companies from the Member States must first
qualify to be accepted into particular categories and / or
sub-categories and different classifications before being
allowed to tender for public contracts and then only for
those public contracts for which their ' recognition ' is
valid .

The recognition procedure may at times involve waiting
periods of several months . It is not only difficult to obtain
such recognition in certain categories and / or sub-categories
or different classifications but also to retain them . This

sometimes induces undertakings to tender for work at
economically irresponsible prices in order to meet the
requirements .

The system has been perfected to such a degree that it
constitutes a serious obstacle for construction companies
from other Member States tendering for contracts in
Belgium and thus represents a restriction of competition .

In view of the abovementioned obstacles, does the
Commission consider that this Belgian system is in breach of
the provisions on the internal market, and, if so, what
measures does it intend to take in this regard ?

Answer given by Mr Vanni d'Archirafi

on behalf of the Commission

(5 January 1995 )

1 . The Directive now applicable to public works
contracts ( Council Directive 93 / 37 / EEC (*)) stipulates that
contracts are to be awarded after the suitability of
contractors has been checked, possibly by way of a
recognition procedure . Checking the suitability of
contractors is carried out by the contracting authorities in
accordance with the criteria of economic and financial

standing and technical knowledge or ability referred to in
the Directive .

In Bellini ( 2 ), the Court of Justice ruled that these criteria are
not exhaustive and recalled that the contracting authorities
are required to specify in the contract notice or in the
invitation to tender which references they have chosen from
among those mentioned and what references other than
those mentioned in the relevant article of Directive are to be

produced .

2 . The problem referred to by the Honourable Member is
currently being examined by the Commission following
Belgium's adoption of new legislation governing the
recognition of entrepreneurs .

As part of its task of monitoring the transposai of Directive
71 / 305 / EEC ( 3 ), as amended by Directive 89 / 440 / EEC ( 4 )
and now replaced by Directive 93 / 37 / EEC, the Commission
has already made known its observations on the legislation
in question to the Belgian authorities in a preliminary letter
dated 7 February 1992 .

It noted a number of incompatibilities between the new
legislation ( 5 ) and Community legislation on public
procurement that resulted in discriminatory treatment for
non-recognized firms from other Member States .

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 3

The Commission took the view that the recognition
requirements laid down in the Belgian legislation were at
variance with Article 59 of the EC Treaty and with the
specific provisions of the Directive .

3 . Infringement proceedings have been initiated against
Belgium .

(M OJ No L 199, 9 . 8 . 1993 .

( 2 ) Joined Cases 27 to 29 / 86 CEI v. Association intercommunale

pour les autoroutes des Ardennes ( 1987 ) ECR 3347 .

( 3 ) OJ No L 185, 16 . 8 . 1971 .

( 4 ) OJ No L 210, 21 . 7 . 1989 .

( 5 ) Law of 20 March 1991 on the recognition of entrepreneurs of

works ; Royal Decree of 26 September 1991 laying down certain
measures implementing the Law of 20 March 1991 ; Ministerial
Decree of 27 September 1991 classifying works according to
their nature into categories and sub-categories for the
recognition of entrepreneurs ; Ministerial Decree of
27 September 1 991 on the documents to be produced in support
of applications for recognition .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2235 / 94

by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler ( V )

to the Council

( 27 October 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 04 )

Subject : Incorporation of social clauses in the EU's
generalized system of preferences

In its document COM(94 ) 212, on the role of the GSP in the
decade from 1995 to 2004, the Commission proposes to
include social and environmental clauses in the EU's

generalized system of preferences . The clauses are to be
conceived as incentives and are to take the form of

supplementary tariff preferences .

At the same time the Commission proposes to restrict the
GSP in future to the poorest developing countries .

However, the least developed countries, the so-called
LLDCs, along with certain states in South America in which
the cultivation of drugs is widespread, already enjoy full
exemption from customs duties on imports of their products
into the EU .

What is the Council's position on the Commission proposal,
particularly with regard to the social and environmental
clauses intended as incentives for these groups of States ?

scheme of generalized tariff preferences for the period 1995
to 1998 to certain industrial products originating in
developing countries ( 1 ).

The Regulation makes provision in Articles 7 and 8 for
special incentive arrangements in the social field and in that
of the environment .

As regards the special incentive scheme in the social field, the
Council has decided that as of 1 January 1998, special
incentive arrangements in the form of additional preferences
may be granted to beneficiairy countries covered by the
scheme which request such arrangements in writing and
provide proof that they have adopted and actually apply
domestic legal provisions incorporating the substance of the
standards laid down in ILO Conventions Nos 87 and 98

concerning freedom of association and protection of the
right to organize and Convention No 138 concerning
minimum age for admission to employment .

To that end, the Council will in 1997 carry out a review
based on a Commission report on the results of the studies
carried out in international fora such as the ILO, the WTO
and the OECD on the relationship between trade and labour
rights .

In the light of that review and on the basis of internationally
accepted, objective and operational criteria, the
Commission will submit a proposal for a Council Decision
on the intensity of the special incentive arrangements
referred to above and the detailed procedures for
implementing them .

Similar provisions have been adopted in the field of the
environment .

(!) OJ No L 348, 31 . 12 . 1994 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2247 / 94

by Florus Wiisenbeek ( ELDR )

to the Commission

( 26 October 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 05 )

Subject : Overhead line voltages in Europe

Answer

1 . Is the Commission aware that the forthcoming

( 16 March 1995 ) Directive on inter-operability of high-speed trains — the

logical next step following Directive 91 / 440 / EEC i 1 ) — is at
odds with the steps being taken to improve international rail
The General Affairs Council adopted at its meeting on services through cooperation while taking account of

19 December 1994 a Regulation applying a multi-annual historical differences in technical systems ?

( 16 March 1995 )

19 December 1994 a Regulation applying a multi-annual

No C 103 / 4 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

2 . Is the Commission aware that technical developments offers alternative solutions to a change of power where the
in modern safety and energy supply systems are such that cost of this would prove too high .
equipment on trains is becoming more expensive while
railway infrastructure costs are falling ? The net result is
beneficial, but, partly because of Directive 91 / 440 / EEC,
there is a risk that the costs and benefits will be distributed

unequally between authorities ( infrastructure managers )
and operating companies . For example, stipulating a voltage
of 25 kV AC essentially compels operators to equip engines WRITTEN QUESTION E-2253 / 94
with very expensive pantographs ; they will undoubtedly be by David Bo we ( PSE )
unable to recover the cost of this equipment from market

to the Commission

revenue, and the level of service provided may therefore
decline . ' November 1994

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2253 / 94

by David Bo we ( PSE )

to the Commission

' (9 November 1994 )

(!) OJ No L 237, 24 . 8 . 1991, p . 25 .

( 95 / C 103 / 06 )

Subject : Control and reduction of NO x Emissions

Will the Commission consider the introduction of measures

to control and reduce the emission of NO x emissions in the

form of a Protocol similar to that used to control and reduce

Answer given by Mr Oreja S0 2 emissions ?
on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 1995 )

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard

on behalf of the Commission

( 10 February 1995 )
1 . The main aim of the proposal for a Directive on the
inter-operability of the European high-speed train network
is to promote the establishment of an inter-operable

The Commission shares the concern of the Honourable

network in accordance with Title XII of the EC Treaty, and
in particular Articles 129b ( 2 ) and 129c ( 1 ). Member with regard to pollution from oxides of nitrogen

( NO x ). These may have a directly toxic effect on humans,
they are major precursors of tropospheric ozone and they
also contribute to acid rain and global warming .

This proposal is in accordance with Directive 91 / 440 / EEC
on the development of the Community railways, since it will
facilitate access to railway infrastructure, as provided for by
that Directive .

2 . Pending adoption of the Directive and the preparation
of technical specifications for inter-operability relating to
power supply, it is not possible at this stage to say what
options will finally be chosen .

Technically speaking, it is clear that a normal-frequency
operating voltage of 50 Hertz, the highest possible, would
be the most rational choice while maintaining the existing
voltages on new routes already in service .

In general, the Commission wishes to limit the number of
voltages used and avoid the use of new voltages which
would not represent a genuine technological advance .

The experts agree that the question of voltage is not the most
difficult problem to resolve technically . Power electronics

The Community is already a signatory of the 1979 protocol
and convention governing the control and transfrontier
fluxes of the oxides of nitrogen .

The Commission believes it is necessary to pursue a coherent
Community wide strategy for reducing NO x emissions . Such
a strategy will include :

— the establishment of more severe air quality standards in

the context of the proposed air quality framework
Directive recently communicated to Council and
Parliament,

— more rigorous control for vehicle emissions including

more severe standards for type approval procedures as
well as improved inspection and maintenance regimes

( proposals will be made in 1 995 on the basis of the
auto-oil programme ),

— more rigorous control of fuel quality ( again policy will

be guided by the results of the auto-oil programme ),

— rigorous application of the provisions governing
emissions from large combustion plants ( Directive
88 / 609 / EEC ( a )).

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 5

In the light of the above considerations and the initiatives WRITTEN QUESTION E-2265 / 94
foreseen during the course of 1995 the Commission is not by Carlos Robles Piquer ( PPE )
convinced of the need or the desirability of an additional to the Commission
protocol governing NO x .

(9 November 1994 )

(') OJ No L 336, 7 . 12 . 1988 . 95 / C 103 / 08 )

Subject : The drafting of legislation in the European
Union

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2258 / 94

by Peter Truscott ( PSE )

to the Council

( 16 November 1994 )

(9 SIC 103 / 07 )

Subject : European Council meetings ( secrecy )

Would the Council please explain why it considers it
necessary to refuse to open its meetings to the public, and
why it is the only legislative body in the world which holds
its meetings in secret ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

An influential publication recently published an article
levelling serious criticism at the procedures followed by the
European Union, notably the Commission, in drafting
legislation (' EU Law Making Needs an Overhaul ', Rod
Hunter, The Wall Street Journal, 11 October 1994 ).

The author considers the influence of ' national experts ' on
the drafting of legislation to be excessive and gives examples
of this in connection with the Directives on waste and

pollution . He blames these shortcomings on the fact that the
European Union has no central legislative office and that
texts drafted by national or Community experts are not
adequately revised by Commission lawyers .

In view of the specific proposals put forward by Mr Hunter
to improve the legislative drafting procedure, can the
Commission give its opinion of the criticism made and the
possible solutions suggested ?

Answer given by Mr Santer
on behalf of the Commission

The Council would draw the Honourable Member's (9 February 1995 )
attention to the fact that the European Councils of
Birmingham ( October 1992 ) and Edinburgh ( December
1992 ) regarded transparency as one of the fundamental All legislative proposals submitted by
factors to be respected in order to bring the Community adopted only after compliance with the
closer to its citizens . Among the measures taken by the laid down in the Commission's rules
Council within its terms of reference to give effect to that includes a thorough revision of
position is the public broadcasting of some of its debates . different Commission departments .
This is the rule for debates on the work programmes of the
Presidency and the Commission ; individual decisions to

Whenever national experts are hired

broadcast certain other Council debates may also be taken,

they are always offered fixed-term

especially when they address important questions affecting
the interests of the Union or important new legislative under the supervision of Commission
proposals . Nineteen Council meetings have been televised to
date . Moreover national

All legislative proposals submitted by the Commission are
adopted only after compliance with the internal procedures
laid down in the Commission's rules of procedure . This
includes a thorough revision of legislative proposals by the
different Commission departments .

Whenever national experts are hired by the Commission
they are always offered fixed-term contracts and work
under the supervision of Commission officials .

The Council would also draw the Honourable Member's

attention to the new provisions on disclosure of the results
of votes held within the Council and public access to
Council documents .

All these measures, designed to make the Council's work
more open, have since been put into regular practical
application .

Moreover, national experts are only involved at the stage of
the technical elaboration of legislative proposals . In this
respect, the practice of hiring national experts has proved
useful both for the understanding by national
administrations of the elaboration of Community law as
well as for the appreciation by the Commission of the
different national situations .

The Commission's policy is to limit the number of national
experts hired to a proportion which is compatible with the
proper functioning of the Commission .

No C 103 / 6 | EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2274 / 94

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2278 / 94

by Glyn Ford ( PSE ) by José Barros Moura ( PSE )

to the Commission to the Commission

by Glyn Ford ( PSE )

(9 November 1994 )

to the Commission

(9 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 09 ) ( 95 / C 103 / 10 )

Subject : Commission as an equal opportunity employer

In The Bulletin of 6 October there was an advertisement for

English-language typists for the Commission which stated
both that the Commission is an equal opportunity employer
and that applicants must be a national of one of the Member
States of the Community and be born before 9 November

1976 and after 10 November 1958 .

Does the Commission not feel that these two statements are

mutually contradictory in view of the fact that there are 12
to 14 million third-country nationals legally residing in the
Union and millions more born before and after the given
dates ?

In order to save trees will the Commission drop these two
phrases ?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen

Subject : Fundamental freedoms within the police force

For reasons strictly related to his work as a trade-union
representative, Principal-Deputy-Inspector José Manuel dos
Santos Carreira, President of the Portuguese ' Associaçâo
Socio-Profissional da Policia ' ( Police Socio-Professional
Association ) has, on the decision of the government ­
controlled police hierarchy, been compulsorily retired — a
punitive act which is merely the latest expression of the
Portuguese Government's persistent refusal to recognize the
right of association and to collective action within a police
force which, by law, is non-military ; we could even cite the
historical case of a violent police attack on colleagues who
were demonstrating for recognition of their professional
right of association .

Can the Commission state whether the fundamental rights
to which the Union is commited pursuant to Article F ( 2 ) of
the Treaty on European Union include the banning of the
right of association within police forces or any derogation
which would permit this systematic refusal to recognize the
trade union rights of the Portuguese police force ?

on behalf of the Commission
Answer given by Mr Santer
( 16 February 1995 ) on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

The Commission is an equal opportunities employer,
actively encouraging applications from both men and
women and selecting its officials without reference to race,
creed or sex, as is required by the staff regulations .

As to the age limits, the lower limit reflects the fact that two
years ' professional experience was required as a condition of
entry to this competition . The upper limit at age 35 is the
standard level set for entry to the basic recruitment grades
for the secretarial category . The staff regulations require the
Commission to recruit on the broadest possible geographic
basis . To achieve this and avoid excessive imbalances

between nationalities, experience shows that the emphasis
must be on the recruitment of younger people . This policy is
kept under review, however, in the light of changing
circumstances . That applicants must be nationals of the
Member States is also a requirement of the staff regulations
and derogations are granted in exceptional cases only .

These requirements are included in advertisements in order
that candidates can ensure that they meet them before
making a formal application .

The Commission considers that the situation referred to by
the Honourable Member is a matter for the Portuguese
authorities . Within its own field of authority, however, the
Commission naturally supports the principle of free
association as set out in Article 11 of the European
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms, and referred to in Article F ( 2 ) of
the Treaty on European Union, which the Court of Justice
has established as a general principle of Community law .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2281 / 94

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué ( PPE )

to the Commission

(9 November 1994 )

{9 SIC 103 / 11 )

Subject : Ban on drift-nets

On the 29th of last month the European Parliament adopted
the Fraga report on the proposal for a Council Regulation

24 . 4 . 95 MEN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 7

amending Regulation ( EEC ) No 3094 / 86 . () laying down
certain technical measures for conserving fishery resources
inter alia the conclusions of the report :

1 . Reject the basic approach underlying the Commission
proposal, which infringes international law and goes
against environmental principles governing the
conservation and management of fish resources ;

2 . Consider that drift-nets should be banned outright at
the end of 1994 and be authorized solely within the

12-mile zone of the Member States concerned and where

their length does not exceed 2,5 km . The day before
Parliament approved this agreement, the Council of
Ministers decided to instruct the Scientific and

Technical Committee to draw up additional studies on
the effects of the use of drift-nets . Since any delay in
drawing up these studies could give the Council a
pretext for delaying the ban on the use of drift-nets, thus
reducing Parliament's resolution to a dead letter, its
implementation is a matter of urgency .

What measures does the Commission intend to take in order

to implement Parliament's wishes ?

What measures does the Commission intend to adopt in
order to make good the damage to the Cantabrian Spanish
fishing fleet as a result of the exhaustion of fishery resources
in the Bay of Biscay ?

What measures does the Commission intend to adopt in
order to guarantee that under no circumstances whatever
will nets longer than 2,5 kilometres, which are so damaging
to marine fauna, will be used outwith the 12-mile zone of the
country concerned ?

(!) OJ No L 288, 11 . 10 . 1986, p . 1 .

Answer given by Mr Paleokrassas

on behalf of the Commission

North-East Atlantic, it would appear in the light of scientific
reports drawn up in 1994 by the International Commission
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas ( ICCAT ) that this
resource, although fully exploited, is not threatened with
exhaustion .

The Commission will continue as in the 1 994 fishing year to
keep a close watch on the monitoring and inspection
activities of the Member States, including the measuring of
nets at ports prior to sailing, the measuring at sea of nets
used and the appropriate follow-up measures against any
vessels not complying with the legislation . National
authorities must also be able to take the appropriate action
at sea to prevent conflicts between different groups of
fishermen .

(M COM(94 ) 131 firtal .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2318 / 94

by Christine Oddy ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 15 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 12

Subject : Dangers of potassium

Is the Commission aware of the research findings of the
Hungarian Agroanalysis Scientific Society on the dangers of
excessive potassium which can cause human health
problems including weakness of muscles, mental
coordination and in extreme cases, heart fibrillation ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-23 19 / 94
( 13 January 1995 )

by Christine Oddy ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 15 November 1994 )

The Commission's proposal amending for the sixteenth ( 15 November
time Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 3094 / 86 ( x ) lays down ( 95 / C 103 / 13
that in the short term all fishing activities using drift nets are
to be banned . It therefore goes further than the opinion of
Parliament even if on economic and social grounds
transitional stages are necessary . Subject : Dangers of potassium

Subject : Dangers of potassium fertilizers

The Commission, however, has already said that it intends
to amend its proposal for a Regulation by accepting
amendments Nos 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 32 and 33 of the Fraga
Report .

As to any exhaustion of the North Atlantic stock of
longfinned tuna, a target species for drift-net fishing in the

What measures are the Commission proposing to tackle the
dangers caused by excessive use of potash fertilizers ?

Is the Commission aware of Hungarian research which
shows health problems in horses fed on grass which has been
over-fertilized and the deaths of birds which have fed on

potassium fertilizer granules ?

No C 103 / 8 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

Joint answer to Written Questions Answer given by Mr Flynn

E-2318 / 94 and E-2319 / 94 on behalf of the Commission

given by Mr Fischler (6 January 1995 )
on behalf of the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

The Commission is not aware of the study cited by the
Honourable Member . However, a number of studies on the
safety of potassium have been reported in the scientific
literature and the Community's scientific committee for
food issued in 1992 an opinion on energy and nutrient
intakes in the Community including potassium .

The potassium ion is an essential element in the functioning
of the body and is present in all foodstuffs . An adequate
potassium intake is necessary in order to achieve a balance
between potassium and sodium in the body . Both an
inadequate and an excessive dietary intake of potassium
may, in extreme cases, lead to the effects described by the
Honourable Member, in humans or in other animal species .
Certain studies suggested that a moderate increase in
potassium intakes, achieved through an appropriate intake
of vegetables fruits and derived juices, may result in a
significant reduction in deaths caused by hypertension . As a
result of pathologies, such as an impairment of the renal
function, potassium excess may be induced .

Given the levels of potassium which are found naturally in
fruit and vegetables, the Commission has no reason to
suppose that the relatively small additional amounts
resulting from the use of fertilizers may pose a risk to human
health .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2331 / 94

by Nel van Dijk ( V )

to the Commission

( 15 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 14 )

Subject : Participation of women in decision-making

processes

In view of the social dimension of the Maastricht Treaty, is
the Commission endeavouring to prompt the two sides of
industry to introduce structures and measures for greater
participation by women in decision-making processes ?

If so, how is the Commission attempting to achieve this ?

Can the Commission indicate whether the Expert Network
on Women in Decision-Making Positions intends to analyse
factors preventing greater participation by women in
decision-making processes so that strategies can be
developed in order to improve the situation ?

In the framework of the third action programme for equal
opportunities between women and men ( 1991— 1995 ), the
Commission encourages the social partners to introduce
structures and develop measures promoting the greater
participation of women in the decision making process .

The encouragement is given through grants allocated to
social partners and other relevant organizations for
innovative studies and actions in this field . The most recent

include a study on the participation of women in the
national and European structure of the ETUC ( available
from the ETUC ), and European seminar on the organization
of working time and the social partners organized by the
European University Institute .

The European expert network on women in
decision-making has worked recently on collecting and
analysing the strategies developed in the Member States,
which aimed to promote women in decision-making . An
overview of these strategies will be available early in

1995 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2342 / 94

by José Barros Moura ( PSE )

to the Council

( 16 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 15 )

Subject : Neo-Nazi attacks on Portuguese nationals in

Germany

Is the Council aware that 33 Portuguese workers were
attacked by gangs of young neo-Nazi thugs in Wurzen, near
Leipzig, Germany, on Sunday, 16 October 1994 ?

How does it view the behaviour of the police, who refused to
go to the aid of the European citizens being attacked ?

What steps will it take to uphold European citizenship ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The Council is unable to comment either on particular
incidents of the nature described occurring in a Member
State, or on the behaviour of the police . There are matters
which concern the German authorities alone .

As the Honourable Parliamentarian will be aware, the
question of racism and xenophobia is being examined by the

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 9

relevant Council bodies and an interim report on the
progress made by the consultative commission on racism
and xenophobia set up at the Corfu European Council was
submitted to the Essen European Council in December . In
addition, an interim report on the work undertaken in the
area of Justice and Home Affairs regarding the fight against
racism and xenophobia was examined by the Council at its
session on 30 November / 1 December .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2345 / 94

by Jean Baggioni ( RDE )

to the Commission

( 15 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 16 )

Subject : Trans-European transport networks

The Idea of trans-European transport networks was
developed in the White Paper issued by the Commission of
the European Communities and then endorsed by the Heads
of State or Government . Eleven projects for trai\s-European
transport networks have been selected, and the cost of
financing ten of these will be ECU 68 billion .

1 . Can the Commission state whether it has found sources

of funding ?

2 . If so, what are those sources ?

Answer given by Mr Oreja
on behalf of the Commission

( 10 January 1995 )

The Corfu European Council invited the group of personal
representatives of heads of state or government to examine
further the options for financing eleven priority projects for
trans-European networks . The group duly reported to the
Essen European Council (a copy of the report is transmitted
direct to the Honourable Member and the Secretariat ­

General of Parliament ).

The Essen European Council welcomed the submission of
the report and shared the group's view that the financing
requirements for each project had to be examined
individually . The Member States, the Commission and the
European Investment Bank will continue to monitor
progress made in financing priority projects . It also
welcomed the creation of a special window at the European
Investment Bank for the financing of trans-European
networks . It called upon the Ecofin Council to adopt the
necessary decisions, acting on proposals from the
Commission, to top up the funds currently available for the
trans-European networks . Finally the European Council

emphasized the group's finding that obstacles were mainly
of a legal and administrative nature, and urged the
Commission and the Member States to take appropriate
measures to overcome these obstacles .

The fourteen priority projects identified by the Essen
European Council comprise an estimated investment
volume of about ECU 91 billion . The examination of the

finance options included private financing schemes, but it is
obvious that the main financing will come from national
budgets . The contributions from Community funds can
only be minor except in the case of projects eligible for the
cohesion or Structural Funds . The interest of private
investors in large scale infrastructure projects is significant ;
however, the present regulatory framework, giving rise to
legal uncertainties, may limit the potential for private
commitment .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2347 / 94

by Jean Baggioni ( RDE )

to the Council

( 16 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 17 )

Subject : Europol Drugs Unit ( EDU )

Created under the Danish Presidency of the European
Union, set up under the Belgian Presidency and officially
inaugurated on 16 February 1994, the EDU has now been
operational for some eight months .

1 . Can the Council draw up an assessment of thé
EDU's work, specifying its results ( successes and
weaknesses )?

2 . Can it state what measures it plans to take to make the
EDU more effective ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

1 . The Europol Drugs Unit was set up in June 1993 by
agreement between the Ministers for Justice and Home
Affairs of the Twelve . Following the decision on location of
seats taken at the European Council on 29 October 1993, it
began its operations in The Hague in January 1994 .

At its meeting on 30 November / 1 December 1994, the
Council ( JHA ) approved a report summarizing the activities
of the EDU between 1 January and 30 June 1994 .

The unit was required to function as a non-operational team
with the task of exchanging and analysing data and
information concerning illicit drug trafficking, the criminal

No C 103 / 10 Γ ΕΝ Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

organizations involved in this and associated
money-laundering activities involving two or more Member
States .

In the first six months of 1994, 146 requests for information
were received by the EDU .

In September there were 23 liaison officers in The Hague .
The staff of the EDU, paid from the common budget, is
made up of four criminologists, five computer specialists
and four persons responsible for administration and logistic
support . The host country support group consists of nine
officials . At its meeting on 30 November / 1 December 1994,
the Council ( JHA ) appointed four members of the
leadership team which now numbers five persons .

2 . At its meeting in Essen on 9 and 10 December 1994,
the European Council was pleased to note that the Europol
Drugs Unit, as the forerunner of Europol, had achieved
some initial results in combating drugs-related crime and the
associated money-laundering . It agreed to extend the Unit's
mandate to the combating of illegal traffic in radioactive and
nuclear materials, criminal activity relating to illegal
immigration networks, illegal trade in motor vehicles and
the money-laundering associated with these forms of crime,
and asked the Council to put this extension of the mandate
into effect as rapidly as possible by an appropriate act of
legislation .

3 . As to making the EDU more effective, it should be
remembered that it is a forerunner of Europol .

It has been decided that the Convention on the

establishment of Europol should be concluded at the latest
by the time of the 1995 Cannes European Council .

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

At its meeting in Essen on 9 and 10 December 1994 the
European Council decided that the convention establishing
Europol was to be concluded no later than the European
Council meeting in Cannes . It instructed the Council ( Justice
and Home Affairs ), following on from the results already
obtained and on the basis of the existing draft, to achieve a
balanced solution for the architecture of the system and the
role of liaison officers, the inclusion of terrorism in
Europol's remit and also for the institutional aspects .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2349 / 94

by Jean-Pierre Bazin ( RDE )

to the Commission

( 15 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 19 )

Subject : European Union employment measures in the Pays

de Loire region

Can the Commission give up-to-date, sector-by-sector
figures for the nuftiber of jobs directly or indirectly created
and / or safeguarded each year in the period 1989-1994 in
each département of the French Pays de Loire region by
means of Structural Fund measures, EIB and ECSC
measures and other measures ?

Can it also supply an up-to-date description, with figures, of
the various measures implemented in that region between

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2348 / 94 1989 and 1994 ?

by Jean Baggioni ( RDE )

to the Council

( 16 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 18 ) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2350 / 94

by Jean-Pierre Bazin ( RDE )

to the Commission
Subject : Europol ( European Police Office )

( 15 December 1994 )

Under the Belgian Presidency of the European Union, the ( 95 / C 103 / 20 )
European Council decided that the agreement establishing
the European Police Office ( Europol ) should be finalized
and signed by October 1994 at the latest . Subject : European Union measures to assist the Pays de

1 . Can the Council state when the Europol agreement will
be signed ?

2 . Can it state what, if any, stumbling blocks are still
preventing an agreement between the negotiators from
the Member States ?

Loire region

Can the Commission state the percentage share of all the
Community measures, funds, schemes, programmes, etc .

( ESF, EAGGF, ERDF, etc . measures, EIB and ECSC
measures, etc .) implemented in ( a ) France and ( b ) the

/

24 . 4 . 95 I EN I Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 11

Community as a whole between 1989 and 1994 accounted
for by the French Pays de Loire region and each of its
départements ?

Joint answer to Written Questions

E-2349 / 94 and E-2350 / 94

given by Mr Delors
on behalf of the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

The amounts granted by the various funds to the Pays de la
Loire region are as follows :

( in million ECU )

Objective

2

Objective

5a (')

Objective Total

5b

ESF 1990-1993 16,2 2,16 18,36

ERDF 1989-1993 85 85

EAGGF ( Guidance )
1989-1993 0,56 11,29 11,85

EIB 1989-1994 568,61

( 1 ) The regional breakdown of other financing operations under Regulations

( EEC ) No 866 / 90 ( processing and marketing conditions for agricultural
products ), ( EEC ) No 797 / 85 and ( EEC ) No 2398 / 91 ( aid to farms ) is not
available

For further details, the Honourable Member should refer to
the programming documents approved by the Commission
concerning :

— the CSF Objective 2 ( 1989-1991 ) approved on
20 December 1989

— the CSF Objective 2 ( 1992-1993 ) approved on
18 December 1991

— the CSF Objective 5b ( 1989-1993 ) approved on
27 June 1990

and to the regional authorities .

Job creation and preservation is a leading priority for

Community financial aid . The Commission always asks
the recipient Member States and regions to state the
employment objectives and to clearly define the criteria used
to measure their real effectiveness .

Furthermore, the Commission has just launched ex post
evaluation studies covering the period 1993-1994 . Part of
this work will involve an evaluation of the employment
impact of the measures financed .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2352 / 94

by Helena Torres Marques ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 15 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 21 )

Subject : Consequences of the Spanish hydrological plan for

Portugal

The Commission has recently approved Cohesion Fund
financing for planning measures connected with seven rivers
in Spain, namely the Ebro, Jucar, Guadalquivir, Douro,
Guadiana, Segura and Tagus .

In view of the controversy and considerable concern which
the Spanish hydrological plan has given rise to in Portugal,
can the Commission state whether the above measures are in

any way related to that plan ?

Answer given by Mr Schmidhuber

on behalf of the Commission

( 13 January 1995 )

The Spanish national hydrological plan as such has not been
submitted to the Commission . Were the Commission to

receive a request for finance for the plan, it would examine it
in the light of the guidelines laid down in the Community
Support Framework for the Spanish Objective 1 regions and
of all relevant Community rules .

On the basis of the cohesion financial instrument and,
subsequently, the Cohesion Fund, the Commission has
approved development and erosion control projects for the
rivers referred to in the question . The purpose of these
projects, which comply with the environmental objectives of
the Cohesion Fund, is to safeguard hydrological
equilibrium .

The Commission has examined all the hydrological projects
presented to it concerning basins common to Spain and
Portugal from the point of view of their impact on the
bassins as a whole and will continue to apply this approach
in the future .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2366 / 94

by Giovanni Burtone ( PPE ) and Gerardo Bianco ( PPE )

to the Council

( 16 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 22 )

Subject : Chaptalization of wine

We find the proposal on reform of the common
organization of the market in wine extremely disappointing .

No C 103 / 12 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

The proposal to use sucrose as a means of increasing the
alcohol content of wine seems inconsistent with the reform's

main aim, namely to restore a balance in this market, which
otherwise would produce a surplus of 39 million hectolitres
by the year 2000 . Sucrose actually increases production
since it enables the yield per hectare to rise irrespective of the
level of alcohol produced naturally . This will continue to
benefit areas which are not naturally wine-growing regions
and whose wine requires sucrose enrichment before it can be
marketed . It will also mean, paradoxically, that
grubbing-up will be applied in areas particularly suited to
wine growing . Any enrichment which proved necessary
could be carried out with concentrated must or rectified

concentrated must which, in addition to being a grape
product, would help reduce wine surpluses . Being more
costly, the use of must would in any case be restricted to
quality wines .

The European Parliament has already expressed this view in
its report on the Commission communication, but no
response has been forthcoming .

Does the Council not agree that :

1, the Commission proposal should be amended so as to
exclude the use of sucrose as a means of increasing the
alcohol content of wine ?

2, the use of concentrated must and rectified concentrated
must should be supported ?

Answer

( 16 March 199 S )

The aim of the Commission proposal on the reform of the
common organization of the market in wine, forwarded to
the Council on 13 June 1994, is to step up efforts to achieve
a balance between supply and demand .

In this connection, the Commission felt that it was advisable
to propose a more restrictive approach with regard to
chaptalization together with the gradual abolition of the
system of aid for the use of concentrated must, whether
rectified or not .

The Council has examined this proposal on several
occasions and most recently at its meeting on 12 to

15 December 1994 .

While all delegations were in favour of thorough-going
reform of the sector in order to achieve the desired objective,
differences emerged as to how it should be achieved . In
particular, while some delegations expressed views along

the lines mentioned in the Honourable Member's question,
others were in favour of maintaining the status quo .

The Council will shortly be continuing its discussions on the
Commission's proposal for reform with a view to seeking
appropriate solutions to the problems raised .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2389 / 94

by Gerardo Bianco ( PPE ), Giovanni Burtone ( PPE ), Antonio
Graziani ( PPE ), Danilo Poggiolini ( PPE ), Carlo Secchi ( PPE ),
Giampaolo D'Andrea ( PPE ), Maria Colombo Svevo ( PPE ),

Livio Filippi ( PPE ) and Pierluigi Castagnetti ( PPE )

to the Council

( 17 November 1994 )

(9 SIC 103 / 23 )

Subject : Independence of national central banks and the EC

Treaty

Is the Council aware of the fact that the Italian Government

interfered in the appointment of the General Manager and
senior executives of the Bank of Italy ?

Does the Council not consider that such interference is

incompatible with the letter and spirit of the Treaty on
European Union, which stipulates that, during the second
stage for achieving economic and monetary union, each
Member State shall start the process leading to the
independence of its central bank ?

How does the Council intend to guarantee compliance with
the rules on national central bank independence with a view
to moving on to the following stages in the process of
economic and monetary union ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

It is not for the Council to comment on the matters

mentioned by the Honourable Member .

In this context, the Council would draw attention to
Article 108 of the Treaty on European Union under which
' each Member State shall ensure, at the latest at the date of
the establishment of the ESCB, that its national legislation
including the statutes of its national central bank is
compatible with this Treaty and the Statute of the
ESCB '.

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 13

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2398 / 94

by Ole Krarup ( EDN )

to the Commission

( 23 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 24 )

Subject : Collective agreements

In Denmark and the other Nordic countries collective

labour market agreements are traditionally given the force
of law . Commissioner Flynn has in the past confirmed that
employment Directives in this field will be transposed by
collective agreement rather than national legislation . On
this basis will Denmark be obliged to implement them via
legislation, where the implementing agreements are not
valid throughout the labour market ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2400 / 94

Nordic system of industrial relations based primarily on
collective agreements .

In this respect, the Commission stressed in a declaration
annexed to the Final Act on the accession of Norway,
Austria, Finland and Sweden C ) that, as regards
Directives :

' duly notified collective agreements at national level
would be one way in which to implement them . And
Sweden would most probably choose this way of
implementation as allowed for in Article 2 ( 4 ).
Non-compliance by firms or individuals could in this
case be solved notably by recourse to the normal
procedures in effect on the Swedish labour market . Only
in the last resort, and as a safety valve, might national
legislation have to be envisaged '.

The main aims is to ensure that the workers concerned enjoy
the rights granted to them by the Directives, account being
taken of the diversity of national practices .

by Lis Jensen ( EDN ) (M OJ No C 241, 29 . 8 . 1994 .

to the Commission

( 23 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 25 )

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2433 / 94

Subject : Collective agreement

In Denmark and the other Nordic countries collective

labour market agreements are traditionally given the force
of law . Commissioner Flynn has in the past confirmed that
Directives in this field might be transposed by collective
agreement rather than national legislation . Will this allow
national agreements to continue to apply in the normal way,
i.e . may be terminated in accordance with the general law on
agreements, and may they validly depart from the
corresponding Directive ?

Joint answer to Written Questions

E-2398 / 94 and E-2400 / 94

given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

( 17 January 1995 )

Community law does not prohibit Member States from
entrusting the implementation of social Directives to the
social partners . In fact, certain Directives explicitly state that
their rules may be implemented by agreements . This
possibility is also given to the Member States in Article 2 ( 4 )
of the Agreement on Social Policy annexed to the Treaty .
However, this option must not jeopardize the proper
application of Community law, and the Member States
concerned must take all the necessary steps to ensure that
the results required by a Directive can always be
achieved .

The Commission is aware of the concerns raised by
Denmark and the Member States which are familiar with a

by Johanna Maij-Weggen ( PPE )

and Petrus Cornelissen ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 26 )

Subject : KLM flights between Schiphol and Orly

1 . Does the Commission agree that the French
Government's policy of refusing KLM permission for two
flights per weekday between Schiphol and Orly constitutes a
violation of European law ?

2 . Will the Commission call the French Government to

order without delay ?

3 . In view of the less than European attitude adopted by
the French Government in this connection, ought not the
Commission to reconsider its approval of the billions of
francs in State aid from the French Government to Air

France ?

Answer given by Mr Ore j a
on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 1995 )

The French authorities ' refusal to grant KLM traffic rights
for two daily return flights between the airports Schiphol
and Orly was based on two French decrees of 6 December

1993 and 31 May 1994 on the distribution of traffic within
the airport system of Paris . The rules of those decrees

No C 103 / 14 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

provided that, subject to certain exceptions, international
intra-Community services had to be operated at the airport
Charles-de-Gaulle .

Further to the Commission's intervention, the French
authorities revoked these two decrees and replaced them by
new traffic distribution rules which will, become fully
effective on 1 January 1995 . According to those new rules,
any air carrier may be granted traffic rights for four
frequencies per day on any route between Orly and another
airport located within the European Economic Area . The
Commission therefore excepts that the problem to which
the Honourable Members refer in their question has been
resolved . 

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2467 / 94

by Hedy d'Ancona ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 27 )

Subject : Financial assistance to Valle di Bevera di Olivetta

( Provincia di Imperia-Italia )

Can the Commission provide an overview of the type and
volume of financial assistance which the European
Community has given to Bevera di Olivetta valley in recent
years ? The funds in question have been used to improve the
landscape of the valley and its surroundings .

Are the current plans of the local and regional authorities for
siting a quarry and a refuse incinerator in the valley contrary
to the objectives which the EC funding was intended to
serve ?

If so, what action does the Commission intend to take
vis-à-vis the Italian Government ?

Answer given by Mr Santer
on behalf of the Commission

( 13 February 1995 )

The Commission regrets that it does not have enough
information on which to carry out the necessary
investigation into the problem raised, and is therefore
unable, at this point, to answer the question . It would
therefore ask the Honourable Member to provide further
details of . the Community funding supposedly provided,
because it is unaware of any financial assistance to improve
this area .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2484 / 94

by Jean-Pierre Raffarin ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 28 )

Subject : Financing of inter-regional cooperation

programmes

The XXIInd general assembly of the Conference of
Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe, held in Cagliari,
Sardinia, unanimously adopted a final resolution which
notably included the following paragraph :

' The regions of the CPMR note that Article 10 of the
ERDF does not suffice to finance inter-regional
cooperation programmes and ask for a new legal basis of
financing these programmes '.

How does the Commission intend to respond to this
concern expressed by the regions belonging to the
CPMR ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2490 / 94

by Jean-Pierre Raffarin ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 29 )

Subject : Interreg Programme

The XXIInd general assembly of the Conference of
Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe, held in Cagliari,
Sardinia, unanimously adopted a final resolution which
notably included the following paragraph :

' The regions of the CPMR wish to see a wider
application of the concept of maritime borders in the
implementation of the Interreg Programme '.

How does the Commission intend to respond to this
concern expressed by the regions belonging to the
CPMR ?

Joint answer to Written Questions

E-2484 / 94 and E-2490 / 94

given by Mr Millan
on behalf of the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

The Commission does not intend to propose a new legal
basis to finance inter-regional cooperation programmes in

24 . 4 . 95 lEN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 15

addition to the instruments for 1994 — 1999 which already
exist under the Structural Funds ( in particular, under
Article 10 of the Regulation ( EEC ) No 4254 / 88, as amended
by Regulation ( EEC ) No 2083 / 93, governing the European
Regional Development Fund (*).

The border areas eligible under the Interreg II Community
Initiative were defined in the notice to the Member States

laying down guidelines for operational programmes which
Member States are invited to establish in the framework of a

Community Initiative concerning border development,
cross-border cooperation and selected energy networks ( 2 ).
This definition applies to the period 1994 — 1999 and
includes a certain number of maritime borders .

f 1 ) OJ No L 193, 31 . 7 . 1993 .

It is not the intention of the Commission to propose to the
Council an eight-hour limit on the transport of live animals
for slaughter .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2500 / 94

by Kenneth Stewart ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 31 )

( 2 ) OJ No C 180, 1 . 7 . 1994 . Subject : Objective 1 Merseyside

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2499 / 94

by Sir Jack Stewart-Clark ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 30

Subject : Transport of live animais

Council Directive 91 / 628 / EEC ( ) states that during
transport animals must receive water and appropriate food
at suitable intervals . These intervals shall not exceed 24

hours unless an extension of this period by no more than
two hours is required in specific cases .

Why is it that animals are still being transported for journeys
of over 24 hours ? What is being done to penalize those
responsible ? When will a maximum eight-hour limit on the
transportation of live animals for slaughter be introduced
across the European Union ?

(M OJ No L 340, 11 . 12 . 1991, p . 17 .

Answer given by Mr Steichen

on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 1995 )

Council Directive 91 / 628 / EEC on the protection of animals
during transport provides that animals may be transported
for more than 24 hours provided that they receive water and
appropriate food at intervals not exceeding 24 hours .

The Member States are responsible for the application of
these rules and, where necessary, the imposition of

penalties .

Is the Commission aware of the growing disquiet among
Merseyside Members of Parliament regarding the secret
activity of the monitoring group determining Objective 1
expenditure and its failure to inform the public, and above
all their elected representatives including MEPs, of the
progress and give answers to their questions ?

The Commissioner will be aware of the total lack of

democracy in the make-up of the adjudicating body,
comprising 50 quangos heavily weighted in the
government's favour which determine projects for
Objective 1 expenditure, in many instances utilizing
European finance which under normal circumstances would
be met by the government .

Does the Commissioner agree with the amount allocated for
training purposes, when there is not end-product for real
jobs ? Does he not consider this a waste when it could be used
to attract industry to the area and provide real long-term
jobs ?

Answer given by Mr Millan
on behalf of the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

The monitoring committee which oversees the Objective 1
Programme, for Merseyside is made up of representatives
from the principal regional partners involved . These include
the government, the Commission, the European Investment
Bank, the private sector, the training and enterprise
councils, statutory bodies, the voluntary sector,
representatives appointed by each of the Merseyside district
councils and other key regional partners . The Commission
sucessfully argued during negotiations that local authorities
should have the right to decide how they are represented . As
regards the social partners, the British authorities have not
accepted a Commission request that they should be
represented on the monitoring committee .

The monitoring committee is assisted by a programme
secretariat principally staffed by officials from the

No C 103 / 16 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

government office for Merseyside . Under Commission Answer given by Mr Fischler
Decision 94 / 342 / EC i 1 ), monitoring committees are on behalf of the Commission
required to provide information about their activities . ( 13 February 1995 )

On the question of the use of European finance for purposes
which would normally be financed by the government, the
single programming document for Merseyside satisfies the
regulatory requirement for additionality . However, the
Commission is concerned to monitor the operation of this
principle and it would be helpful if possible examples of
substitution could be drawn to its attention .

The amount allocated for training purposes reflects a
concern that, while the people of Merseyside are its most
important asset, there are many in the area who need help in
upgrading their skills . In relation to increasing business
competitiveness through training and to combating social
exclusion the programme is attempting to address major
issues raised in the Commission's white paper on growth,
competitiveness and employment ( 2 ). The programme as a
whole aims at creating 49 000 new jobs .

(!) OJ No L 152, 18 . 6 . 1994 .

( 2 ) COMÍ93 ) 700 final .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2505 / 94

by Gijs de Vries ( ELDR ) and Jan Mulder ( ELDR )

to the Commission

The \ Commission set up the Animo system for
communication between the veterinary authorities of
Member States pursuant to Council Directive 90 / 425 / EEC
of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical
checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live
animals and products with a view to the completion of the
internal market ( a ). Commission Decision 93 / 70 / EEC ( 2 ), as
modified by Decision 94 / 295 / EC fixed the name and the
code for the goods for which the Animo system is used .

There is no private use of the Animo system which is
reserved exclusively for the veterinary authorities of the
Member States . So far as the choice of a special code, this
reflects naturally the specific activities of the veterinary
sector and particularly the control at the frontiers of live
animals and products . It is the animal and public health
aspects which determine the veterinary activity, and which
dictated a different classification to that used by the customs
authorities which is adapted to their activity based on
economic considerations . Decision 93 / 70 / EEC set out the

customs classification corresponding with the veterinary
classification .

(!) OJ No L 224, 18 . 8 . 1990 .

( 2 ) OJ No L 25, 2 . 2 . 1993 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2518 / 94
( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 32 ) by Nel van Dijk ( V )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 33 )
Subject : Coding of veterinary products

In Decision 94 / 295 / EC ( ), the Commission introduced, for
the purpose of carrying out checks on veterinary products
originating in third countries, a coding system which differs
from the existing customs codes . This entails unnecessary
expenditure both for businesses and port authorities .

Is the Commission prepared, in the interest of keeping EU
rules as simple and transparent as possible, to amend the
coding of veterinary products to enable it to be carried out
using a single system ?

0 ) OJ No L 130, 25 . 5 . 1994, p . 43 .

Subject : Structural Fund support for intensive pig units

On 24 October 1994 the Council of Agriculture Ministers
decided to delete the ' feed clause ' relating to Structural Fund
support for pig units . Under that clause pig farmers were
eligible for subsidies from the Structural Funds

( Objective 5a ) only if they produced at least 35 % of the
feedingstuffs they required on their own farms .

It is thus now possible even for large-scale industrial pig
units, which buy in nearly all their feedingstuffs from
outside, to obtain subsidies, including subsidies for
environmental investments .

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 17

Does the Commission agree that intensive pig-rearing WRITTEN QUESTION E-2529 / 94
necessarily acidic waste entails and endangering upsetting the the mineral animals balance ' wellbeing, generating ? by José to the Apolinârio Commission ( PSE )

( 30 November 1994 )

Does the Commission share my view that the provision of (9 SIC 103 / 34 )
subsidies to such farms, even when intended for
environmental investments, does not bring us any closer to a
solution to the problem of manure pollution, acidification
and the suffering inflicted on pigs ? Subject : Selection of projects to be included next in the plan

of priority measures for tourism

Does the Commission consider the decision in question
compatible with the aim of sustainable agriculture ? 

Answer given by Mr Steichen

Can the Commission say whether the selection criteria for
the projects to be financed under the plan to assist tourism
take account of the share of the GDP of each Member State

generated by tourism ?

on behalf of the Commission WRITTEN QUESTION E-2530 / 94

( 16 January 1995 ) by José Apolinârio ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

(9 SIC 103 / 35 )
Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 2328 / 91 H provides that aid
is to be granted for investments in pig units included in
improvement plans only provided that the equivalent of
35 % of the feedingstuffs required for the pigs can be Subject : Priority measures in the
produced on the farm after the improvement plan has been
implemented .

Subject : Priority measures in the field of tourism

An item of information has come to my attention
concerning an unequal distribution among the Member
States of projects financed under the plan of priority
measures to assist tourism . I would therefore ask the

Commission to provide a breakdown by Member State
listing all projects submitted and those actually financed by
the Commission for each year of the period of validity of the
abovementioned plan of priority measures in the tourism

sector .

Since the Council's adoption on 21 November 1994 of measures to assist tourism . I would
Regulation ( EC ) No 2843 / 94 ( 2 ), the Commission may Commission to provide a breakdown by
authorize a Member State, in accordance with the procedure listing all projects submitted and those actually
laid down in Article 29 of Regulation ( EEC ) No 4253 / 8 8 ( 3 ), the Commission for each year of the period of
to derogate from that condition, in exceptional cases and abovementioned plan of priority measures in
solely droppings for investment and the elimination to reduce of slurry emissions in existing from holdings animal, sector .
provided that such investment leads to a better result for the
protection of the environment than that obtained by the
condition derogated from and that it does not in any
circumstances lead to an increase in production capacity . Joint answer to Written Questions

E-2529 / 94 and E-2530 / 94

given by Mr Papoutsis
on behalf of the Commission

Under this new provision, at the request of the Member on behalf of the
State, the Commission must issue a clarifying Decision ( after ( 22 . February 1995 )
receiving the opinion of the Committee on Agricultural
Structures and Rural Development ). The Commission must
examine such reasoned requests to determine, in particular,
whether they comply with the requirement that the Projects financed under the
investment leads to a better result for the protection of the tourism are selected from those
environment .

(M OJ No L 218, 6 . 8 . 1991 .

( 2 ) OJ No L 302, 25 . 11 . 1994 .

( ? ) OJ No L 374, 31 . 12 . 1988 .

Projects financed under the Community plan to assist
tourism are selected from those received in response to
invitations to tender and calls for proposals published in the
Official Journal . Generally speaking, there are more project
proposals received than the relevant budget can
accommodate .

The Commission assesses all projects received on the basis of
the conditions imposed . The eligibility criteria and selection
criteria are set out in the invitation to tender or the call for

proposals . In assessing the projects the Commission takes

No C 103 / 18 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

account of their intrinsic merits and of their potential impact
on the effective implementation of the Community action
plan to assist tourism ( Decision 92 / 421 / EEC ) ( 1 ).

In this context, the Commission does not allocate each
Member State a pre-determined share of the budget for the
implementation of Decision 92 / 421 / EEC, particularly as the
projects tend to be transnational .

nominated by the Italian Gouvernment conforms fully to
the provisions of Article 195 of the EC Treaty . The Council
is unable to make any further comments at this stage as the
question raised by the Honourable Member is at present sub
judice and the Council must reserve its observations for the

proceedings before the Court of Justice .

The Commission is sending the Honourable Member, as
well as the Parliament's General Secretariat, documentation
which will provide some idea of the work carried out WRITTEN QUESTION E-2543 / 94
pursuant to this Decision .

by Miguel Arias Canete ( PPE )
and Carmen Fraga Estévez ( PPE )

t 1 ) OJ No L 231, 13 . 8 . 1992 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2541 / 94

by Fiorella Ghilardotti ( PSE )

to the Council

( 31 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 36

Subject : Appointment of Italian representatives on the

Economic and Social Committee

From the candidates put forward by the Italian
Government, the Council of Ministers has appointed a
person, representing an association entitled ' Pensioners '
Alliance '. This association is in no way representative of the
sector concerned, whereas the pensioners ' sections of the
CGIL, CISL and UIL trade unions have around 5 million
members . The Italian trade unions and the European Trade
Union Confederation have decided to contest this decision

before the Court of Justice .

In view of the fact that, according to Article 195 of the
Treaty, the candidates put forward by the Member States
must ' ensure adequate representation of the various
categories ' and that the Council of Ministers must check
that candidates are representative, does the Council not
think that its final decision is inappropriate and that a
thorough check should be made in order to review this
appointment ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The Council considers that its appointment as a member of
the Economic and Social Committee of a representative

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 37 )

Subject : Implementation of the EEC-Dominica Fishing

Agreement

Given that the Protocol to the fishing agreement between the
Community and Dominica has a duration of three years,
from December 1993 to December 1996, and given that
almost a year has now passed since it came into force :

1 . To what extent have the different fishing opportunities

provided for in the Protocol been used ?

2 . Which Member States have obtained licences, and how
many ?

3 . Is there a scientific programme, and if so what have been
the principal results ?

4 . In the Commission's opinion, what are the basic
problems arising from application of the Agreement ?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

on behalf of the Commission

(7 February 1995 )

The agreement has not entered into force because Dominica
has failed to sign it invoking political constraints relating to
the granting of pelagic fishing possibilities inside its 12-mile
territorial waters, and this despite the fact that the
Community is granting reciprocal fishing rights in its

waters .

It is expected that negotiations will be re-activated in

1995 .

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 19

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2545 / 94 WRITTEN QUESTION E-2550 / 94

by Miguel Arias Cañete ( PPE ) by Miguel Arias Cañete ( PPE )
and Carmen Fraga Estévez ( PPE ) and Carmen Fraga Estévez ( PPE )

Arias Cañete ( PPE ) by Miguel Arias Cañete ( PPE )
Fraga Estévez ( PPE ) and Carmen Fraga Estévez ( PPE )

to the Commission to the Commission

to the Commission

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 38 )

Subject : Implementation of the EEC-Argentina Fishing

Agreement

Given that the Protocol to the fishing agreement between the
Community and Argentina has a duration of five years, from
23 December 1993 to 22 December 1998, and given that
almost a year has now passed since it came into force :

1 . To what extent have the different fishing opportunities
provided for in the Protocol been used ?

2 . Which Member States have obtained licences, and how
many ?

3 . Is there a scientific programme, and if so what have been
the principal results ?

. 4 . In the Commission's opinion, what are the basic
problems arising from application of the Agreement ?

( 30 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 39 )

Subject : Implementation of the EEC-Iceland Fishing
Agreement

Given that the Protocol to the fishing agreement between the
Community and Iceland runs from 24 June 1993 to 23 June
2003, and given that over 18 months have now passed since
it came into force :

1 . To what extent have the different fishing opportunities

provided for in the Protocol been used ?

2 . Which Member States have obtained licences, and how
many ?

3 . Is there a scientific programme, arid if so what have been
the principal results ?

4 . In the Commission's opinion, what are the basic
problems arising from application of the Agreement ?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

Answer given by Mrs Bonino
on behalf of the Commission

on behalf of the Commission
(7 February 1995 ) (7 February 1995 )

The agreement entered into force on 24 May 1994 following
signature in Brussels . The intervening period has been
devoted to the evaluation of joint enterprise and joint
ventures projects presented by Community shipowners via
their national authorities .

The first meeting of the Community / Argentina joint
committee was held in Brussels on 5 / 6 December 1994 and

recommended 13 joint enterprise and three temporary
association projects .

The agreement foresees the financing of a range of scientific
and technical programmes and the joint committee decided
to establish a sub-committee, composed of representatives
of both parties, entrusted with the evaluation and
monitoring of the programmes presented .

This agreement constitutes the first of the second-generation
type fisheries agreements and accordingly is more complex
to manage from an administrative point of view . However
the potential benefits of such agreements are recognized by
both parties . There have been no particular problems to
overcome in its implementation to date .

The Community and Iceland signed an agreement on
fisheries on 15 December 1993 . This gave to the
Community fishing possibilities of 3 000 tonnes of redfish
in return for 30 000 tonnes of capelin from the Community
quota in Greenland waters . The Community quota can be
fished in the second half of the year and was first allocated in
1994 . So far no final catch statistics are available for the first

fishing season under this new agreement .

Iceland has fixed the number of licences at five, which takes
account of the relatively small size of the quota . Considering
that the quota has been allocated to four Member States,
licences are delivered — on request — for the time needed to
fish up the allocated quotas .

According to Article 2 of the agreement, ' the Parties shall
facilitate the necessary scientific research, in particular with
regard to stocks occuring in the areas of fisheries jurisdiction
of both Parties and in adjacent areas '. There is no provision
for joint scientific programmes .

Due to the high degree of dependency of the Iceland
economy on its fishery resources, Iceland has imposed
stringent control rules for foreign fleets in its waters . There
rules include the obligation to have an Iceland inspector on

No C 103 / 20 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

board at all times and to land and weigh catches taken in WRITTEN QUESTION E-2555 / 94
other fishing zones in Iceland harbours before starting the by Mihail Papayannakis ( GUE / NGL )
fishing campaign in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone

( EEZ ).

The experience of the first year of application of the
agreement with Iceland does not permit a full evaluation of
this agreement .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-25 53 / 94

by Mihail Papayannakis ( GUE / NGL )

to the Commission

(5 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 40 )

Subject : Dumping of toxic and dangerous waste in
Greece

The Minister for the Environment, the press and
representatives of the local population have complained
about the unsupervised dumping of toxic and dangerous
waste in Greece over the last few years . Article 16 of
Directive 78 / 319 / EEC i 1 ) on toxic and dangerous waste
states that :

' every three years, and for the first time three years
following the notification of this Directive, Member
States shall draw up a situation report on the disposal of
toxic and dangerous waste in their respective countries
and shall forward it to the Commission . The

Commission shall circulate this report to the other
Member States .'

Will the Commission say whether Greece has submitted the
reports referred to above on a regular basis, what
information they contained and what general monitoring
measures it has taken to ensure that Greece implements
Directives 78 / 319 / EEC and 91 / 689 / EEC ( 2 ) on dangerous
waste ?

(M OJ No L 84, 31 . 3 . 1978, p . 43 .
i 2 ) OJ No L 377, 31 . 12 . 1991, p . 20 .

Answer given by Mr Bjerregaard

on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 1995 )

The Commission is not aware of any reports submitted by
Greece pursuant to Article 16 of Directive 78 / 319 / EEC .

As far as Council Directive 91 / 689 / EEC is concerned, the
date by which Member States are required to bring into
force the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions
necessary to comply with this Directive, has been amended
to 27 June 1995 by Council Directive 94 / 31 / EEC i 1 ).
Therefore, no general monitoring measures have been taken
to date . However, the Commission will be establishing a
questionnaire on the implementation of this Directive in the
near future .

to the Commission

(5 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 41 )

Subject : Enterprise programme for the environment in

Greece and the disposal of toxic waste

There is a danger that the dumping of pesticides and other
toxic substances in various parts of Greece may lead to the
pollution of the groundwater : this has alarmed Greek public
opinion and particularly the inhabitants of areas concerned
who face a direct threat to their health .

Given that the enterprise programme for the environment

( 1994 — 1999 ) provides for ECU 410 million to be allocated
to the management of solid and toxic waste and actions in
this connection ( Measure 2.5 ), will the Commission say
what practical measures and what specific and analytical
plans the Greek Gouvernment has drawn up to implement
the actions provided for under Measure 2.5 ?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies

on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

It is true that the 1994 — 1999 Community support
framework for Greece includes an operational programme
for the environment, Measure 2.5 of which covers the
management of waste, including toxic waste . The Greek
authorities have not yet sent their proposals for
implementation of this measure to the programme
Monitoring Committee and only after the initial meeting of
the Monitoring Committee, which will be held shortly, has
taken place will the Commission have information about it .
Waste management projects are also eligible under the

Cohesion Fund and a small number are being part-financed
in this way at the moment .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2556 / 94

by María Aramburu del Río ( GUE / NGL )

to the Commission

( 22 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 42 )

Subject : Delays in approval of the Objective 1 Operational

Programme for Andalusia

f 1 ) OJ No L 168, 2 . 7 . 1994 . According to the Spanish press, quoting official sources, the
European Commission has asked Spain to clarify certain

24 . 4 . 95 EN Officiai Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 21

aspects of the proposal for an Objective 1 operational
programme for Andalusia, which has to be approved jointly
in cooperation with the Commission in accordance with the
regulations on the Structural Funds .

What gaps or faults has the Commission found in the
proposal for the operational programme ?

What financial consequences could there be for Andalusia as
a result of the delay in approval of the operational
programme and the possible delay in application of the
funds ?

Answer given by Mr Millan
on behalf of the Commission

( 14 December 1994 )

The Commission's action in requesting additional
information on the proposal for an operational programme
for Andalusia is part of the usual procedure followed in
appraising forms of assistance .

The Commission, for its examination of the programme
proposal, wished to obtain information from the authorities
concerned regarding its conformity with the Objective 1
Community support framework for Spain in general, and
with the sub-framework for Andalusia in particular .

It does not foresee any negative financial consequences for
the Andalusia Programme if this is approved shortly as
expected .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2565 / 94

by Christine Oddy ( PSE )

to the Commission

(5 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 43 ),

Subject : GMB report on pay rates of young workers

Is the Commission aware that, according to a recent UK
report, 30% of jobs on offer pay rates for young workers
which are below income support levels ?

In particular, 30% of jobs offered pay rates which yield a
net income below the income support threshold .

Only 10% of jobs on offer intended to provide formal
training .

Only 20% of jobs for young workers paid over £4 per
hour .

What steps will the Commission take to rectify this
exploitation and introduce a Community-wide minimum
wage ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

The Commission is grateful to the Honourable Member for
bringing this report to its attention . The Commission is
concerned with the exploitation of young people
particularly when they are given inadequate training .

Pay and training are inter-linked issues . The Commission is
pursuing the issue of pay in the context of the Community
charter on the fundamental social rights of workers which
establishes that all workers have a right to an equitable
wage . In its opinion on an equitable wage ( J ) the
Commission re-affirmed this right and also set out its belief
that there is a need to increase investment in education and

training in order to achieve high productivity and high
quality employment . In the course of 1 995 the Commission
will begin the preparation of its report on the application of
this opinion and will be asking Member States about the
progress made and the obstacles encountered . The report
cited b ^ the Honourable Member will provide useful
information in that context . The Commission has, however,
made it clear that pay is a matter for determination at
national, regional or sectoral level .

In the white paper on growth, competitiveness and
employment the Commission again emphasized that
training is absolutely crucial, both from a macro-economic
point of view and from the point of view of the individual . In
particular the Commission invited Member States to
cooperate in establishing a voluntary youth guarantee
scheme to be known as Youthstart . In its action programme
prepared for the European Council in Essen, the
Commission again emphasized the need to give priority to
investment in human capital and called for a guarantee to be
introduced progressively, with the cooperation of industry
and the social partners, that each young person under 20
will be either in full-time education or training in
employment or in a linked work - training programme . If
Youthstart is fully implemented it should eliminate some of
the problems highlighted in the report cited by the
Honourable Member .

The European Council included in the key areas for action
the improvement of employment opportunities for the
labour force by promoting investment in vocational training

( particularly for young people ) and improving measures to
help groups particularly hard hit by unemployment ( noting

No C 103 / 22 [ EN ! Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

that particular efforts are necessary to help young people, by
offering them either employment or training ).

(M OJ No C 248, 11 . 9 . 1993 .

special database on art education is in the course of being set

up .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2602 / 94

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2599 / 94 by Erika Mann ( PSE )
by Alexandros Alavanos ( GUE / NGL ) to the Council

to the Commission ( 13 December 1994 )

(8 December 1994 ) ( 95 / C 103 / 45 )

( 95 / C 103 / 44 )

Subject : Entrance examinations for plastic arts courses at

fine arts schools in Greece

There are two university-level fine arts schools in Greece, in
Athens and Thessaloniki . A large number of admission
applications are received by these schools, which have
special entrance examinations and do not require a year of
preliminary studies . What arrangements exist in other
countries of the European Union for advanced plastic arts
studies, particularly as regards admissions procedures for
university-level schools ? Does the Commission intend to
introduce proposals for upgrading plastic arts studies as
part of the common measures in the cultural sector ?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson

on behalf of the Commission

( 10 February 1995 )

Article 126 of the EC Treaty states that the content of
teaching and the organization of education systems are
entirely the responsibility of the Member States . The
procedures for admission to the various levels of education
are therefore a matter for the competent national
authorities, which explains the considerable diversity which
exists .

The Community contributes to the development of quality
education by encouraging cooperation between Member
States, which is conducive to a certain degree of natural
convergence of education systems . The Commission is
assisting such convergence by organizing comparative
studies and setting up a database on higher education . A
study of higher-education entrance requirements in the
Community carried out by the Eurydice network is being
sent to the Honourable Member and to the

Secretariat-General of the European Parliament .

In the field of plastic arts studies, the Commission has
helped to finance a specific initiative to encourage
cooperation between establishments . Normally, this
initiative will be part of the future Socrates Programme . A

Subject : EU financial assistance for Ukraine

The Commission submitted to the Council of Finance
Ministers meeting of 7 November 1994 a proposal for EU
balance of payments support for Ukraine . Should the EU
grant Ukraine this support, other countries, such as the
USA, Canada and Japan, and the IMF would make
macro-economic assistance available to Ukraine .

In view of the economic problems which Ukraine must
overcome in its transformation process, such assistance
would be fundamental to the stability of Ukraine and,
hence, central Europe as a whole .

The Corfu European Council had already decided to assist
Ukraine with its economic reforms . It is therefore

particularly regrettable that the Council of Finance
Ministers failed to reach a decision on the balance of

payments support for Ukraine .

Is the Council aware of the exceptional significance which
the granting of balance of payments support may have for
the economic situation and the continuation of the reform

process in Ukraine ?

Is the Council prepared to take a decision granting this
balance of payments support at its next meeting on
5 December 1994 ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The Council adopted the proposal for a Decision providing
macro-financial assistance to Ukraine at its meeting on
22 December 1994 .

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 23

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2603 / 94 WRITTEN QUESTION

by Marianne Thyssen ( PPE ) by Glenys Kinnock ( PSE )

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2606 / 94

by Marianne Thyssen ( PPE )

to the Council to the Commission

( 25 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 46 )

Subject : Languages used by Europol

1 . Can the Council indicate what languages will be used
by Europol ?

2 . Does not the Council consider that Council
Regulation No 1 (*) determining the languages to be used by
the European Economic Community ( 15 April 1958 )
applies to Europol as it does to all other European Union
bodies and institutions ?

3 . According to the declaration on the common foreign
and security policy contained in the Maastricht Treaty, ' the
use of languages shall be in accordance with the rules of the
European Communities '.

4 . Is the Council not concerned that the introduction of

different language arrangements for Europol could lead to a
discrepancy between cooperation in the fields of justice and
home affairs on the one hand and European Community
policy, together with the common foreign and security
policy, on the other ?

(!) OJ No 17, 6 . 10 . 1958, p . 385 .

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The language arrangements to be laid down for Europol is
one of the questions being dealt with in the negotiations on
the draft Convention establishing Europol .

In spite of considerable effort under the German Presidency
agreement could not be reached by October 1994 as
envisaged .

The Essen European Council decided that the Convention
establishing Europol should be concluded by the Cannes
European Council at the latest .

(8 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 47 )

Subject : Electro-magnetic fieids

Does the Commission know whether there are any Member
States of the EU who have specific regulations regarding the
siting of electricity pylons ?

Given the clusters of deaths from brain tumors that have

occurred in the close proximity of electro-magnetic fields,
will the Commission be allocating funding to investigate this
matter ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 1995 )

Only a few Member States have specific regulations or
guidelines concerning the siting of electricity pylons with
respect to potential effects on health arising from the
electro-magnetic fields generated by high-voltage power
lines .

In Austria a non-enforceable pre-standard exists since 1993,
based on the guidelines issued by the international
non-ionizing radiation commission, providing for limits to
the strength of electric fields and the flux density of magnetic
fields depending on the current frequency and the likely
duration of exposure to these fields . Belgium has limits in
force since 1987 concerning the strength of electric fields
generated by power lines in inhabited areas, road crossings
and other areas . In Germany, a nôn-binding draft standard
was issued in 1990 which provides for different limits
concerning the strength of low frequency electric and
magnetic fields depending on whether the exposure occurs
in controlled areas and areas where only short-time
exposure is likely, or in areas which include dwellings,
recreational sites and places where long stay is allowed . In
Italy, there are limits since 1992 concerning the strength of
electric fields and the flux density of magnetic fields, and
additional requirements are imposed on the distance from
buildings and recreational areas of power lines having
voltage of 132 000 Volts or more . Finally, in the United
Kingdom, guidelines exist in the form of basic restrictions
on current density, investigation field levels and
recommendations for contact currents, i.e . for the electric
current that may flow through the body of a person
touching a conducting object present in an electric field .

According to the information available to the Commission,
existing epidemiological data do not provide firm evidence
of the existence of a carcinogenic hazard from exposure to
low frequency electro-magnetic fields, but they are

No C 103 / 24 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

suggestive of a link in the case of childhood leukaemia .
Coordinated studies and research are needed to test

certain hypotheses concerning the carcinogenic and
tumour-promoting potential of electric and magnetic fields .
An eight - nation feasibility study on this subject is currently
being supported within the environment research
programme of the Commission . In addition there exists a
COST ( cooperation on science and technology ) project
dealing with the bio-medical effects of electro-magnetic
fields, and the Commission supports surveys and reviews in
the context of its activities in the sphere of public health .
Moreover, in its recent communication to the Parliament
and the Council on mobile and personal
communications (- 1 ), the Commission announced its
intention to establish a comprehensive action programme to
monitor the issue of possible health hazards from exposure
to electro-magnetic fields, and to continue work in relation
to limiting the effects of such exposure .

(M COM(94 ) 492 final .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2609 / 94

by Cristiana Muscardini ( NI )

to the Council

( 13 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 49 )

Subject : Amendment of Directive 79 / 409 / EEC on wild

birds

1 . Is it true that the Council is considering the ' Ornis '
proposal, amending Directive 79 / 409 / EEC ( 1 ) and
providing for the dates on which the hunting season ends to
be staggered for different species of bird, so that the hunting
season would not be completely over until the end of
February ?

2 . If so, is the Council aware of the damaging
consequences that the proposal would entail, both because
part of the hunting season would coincide with the
migration season ( when birds require special attention ) and
because it has been shown that hunting in the second half of
the winter mainly kills individuals which would otherwise
reproduce ?

f 1 ) OJ No L 103, 25 . 4 . 1979, p . 1 .
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2607 / 94

by Yves Verwaerde ( PPE )

to the Commission

(8 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 48 )

Subject : Subsidies paid to French associations from the

1993 Community budget

Could the Commission provide an exhaustive list of French
associations, governed by the amended law of 1 July 1901,
which in 1993 received a subsidy from the Community
budget ?

Could the Commission give the exact amount received by
each association ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

On 24 March 1994 the Council received a Commission

proposal amending Directive 79 / 409 / EEC with a view to
determining hunting seasons, and particularly when they
end, especially for migratory species .

In Article 1(1 ) the proposal stresses very clearly that the
practice of hunting should be compatible with activities
during the reproduction and rearing stages, including during
the return to rearing grounds . The Council, in considering
this proposal, is naturally very anxious that this balance be
maintained .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2613 / 94

Answer given by Mr Santer by Amedeo Amadeo ( NI )
on behalf of the Commission to the Commission

(9 February 1995 ) (8 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 50 )

The Honourable Member is referred to the answers to
Written Questions Nos 996 / 92 i 1 ) and 2665 / 93 ( 2 ) by Mr Subject : Reform of the wine market
Verwaerde . The report on subsidies mentioned in the last
reply was sent to the Secretary-General of Parliament by the Budgetary considerations seem to
Secretary-General of the Commission on 12 July 1994 . behind the programme for

reply was sent to the Secretary-General of Parliament by the Budgetary considerations seem to be the driving force
Secretary-General of the Commission on 12 July 1994 . behind the programme for reforming the wine sector

proposed by the Commission, whereas an overall analysis of
the sector is needed to identify what precisely is responsible
t 1 ) OJ No C 274, 22 . 10 . 1992 .
for the surpluses .

( 2 ) OJ No C 289, 17 . 10 . 1994 .

Does the Commission not consider that it should propose
reductions in supply by untertaking preventive selection

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 25

instead of adopting a global approach, the sole consequence
of which would be to penalize all those wines which find an
outlet on the market ?

Answer given by Mr Steichen

on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 1995 )

The purpose of the reform of the common organization of
the market in wine proposed by the Commission to the
Council and Parliament is to achieve a better balance

between supply and overall demand for wine products .

To achieve this, it has therefore been necessary to determine
a Community reference production compatible with this
objective and to distribute it among the Member States in
order to encourage them to take greater responsibility .

However, the way the reduction of supply is distributed will
be neither mathematical nor arbitrary .

Not all vineyards will be equally affected and a selection will
be made by means of regional viticultural adjustment
programmes, which will be the chief instrument for
implementation of the reform .

In this way Member States will be able to exempt certain
vineyards from the obligation to cut back production, as in
the case of quality wines produced in specified regions,
which are of recognized quality and for which outlets are
abundant .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2617 / 94

by Helena Torres Marques ( PSE )

to the Council

( 29 November 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 51

Subject : Trans-European network projects :
Lisbon-Valladolid motorway

At the Ecofin meeting on 7 November 1994 the problem of
financing the trans-European networks was discussed .

Of the eleven priority projects decided at the Corfu Summit
only one concerns Portugal and even so the main section
will be built in Spain . This is the Lisbon-Valladolid

motorway .

This will be a key project as it will be the only one linking
Portugal by fast road to the centre of Europe .

We learned from the outcome of the Ecofin meeting that
projects whose profitability was not guaranteed included
the Lisbon-Valladolid motorway and the road between
Patras in Greece and the Bulgarian border, i.e . those for
which there is a greater need because they are intended for
Europe's outlying regions and which naturally will provide
fewer chances of profitability .

Can the Council say then whether the Ecofin assertion that
economic and commercial profitability is an essential
condition for carrying out these projects has been
confirmed ?

Can it be inferred from this that European solidarity and
cohesion depend on criteria ' of economic and commercial
profitability '?

And that the Council accepts that two of the countries which
have most need of support and of significant improvements
in their links with Europe are going to be excluded from the
group of countries with priority projects in the
trans-European networks ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The Council did not make the statement attributed to it by
the Honourable Member . However, the Council would
point out that the provisions of the Treaty applicable to
trans-European networks ( Article 129c(l ), last sentence )
require the Community's activities to take into account the
potential economic viability of projects .

It would also point out that at the Ecofin Council on
5 December 1994 support was expressed for the main
recommendations made in the Christophersen Group
report, which states that ' measures will be taken — if proven
necessary — in order that priority projects do not run into
financial or other obstacles which would jeopardize their

'
implementation .

As far as the breakdown of priority projects between
Member States is concerned, it should also be stated that
account must not only be taken of the 14 projects in the
transport sphere, but also of the eight projects in the energy
sphere within the Union . Portugal is involved in a project in
the transport sphere and three projects in the energy sphere ;
Greece is involved in a project in the transport sphere and
two projects in the energy sphere .

No C 103 / 26 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2628 / 94

by Jean-Yves Le Gallou ( NI )

- to the Commission

(8 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 52 )

Report ' that the Commission intends to improve the legal
framework . What measures has it taken to achieve this

aim ?

Answer given by Mrs Gradin
on behalf of the Commission

Subject : Use of appropriation A-322
( 17 February 1995 )

Would the Commission provide the list of
non-governmental youth organizations that have received
subsidies under appropriation A-322 for 1993 and
1994 ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2634 / 94

by Klaus Rehder ( PSE )

to the Commission

(8 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 53 )

Subject : Promotion of pan-European youth associations

Does the Commission see any possibility of providing
financial support for pan-European youth associations such
as the ' European Committee for Young Farmers ' an ' 4H
Clubs ' directly rather than indirectly via the Member
States ?

Joint answer to Written Questions

E-2628 / 94 and E-2634 / 94

given by Mr Santer
on behalf of the Commission

The Commission's 1994 work programme included
measures to strengthen Regulation ( EEC ) No 4045 / 89 on
scrutiny by Member States of transactions forming part of
the system of financing by the Guarantee Section of the
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and
Regulation ( EEC ) No 386 / 90 on the monitoring carried out
at the time of export of agricultural products receiving
refunds or other amounts . The Commission's proposals to
the Council for amending Regulations have been adopted by
Regulation ( EEC ) No 163 / 94 (*) and Regulation ( EEC )
No 3094 / 94 ( 2 ). The Commission has also laid before the
Council a proposal for a general Regulation on principles
applicable to checks and penalties, which if adopted would
lay down general rules applicable to on-the-spot checks and
controls .

(!) OJ No L 24, 29 . 1 . 1994 .

( 2 ) OJ No L 328, 20 . 12 . 1994 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2645 / 94

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis ( PPE )

to the Commission
(9 February 199 S )

(8 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 55 )
The organizations mentioned by the Honourable Member
are subsidized under budget heading A-322 ' Support for
international non-governmental youth organizations '.

Subject : Level of payments and advances to Greece from

A list of the recipients of these subsidies, and the amounts
awarded, is sent to the Secretary-General of Parliament each

year .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2629 / 94

by Freddy Blak ( PSE )

to the Commission

(8 December 1994 )

the EU Structural Funds ( Objective 1 )

How much was paid out under the second Community
Support Framework ( Objective 1 ) and the Cohesion Fund
for the period 1 January 1994 to 31 October 1994 and how
much was paid in advances for the projects concerned
during that period ?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies

on behalf of the Commission

( 95 / C 103 / 54 ) ( 10 February 1995 )

Subject : Legal framework for fraud prevention

It is indicated on page 10 of ' Protecting the Community's
financial interests — The fight against fraud : 1993 Annual

Commitments and payments for Greece made under the
second Community Support Framework ( CSF ) and the
Cohesion Fund between 1 January and 31 October were as
follows :

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 27

( in million ECU ) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2663 / 94

Commitments Payments

CSF

ERDF 917 470

ESF 316 158

EAGGF 73 54

FIFG f 1 ) — —

Cohesion Fund 57 62

( 1 ) All the FIFG appropriations for Greece for 1994 were committed in

December 1994 following approval of the operational programme for
fisheries on 5 December .

by José Apolinârio ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 14 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 57

Subject : Reduced customs duties on maize imports

When the agriculture component of the GATT agreements
was being negotiated in the Uruguay Round, Spain and
Portugal were granted the right to buy American maize on
which customs duties would be charged at a reduced rate .
Can the Commission say how much of this maize was
imported by the Member States concerned in the course of

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2648 / 94 1994 and for how long this entitlement will continue ?

by Jan Mulder ( ELDR )

to the Commission

(8 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 56 ) Answer given by Mr Steichen

on behalf of the Commission

( 13 January 1995 )
Subject : Vaccination of animals against infectious disease

1 . Is the Commission aware that the rules on

implementing livestock vaccination programmes vary from
one Member State to another ? In some countries, depending
on the species, vaccinations may be given only by veterinary
surgeons, whereas in others farmers themselves may
administer vaccines . Whilst the latter is certainly a cheaper
option, its results can also be less effective .

2 . Does the Commission regard this situation as
desirable ?

3 . If the Commission believes that the situation needs to

be improved, what steps does it intend to take in order to
ensure that vaccines to prevent or control animal diseases
are administered in the same way in all Member States ?

Answer given by Mr Steichen

on behalf of the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

1 . The Commission is aware that vaccination against
animal diseases is not carried out uniformly within the
Member States .

2 and 3 . The Commission is of the opinion that the
matter should be left to the Member States, although, for
certain control programmes initiated by the Member States
on the basis of Community legislation, vaccination by vets is
required .

Pursuant to point 8 of the memorandum of understanding
on oilseeds attached to Council Decision 93 / 355 / EEC (*) the
Community is to grant Portugal a reduced-tariff import
quota for 500 000 tonnes of maize from the 1993 / 94
marketing year onwards . There is no time limit on this
quota, which was also included among the commitments
adopted in the negotiations on the ' minimal market access '
part of the Uruguay Round . Although there is no time limit,
there must be reduced-tariff imports in every marketing year
and the total quantity imported must not exceed 500 000
tonnes in any given year .

In addition, in its Decision 87 / 224 / EEC of 30 January

1987 ( 2 ) the Council decided to conclude an agreement
between the Community and the United States of America,
in Annex II to which the Community undertakes to import
at least 2 million tonnes of maize and 300 000 tonnes of

sorghum into Spain annually in the period 1987 to 1990,
between the beginning of January one year and the end of
February the following year . The quantities of certain cereal
substitutes imported each year are to be deducted from the
above volume . This agreement was subsequently rolled over
from year to year by means of a Council Regulation . When
the Uruguay Round agreements enter into force the quota
will form part of the Community's import commitments
under the heading of ' current market access '.

No information is available from the Portuguese authorities
regarding the quantities of products covered by these
agreements imported from third countries in the course of

1994, but at least the 500 000 tonnes of maize covered by
the agreement mentioned above was imported . Half of this
quantity was purchased directly on the world market by the
Portuguese authorities for resale on the Portuguese market .

No C 103 / 28 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

Available information for Spain indicates that actual
imports from third countries between January and June

1994 involved 1 036 391 tonnes of maize, 175 288 tonnes
of sorghum and 361 131 in all of the three cereal substitutes
covered by the agreement .

(!) OJ No L 147, 18 . 6 . 1993 .

( 2 ) OJ No L 98, 10 . 4 . 1987 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2669 / 94

by Cristiana Muscardini ( NI )

to the Commission

( 14 December 1994 )

(9 SIC 103 / 58 )

Subject : Arrangements for the transition period between

the old and new Commission

Between the date of appointment of the President of the
Commission by the Member State governments and the date
of its taking office, several months may elapse, during which
time the outgoing President continues to exercise his
functions alongside the new incumbent ; this may even
include the obligation or opportunity to carry out activities
related to the new mandate or new options .

The outgoing President has, in fact, been designated as a
presidential candidate by a political party in his home
country, while the incoming President is continuing, quite
legitimately, to exercise his functions as head of the
Luxembourg Government, despite already having to carry
out duties — even if only procedural — linked to his new

post .

Does the Commission not consider that, independently of
the legitimate character of the situation and the universally
recognized honesty and respect for ethical standards of the
individuals concerned, the question of the arrangements for
the transition period between two Commissions requires
regulation, so as to avoid possible situations of
incompatibility in the future ?

Answer given by Mr Santer
on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

The Commission would point out that the new President
and Members of the Commission are only appointed after
the Commission as a whole has been subject to a vote of
approval by Parliament ( third paragraph of Article 158(2 )
of the EC Treaty ), while the sitting President and other
Members of the Commission remain in office until they have
been replaced ( final paragraph of Article 159 of the EC
Treaty ). It is therefore incorrect to talk of a transition period

as such between the old and new Commissions, given that
the Treaty makes no provision for continuity between the

two .

Needless to say, the outgoing President and Members of the
Commission are required to comply with the various
obligations incumbent upon them, notably those laid down
in Article 157(2 ) of the EC Treaty, until their terms of office
expire . The Commission notes that the Honourable
Member offers no criticism in this respect .

The President and Members of the Commission designate,
for their part, are obviously not bound by the provisions of
the Treaty, which start to apply only when they take up their
duties . However, the appointment procedure did point up a
number of weaknesses and will have to be re-examined . In

no government anywhere else in the world does the
president have to wait seven months before taking up office,
and the political consequences for the outgoing Commission
and for the political situation in the president designate's
home country must be taken into account . It may therefore
be necessary at the 1996 inter-governmental conference to
consider ways of shortening this lengthy procedure .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2681 / 94

by Willi Gôrlach ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 14 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 59 )

Subject : EU finance for a cure complex in Greece

The European Union sponsored the building of a baths and
cure complex in Greece on the Peloponnese near the village
of Arkoudi . The complex was never officially opened and
has remained empty for the last five years . The building
looks neglected and dilapidated . Since this was an EU
project, I should like to ask the Commission whether it
knows of this building and whether it feels it has fulfilled its
supervisory responsibilities in this case .

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies

on behalf of the Commission

( 10 February 1995 )

The construction of the first phase of the project was
supported financially by the Commission in the context of .
the Integrated Mediterranean Programme for western
Greece and the Peloponnese .

The Commission is aw"are that this first phase did not render
the project operational but was not aware that the centre
had fallen into the dilapidated condition described by the
Honourable Member . It will follow up this particular aspect
with the Greek authorities concerned .

The Greek authorities have proposed completion of the
project in the context of the new Community support

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 29

framework for Greece ( 1994 — 1 999 ). Although the Answer
Commission has declared its willingness to consider this ( 16 March 1995 )
proposal, it is anxious to ensure that further investment in
this project will represent appropriate value for money and
has therefore requested the background feasibility studies
which it is currently examining . Should it be decided not to As the Honourable Member points
pursue the completion of the project, the Commission will statute for the outermost regions such
consider the extent to which support previously granted here could only be achieved by
should be maintained .

Answer

As the Honourable Member points out, changes to the
statute for the outermost regions such as those referred to
here could only be achieved by amending the Treaty .

Any such amendment would require implementation of
Article N of the Treaty on European Union and the calling of
a conference of representatives of the Governments of the
Member States .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2686 / 94 The Council as such is therefore not competent to reply to
the Honourable Member's questions .

by Isidoro Sánchez García ( ARE )

to the Council

( 19 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 60

Subject : Statute for the outermost regions of the
Community

Certain Community regions receive special treatment from
the Community institutions owing to their special
characteristics, including regions belonging to certain
Member States which are known as the outermost regions
owing to their remoteness and insularity, and are the subject
of Declaration 26 of the Treaty on European Union .

One of these regions, the Canaries, has always been the
subject of special arrangements which take account of its
geographical, social and economic situation . European
integration has respected these arrangements, since the
islands ' problems are recongnized not only in the Spanish
Constitution but also in Community law .

In order to enable the Canaries to adjust to the political and
economic situation as this century draws to a close, the
Spanish and Community legal systems have recently
allowed a law on a new economic and tax regime in the
Canaries to be adopted .

An additional provision of this law is that the Spanish
Government is to negotiate with the European Union's
institutions the consolidation of a permanent statute for the
Canary Islands reflecting its status as an outermost
region .

In view of the fact that France and Spain will hold the
presidency of the Council in 1995 and that an
inter-governmental conference will be held in 1996 to
review certain provisions of the TEU, does the Council
consider that this would be a suitable opportunity to review
the position of the outermost regions in Community
policies, and to safeguard their status on a permanent basis
at the highest legal level so as to enable them to play an active
and full role in the European Union ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2688 / 94

by Alan Gillis ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 16 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 61 )

Subject : Banana import licenses

With regard to the issuing of licences under Regulation

( EEC ) No 1442 / 93 (*) to operators in the EU for the import
of bananas and taking into account the diversity of
operators, the need to ensure a normal trade and given that
the commercial burden even on the smallest operators is of
considerable importance, would the Commission consider
measures to ensure that small independent operators are not
squeezed out by the largest operators who tend to control
such imports in the EU ?

(») OJ No L 142, 12 . 6 . 1993, p . 6 .

Answer given by Mr Fischler
on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

When the common organization of the market in bananas
was established, one of the objectives was to avoid
disruption of existing commercial links, while at the same
time allowing some development of marketing structures .
Under its rules, licences to import under the tariff quota are
shared amongst shippers, importers and ripeners of
bananas, based on the volume of trade undertaken during a
rolling three-year reference period . The common
organization of the market for bananas does not
discriminate amongst operators on the basis of size, but at

No C 103 / 30 1 EN 1 Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

the same time allows smaller operators the opportunity to
compete and survive in the Community-wide single market
for bananas .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2693 / 94

by Markus Ferber ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 16 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 62 )

Subject : Legal protection for inventions in Europe

In the European Union — unlike in Asia — there is still no
provision for any form of protection of intellectual property
rights below the level of the patent which should provide
effective protection for simple technical inventions .
Nonetheless, a uniform EU-wide ' European registered
design ' along these lines would be a useful complement to
the patent system in Europe . In view of the very different
national provisions which exist, a ' European registered
design ' could make a significant contribution to fair
competition within the EU and enhance the Union's position
in the worldwide competition for innovation .

1 . What measures has the Commission already taken to

introduce uniform intellectual property provisions
of the registered design type throughout the
Community ?

2 . If such uniform intellectual property provisions were
introduced, would they make due allowance for the
' period of grace ' provided for in some EU countries to
protect inventors while the feasibility of their invention
is being examined ?

3 . When is an EU-wide uniform ' European registered
design ' system likely to be introduced ?

patent ; it will accordingly look at the economic importance
of utility model protection and examine whether the present
disparities have any adverse effect on the single market . The
intention is that it should also outline possible legislative
steps that might be taken at Community level : as well as the
harmonization of Member States ' own legislation, one
option might be the introduction of a uniform European
utility model along the lines suggested by the Honourable
Member . The Green Paper will not itself decide between the
various possibilities .

The Green Paper will discuss both the form any Community
legislation might take and the substance of the arrangements
to be introduced . The possibility of a period of grace to
protect the inventor will be one point considered here .

The Green Paper should be published later in 1995 . A
hearing may then be organized to allow interested parties to
put forward their views . What course the Commission will
take thereafter, and whether it will propose the introduction
of a uniform utility model, will depend partly on the
reaction of those concerned . The Commission is

consequently unable at this stage to give a more precise
indication of when Community measures might be taken .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2722 / 94

by Anita Pollack ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 16 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 63 )

Subject : Bull-bars ( roo-bars ) on road vehicles

Has the Commission any plan to outlaw bull-bars ( or
roo-bars ) on road vehicles ?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann

on behalf of the Commission

Answer given by Mr Monti (8 February 1995 )
on behalf of the Commission

( 16 February 1995 )
The Commission has no plans to propose legislation to
prohibit bull bars on road vehicles for the following

reasons :

The Commission is in the process of drawing up a ' Green
Paper on the Protection of Utility Models in the Single
Market ' that will cover the area to which the Honourable

Member refers . The purpose of the Green Paper is to assess
the need for Community action before the Commission
proposes any legislation and to set out the options open so
that interested parties can comment .

The Green Paper will consider whether there is a need for
Community-level action in respect of the utility model,
which is an intellectual property right below the level of a

1 . The Commission, within the framework for the
type-approval of motor vehicles, is actively preparing a
proposal for a new Directive on the subject of pedestrian
safety . It will be based on work carried out by the
European experimental vehicle committee ( EEVC ) and
will aim to establish vehicle performance standards to
ensure the pedestrian-friendliness of passenger-car
frontal structures . Being a performance standard, rather
than a design requirement, the Directive will not
specifically prohibit or require any particular design

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 31

feature of passenger cars . If adopted, however, it would
effectively prevent the approval of new vehicle types on
which bull bars are fitted if such devices could not meet

the requirements of the proposal .

2 . Some existing vehicle types are legitimately fitted with
bull bars, having had them approved when the vehicle
was homologated . Member States may invoke a
safeguard clause contained within the framework
Directive for type-approval if they wish to prohibit the
circulation of such vehicles fitted with bull bars . To date

the Commission has not received any notification from a
Member State intending such action .

3 . If vehicles have been fitted with bull bars which were not

approved with the vehicle at the time of homologation,
then Member States would be free to impose national
provisions to prohibit their fitment or use on such
vehicles on the grounds of either safety or
non-compliance with the certificate of conformity
certifying that the vehicle corresponds to a particular
vehicle type .

Thus, the Commission is already considering appropriate
action, within its area of competence, to bring forward
proposals which, if adopted by the Parliament and
Council, will ensure that new vehicle types are less
pedestrian-aggressive than at present .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2725 / 94

by Alex Smith ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 16 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 64 )

Subject : EU-US A environmental cooperation / Japanese
nuclear waste

Can the Commission present a summary of the meetings of
14 — 16 November 1994 on EU-USA environmental

cooperation and 19 November on trade relationships
between the EU and Japan .

In particular :

1, in the discussions with Japan, was the import-export
trade in spent nuclear fuel, plutonium and nuclear waste
raised, in the light of the imminent return of high-level
Japanese radioactive waste from the La Hague nuclear

processing plant ;

2, what aspects of the US-Euratom nuclear cooperation

agreement were raised in the EU-USA bilateral
consultations, especially in regard to radioactive waste
and plutonium management ?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis

on behalf of the Commission

( 14 February 1995 )

1 . The annual high level environmental consultations
between the Commission and the US covered the following
main topics :

— hazardous wastes and implementation of the Basel

convention, where the US indicated that it would not be
ratifying the convention in the near future, mainly
because the necessary implementing legislation will be
difficult to achieve in the new Congress after the recent
mid-term elections ;

— Prior informed consent and the ban on export of

domestically-prohibited substances ;

— biotechnology where it was agreed to undertake an

intensified programme of work on the mutual
acceptance of data ;

— trade and environment, the world trade organization

and multilateral environmental agreements ;

— climate change convention : preparations for future

meetings ;

— the Montreal protocol and HCFCs ;

— the convention on international trade in endangered

species ;

— population, where the Commission suggested
establishing a working group to discuss the use of
programmes of action ;

— the new development model incorporating discussion on

economic incentives in pursuit of better environmental
performance ;

— the UN commission on sustainable development and its

future meetings ;

— forests, where the Commission maintained that a

convention is necessary to reinforce the existing
protection and preservation activities ;

— preparation for the 1995 pan-European environment

conference in Sofia .

There were no discussions on any aspect of the US-Euratom
nuclear cooperation agreement, which falls outside the
remit of the topics traditionally discussed in the annual high
level environmental consultations .

At the sixth EC-Japan ministerial meeting, the Japanese
Government ;

— agreed to a dialogue with the Commission on the

implementation of the measures taken in the light of the
US-Japan framework talks, in a comparable manner and
using the same information as in consultations with the
US Government .

No C 103 / 32 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

— agreed that whenever the Japanese Government invites

representatives of foreign ( including US ) business
interests for discussions under the measures on

government procurement, it will extend the invitation to
business interests of any foreign country on an equal
basis ;

— welcomed contacts already taking place between the

European semi-conductor industry and the Japanese
users ( e.g . the joint EIAJ-EECA mission to Europe in
December );

— noted with satisfaction the participation of a
representative of European business interests in the
specialized sub-committees on semi-conductors .

Progress in market access problems in Japan was also
reviewed . It was found that the consistent pressure had
produced important results in nine areas since January 1993

( public procurement, the adminstrative procedure law,
reinforcement of the fair trade commission, foreign lawyers,
mineral waters, cold treatment of lemons, reduction of the
liquor tax differential, large scale retail stores law ). During
the meeting the Japanese side announced agreement to
progress in the areas of food labelling (' use by ' date
labelling ), acceptance of certification by approved
Community laboratories ( inflammability of textiles and
good manufacturing practice-imports, distinct labelling of
linen products, and extensive self-certification as well as
introduction of IES standards for electric appliances ).

Concerning the particular point raised by the Honourable
Member, namely whether there has been any discussion on
import-export trade in spent nuclear fuel, plutonium and
nuclear waste, no discussion on the subject was held during
the EC-Japan ministerial meeting .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2726 / 94

by Eryl McNally ( PSE ), Maren Giinther ( PPE ), Anne
André-Léonard ( ELDR ) and Wilmya Zimmermann ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 16 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 65

Subject : Commission representation at the UN World

Conference on Women

What kind of delegation does the Commission intend, to
send to the UN World Conference on Women ( Beijing,
4 — 15 September 1995 )? How many Commission officials
will attend the Conference, and which Directorates-General
will they represent ?

Will those officials who represent the Commission have
participated in WID training courses ?

Answer given by Mr Marin
on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

The Commission will be represented at the conference at the
highest level, by one or more of its members, plus officials
and experts from the relevant departments, including those
working on ' women and development '.

The Commission would be honoured to have Members of

the European Parliament join the delegation, as has been the
practice for other United Nations conferences in the

past .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2739 / 94

by Mihail Papayannakis ( GUE / NGL )

to the Commission

( 16 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 66 )

Subject : Chemical Industry of Northern Greece ( CING )

The region of Kalochori in the prefecture of Thessaloniki is
the site of the ' Chemical Industry of Northern Greece '

( CING ) plant which produces chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs )
substances that are held responsible for the destruction of
the ozone layer . This plant has been exempted from the
relevant European Union Regulations ( which will enter into
force on 31 December 1994 ); it is the only plant on Greek
soil which produces chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs ) and from

199 5 it will be the only such plant in the European Union .
It is clear from complaints that have been made to us
that this plant is more than doubling its imports of
tetrachlorocarbons, which will inevitably lead to a large
increase in production of CFCs in the year ahead .

Will the Commission say :

1 . Whether it considers it advisable to review the

exemption from current European Union Regulations in
favour of this industry, given the environmental damage
which it has already caused ( according to recent
allegations by Greenpeace ) and given its negligible
economic importance for the region ?

2 . How does it intend to plan and carry out effective
controls on the activities and scale of production of this
industrial plant ?

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 33

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard

on behalf of the Commission

( 22 February 1995 )

1 . Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 594 / 91, as amended in
1992, on substances that deplete the ozone layer ( 1 ),
authorized the Greek company Chemical Industry of
Northern Greece ( CING ) to produce CFCs during 1994 and

1995 not exceeding 15% of the calculated level of its
production in 1986 . While this production level was valid
for all CFC producers in 1994, it is applicable only to CING
in 1 995 .

This derogation was confirmed by Article 3 of the new

Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 3093 / 94 which came into
force on 23 December 1994 .

No 594 / 91 as amended, and some HCFC 22, a substance
produced by CING but not yet regulated in 1994 .

The controls applied this year by the Commission and the
Greek authorities thus ensured that CING's production did
not exceed the authorized level .

(») OJ No L 405, 31 . 12 . 1992 .

( 2 ) OJ No L 333, 22 . 12 . 1994 .

( 3 ) OJ No L 42, 15 . 2 . 1994 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2746 / 94

by Nel van Dijk ( V )

to the Commission

( 12 December 1994 )

In order to allow this production the Commission, assisted ( 95 / C 103 / 67 )
by the management committee composed of Member State
representatives, agreed to allocate CING quotas to import
carbon tetrachloride ( CC1 4 ), a raw material for producing
CFC and HCFC . Subject : Further State aid by the Netherlands to manure

The Commission asked the Greek authorities to begin
negotiations with CING with a view to limiting production .
The result of these negotiations is that, in 1995, CING will
produce only half of the figure authorized by Article 3
of Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 3093 / 94 ( 2 ). The
Commission has accordingly reduced the import quota of
CCL allocated to CING .

In this light, in view of the lengthy procedure required and
since all European CFC production will have ceased by
31 December 1995, no review of the Regulations appears to
be necessary .

2 . In 1 994, in order to enforce the Regulation concerned,
the Commission controlled CING production as follows :

— during 1994 the Commission issued import licences for

carbon tetrachloride equivalent to less than 30 % of that
initially planned by Decision 94 / 84 / EC ( 3 );

— furthermore, at the Commission's request, the Greek

authorities monitored CING to ensure that it did not

exceed the limits authorized by Council Regulation

( EEC ) No 594 / 91 as amended . The result was that by
30 November 1994 the Greek company had produced
the maximum authorized quantity of CFCs and then
stopped production .

On 30 November 1994, CING had imported some 5 000
tonnes of CC1 4, just sufficient to produce the quantity of
CFCs authorized in 1994 by Council Regulation ( EEC )

processing projects after 1994

Is the Commission aware of the decision by the Netherlands
Minister of Agriculture to continue subsidizing manure
processing projects until 1 January 1998 (- 1 )?

Does the Commission still take the view that State aid for

manure processing projects is capable of distorting
competition and affecting trade between Member States
within the meaning of Article 92(1 ) of the Treaty on
European Union ( 2 )?

Does the provision of HFL 125 million in subsidies for the
period 1995 — 1998 not constitute a blatant contradiction
of the announcement by the Netherlands Government in

1990 that the manure processing factories would not
require any further aid with effect from 1 January 1995,
which was the basis for the Commission's approval in 1991
of investment aid ( 3 )?

In view of the low manure processing capacity so far
achieved in spite of j ust ovér HFL 250 million in government
aid and in view of the planned closure of the largest manure
factory ( Promest in Helmond ), are further subsidies not also
incompatible with the requirement imposed by the
Commission for manure processing activity to demonstrate
its viability ?

The Commission's words in 1991 were as follows :

If, however, despite the aid level proposed at present,
these processing factories turn out not to be viable, your
Government is advised that the Commission has an a

priori negative attitude towards any further manure aid
in the Netherlands .

No C 103 / 34 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

Does the Commission agree that the introduction of the
CO2 energy tax it advocates will have a further adverse
effect on the viability of manure factories, which are in fact
energy guzzlers ?

Does the Commission agree that the requirement imposed
by the Minister of Agriculture on new recipients of
subsidies, namely that the projects concerned must be
completed by 1 January 1998, is unrealistic, given the time
involved in assessing applications for subsidies, obtaining
the required licenses, conducting environmental impact
assessments and actually building the plants ?

Is it not therefore also to be feared that the Netherlands

Government will feel obliged to grant subsidies to manure
processing projects even after 1998 ?

for Agriculture launched the manure processing adventure
only in order to delay the necessary reduction in
livestock ?

Is that the Commission's impression too ?

Does the Commission agree that a less risky and much more

( cost-)effective policy to combat mineral residues and the
problem of acidification would be to use the Hfl 125 million
in question for a socially responsible, ' softly, softly '
reorganization of the husbandry sector in conjunction with
application of the ' polluter pays ' principle to surplus
manure ?

Will the Commission make overtures to the Dutch

Government to block continued subsidizing of manure
processing projects ? If so, what overtures will it make ?

( x ) Amendment to the ' Bijdrageregeling proefprojecten f 1 ) De Volkskrant, 16 . 11 . 1994 .
mestverwerking ' aid scheme, Staatscourant 201, 19 . 10 . 1994,
no J9415435 .

( 2 ) OJ No C 229, 14 . 9 . 1990, p . 5 and OJ No C 189, 20 . 7 . 1991,

p . 6 .
H OJ No C 82, 27 . 3 . 1991, p . 3 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2782 / 94

by Nel van Dijk ( V )

to the Commission

(9 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 68 )

Subject : Continuation of Dutch State aid for manure

processing projects after 1994

The Dutch Minister for Agriculture has decided to maintain
the subsidy for manure processing projects until 1 January

1998 in spite of notification to the Commission in 1990 that
manure processing plants would no longer require support
as of 1 January 1 995 and in spite of the fact that an
important condition laid down by the Commission for
approval of manure processing support, i.e . the viability of
manure processing, has not been met . There is every
indication that this constitutes State aid which distorts

competition and affects trade between Member States
within the meaning of Article 92(1 ) of the Treaty on
European Union .

Has the Commission noted remarks by a member of staff of
the Agronomics Institute that manure processing was
known as long ago as 1986 to be too expensive to be
viable (*)?

Can the Commission appreciate that there is a widespread
impression that the husbandry sector and / or the Ministry

Joint answer to Written Questions

E-2746 / 94 and E-2782 / 94

given by Mr Van Miert
on behalf of the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

The Commission has reminded the Dutch authorities that

a prolongation of the aid scheme ' Bijdrageregeling
proefprojecten mestverwerking ' after 1994 must be notified
pursuant to Article 93(3 ) of the EC Treaty and that any aid
granted without respecting the suspensive effect of
Article 93(3 ) may have to be recovered from the
beneficiaries .

Both in its letter cited by the Honourable Member and
in Decision 92 / 316 / EEC dated 11 March 1992 ( l ) the
Commission set out its policy regarding manure aid in the
Netherlands . This policy has not changed .

The Commission shares the Honourable Member's view

that the introduction of a C0 2 energy levy will increase the
cost of manure processing . Manure processing is in itself not
a profitable activity, in that the processing costs by far
exceed the proceeds for the final product . The viability of
processing factories such as Promest therefore depends on
the willingness of individual producers with a manure
surplus to pay the factories for the processing .

The Commission is well aware that the main objective of
these plants is an environmentally acceptable disposal of
manure, which might otherwise cause severe external costs
mainly in the form of water pollution . The Commission
must however, in its investigation of aid, also take into
account whether the polluter pays principle is duly
respected .

f 1 ) OJ No L 170, 25 . 6 . 1992 .

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 35

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2769 / 94 WRITTEN QUESTION E-2771 / 94

by Carmen Dîez de Rivera Icaza ( PSE ) by Carmen Diez de Rivera Icaza ( PSE )

to the Commission to the Commission

( 21 December 1994 ) ( 21 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 69 ) ( 95 / C 103 / 70 )

Subject : A common retirement age

Subject : Corine and the European Environment Agency

Can the Commission explain what arrangements exist for
cooperation between the Corine Programme and the
European Environment Agency, and what is the situation of
the persons formerly employed by the programme ?

Does the Commission intend to submit a proposal for a
common retirement age during the current parliamentary
term ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

( 21 February 1995 )

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard

on behalf of the Commission The Commission does not intend to put forward legislation

to harmonize the minimum retirement age . Neither the

(9 February 1995 ) Commission white paper on European social policy nor the

relevant opinions adopted by the Parliament, the Economic
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions
call for, recommend or suggest any harmonization of the
The Corine Programme was established by Council minimum retirement age in the Member States .
Decision 85 / 338 / EEC ( 1 ) as a prototype ' to gather,
coordinate and ensure the consistency of information on the
state of the environment and natural resources '.

on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

Regulation ( EEC ) 1210 / 90 ( 2 ), establishing the European
Environment Agency calls on it to set up, in cooperation
with the Member States, the European environment
information and observation network and to be responsible
for continuing the work started under Decision
85 / 338 / EEC .

Thus Corine has been transferred to the Agency, the
databases it produced have been incorporated into the basic
information of the Agency and the continuation and
build-up of Corine has been included as an element in the
Agency tasks and work programme .

The consultancy contracts established to build and maintain
the Corine databanks have been completed and the Agency
is in the process of recruiting its own staff and establishing
new consultancy contracts . The people employed by the
programme were under contract or national experts on
secondment . The only official working with this team has
been transferred to another unit within the Commission .

(!) OJ No L 176, 6 . 7 . 1985 .

( 2 ) OJ No L 120, 11 . 5 . 1990 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2772 / 94

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 21 December 1994 )

( 95 / C 103 / 71 )

Subject : The European cultural and artistic heritage

Europe possesses an outstandingly rich and diverse culture,
and the Commission has striven to preserve and develop the
architectural and artistic heritage, while the Treaty on
European Union has introduced a number of changes,
making specific reference to culture in Article 124 .

The loyalty of our citizens to the European idea will only be
a reality if the frontier-free area being created ( which will no
doubt be extended to eastern Europe ) encourages awareness
of the deep traditional, historical and spiritual values of our
peoples . The Union has the opportunity of achieving an
ever-closer degree of integration, thanks to the systematic
efforts being made to safeguard and protect these values,
whose preservation and consolidation are especially served
by the conservation of the cultural heritage .

In this connection, on a recent visit to Romania the author
observed the growing deterioration of what, in his opinion,

No C 103 / 36 T EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

must be considered objects of great cultural and artistic
value . Can the Commission state whether funding could be
channelled ( via the Phare Programme ) to the restoration of
the major cultural treasures which, in eastern Europe in
general and in Romania in particular, are languishing in
virtual abandonment owing to the absolute lack of
economic resources ?

Does the Commission not consider that the integration of
the countries of eastern Europe must not be conceived in
purely political and economic terms, but also requires action
in the cultural sphere, on the basis of common values and via
active participation in the rehabilitation of an artistic and
cultural heritage of outstanding value ?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek

on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

The Commission is aware of the value of the cultural

patrimony in central European countries and of the
difficulties for some countries to preserve this heritage . This
is why the Europe agreements which the Community and its
Member States have signed with Poland, Hungary, the
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, contain
provisions concerning cultural cooperation with specific
mention of conservation and restoration of historic and

cultural monuments and sites .

Already prior to the entry into force of these agreements, the
Community provided — and still provides — financial
support for the preservation of cultural patrimony in central
European countries of the basis of a specific budget line ( B3
— 2003 ) meant for cultural cooperation with third
countries . As budget resources are limited, strict selection
has to be applied, giving priority to projects in central
European countries which signed arrangements including
cultural cooperation . The Phare Programme, which was set
up in 1990 to support the transition to market economies
and to political democracies, can consider support for the
action suggested by the Honourable Member in so far as it
has an economic aim .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2773 / 94

by Hans-Gert Poettering ( PPE )

to the Commission

(9 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 72 )

Subject : Community framework for regional aid for
capital-intensive investment

The Commission proposal for the introduction of a
Community framework for regional aids for

capital-intensive investment provides inter alia for regional
aids to be assessed on their eligible investment costs per job
and to be exempted from notification up to a specific
threshold .

Is the Commission not concerned that, in a number of
sectors, this will lead to regional competition in subsidies
which

— will worsen existing structural problems in sectors such

as, for example, textiles or chemical fibres ;

— will bring about a relocation of jobs to regions with more

generous assistance programmes ;

— will relocate jobs, but will not create new jobs ;

— and hence, in general, undermine the ' competitive

mission ' of the Treaty on European Union and thus be at
odds with the Commission's responsibilities laid down
in the Treaty ?

Which specific sectoral aid codes and agreements would be
replaced by this Community framework ?

Answer given by Mr Van Miert

on behalf of the Commission

( 14 February 1995 )

The Commission would draw the Honourable Member's

attention to the fact that the document to which he refers is

not a formal Commission proposal but merely a working
paper prepared by the Directorate-General for
Competition .

The document in question does not provide for any
derogations from the general rules on the notification of
state aid . It describes arrangements whereby regional aid
can be monitored more effectively after aid schemes have
been approved by the Commission without additional
notification being systematically required in individual cases
benefiting from the schemes .

The sectoral aid codes which could be replaced by a
horizontal code are those concerning synthetic fibres and
motor vehicles .

The planned improvement in the monitoring of aid must not
be incompatible with the positive role played by such aid
from the viewpoint of economic and social cohesion and is
in line with the objectives laid down in the White Paper on
growth, competitiveness and employment .

24 . 4 . 95 1 EN | Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 37

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2786 / 94 WRITTEN QUESTION E-2787 / 94

by Anita Pollack ( PSE ) by Anita Pollack ( PSE )

to the Commission to the Commission

(9 January 1995 ) (9 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 73 ) ( 95 / C 103 / 74 )

Subject : Petrol and air pollution Subject : Siberian forests

Given that WHO is proposing to regulate benzene and
toluene as priority 1 substances in its air quality guidelines
for Europe, and considering the recent report from the UK
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution which
raises concern over the benzene content of petrol, will the
Commission now consider regulating benzene and toluene
as priority 1 substances under the proposed Directive on
Ambient Air Quality Assessment and Management ?

Will the Commission support the sound management of
Siberia and the Ussury Taiga through incentives, including
favourable tariffs of sustainably produced forest products,
eco-labelling, direct financial assistance or the provision of
expertise ?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek

on behalf of the Commission

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard (8 February 1995 )

on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

As part of its work on air quality the World Health
Organization ( WHO ) plans to lay down guide values for a
series of pollutants that are hazardous to health or
ecosystems . Benzene and toluene are indeed in the list of
substances considered as priority on the same basis as other
substances . These values, which are not standards, were laid
down on scientific bases in order to help draw up
standards .

It is for the Member States or the Community to introduce
standards for those substances on the basis of, among
others, the WHO recommendations . The proposal for a
Directive on the assessment and management of ambient air
provides for long-term quality targets for benzene in view of
its effects on health and the extent of the pollution caused by
motor vehicles .

At the moment the toluene concentrations recorded in

Europe are very low . The values noted are considerably
lower than the thresholds at which it has been possible to
identify the known effects on health . On the other hand
benzene concentrations are reaching levels causing concern
in health terms . Therefore only benzene has been covered by
the proposal for a Directive .

Nevertheless, the proposal includes machinery for enabling
new pollutants to be included in the future if any specific
atmospheric pollution problems linked with specific
substances appear .

At present the Commission does not formally assist the
management of Siberia and the Ussury Taiga through
favourable tariffs, eco-labelling, or direct financial
assistance . No such assistance is envisaged for 1995 .

The Commission is keenly aware of the forest resources of
Siberia, especially the Taiga, in terms of both its ecological
and its timber values, as well as the dangers from
indiscriminate logging . The Community does not have
jurisdiction to become involved in forest management
within the CIS . However, the Commission is fully
supportive of the conservation, management and
sustainable development of all types of forests, as
demonstrated by its active role in getting the Member States '
agreement to both the Rio Agreement in 1992 and the
Helsinki Resolutions of 1993 .

The possible use of favourable tariffs for sustainably
produced forest products, is currently being explored in the
form of a ' timber protocol ' in the context of the Lomé V
agreement . It must be realised though, that the latter is a
bilateral accord with the ACP countries which goes beyond
GATT-bound arrangements . Notwithstanding the new GSP
scheme, such conditions for CIS countries would have to be
negotiated bilaterally, or, if they become GATT / WTO
members, multilaterally . In the meantime, the Commission
is examining with Member States, industry and non
governmental organizations the suitability of forest
certification, possibly combined with consumer-oriented
eco-labels, as a voluntary mechanism for encouraging
sustainable production from forests .

In the framework of the Tacis Programme, the Commission
can provide expertise to both public and private Siberian

No C 103 / 38 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

operators . However, little has been done to date, principally
because, with the exception of the Tyumen region, Tacis
action programmes since 1991 have focused on other areas .
Under the 1992 action programme, Tacis funded a small
project ( ECU 0,5 million ) dealing with forestry industry
problems in the Tyumen region . This project, implemented
by a Danish company, is aimed at reviewing local potential
and at providing advice for enterprise management and
restructuring, taking into account environmentally
sustainable logging rates and methods, as well as potential
export capacity .

In 1994, Tacis began the implementation of an ECU 2
million project in the wood processing industry . This project
aims at selecting enterprises in the sector and assisting them
in their restructuring efforts . It will cover topics such as
industrial strategy, marketing and financial issues and
transfer of assets .

More scope for technical assistance to Siberian forestry will
be provided by the 1995 Tacis action programme currently
under preparation, as the Lake Baikal region is one of the
areas of geographical concentration . This lake is completely
surrounded by forests and a number of pulp and paper
factories contribute heavily to water pollution there, so the
region has become a test case for sustainable regional
development .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2795 / 94

by Yves Verwaerde ( PPE )

to the Council

( 12 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 75 )

Subject : Report by the Court of Auditors of the European

Union — European Parliament property projects
in Brussels

The Council's attention is drawn to the conclusions of the

most recent report by the Court of Auditors on Parliament's
property projects in Brussels .

In the continuation to the Tomlinson report, the Court of
Auditors notes numerous financial irregularities in the
arrangements for these property projects .

What is the Council's position with regard to such
practices ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The Honourable Member's attention is drawn to the fact

that, as regards the observations by the Court of Auditors to

which he refers, the detailed examination which they may
entail can only be carried out by the European Parliament,
which they mainly concern . The Council is certain that the
Parliament, as the authority responsible for giving
discharge, will wish to carry out its responsibilities
regarding this matter .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2796 / 94

by David Bowe ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 11 January 1995 )

95 / C 103 / 76

Subject : International Baccalaureate

What action is the Commission taking to promote the
International Baccalaureate across Europe ?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson

on behalf of the Commission

( 17 February 1995 )

According to Article 126 EC Treaty, the Member States
have the responsibility for the content of teaching and the
organization of educational systems and the role of the
Community is to contribute to the development of quality
education for all by encouraging cooperation between the
Member States .

New Community activities in the field of school education

( Comenius ) are foreseen in the proposed Community action
programme Socrates, such as the action to encourage the
creation of multilateral partnerships between schools built
around European education projects . These new actions
will contribute to the mutual understanding and will
facilitate the recognition of school diplomas .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2801 / 94

by Gerardo Fernândez-Albor ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 11 January 1995 )

{9 SIC 103 / 77 )

Subject : EU standardization of ALTE certificates

The recent meeting of ALTE, the examiners ' association for
European languages, which includes such prestigious bodies
as the Alliance Française, the Goethe Institute and the
Cervantes Institute, approved, as one of its objectives, the
goal of establishing common standards for language
competence, with a view to promoting Europe-wide
recognition of the relevant certificates .

ALTE is accordingly preparing a grid of standards by means
of which it will be possible to make comparisons and

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 39

establish equivalences with respect to the degree of
competence attained in European languages .

Given the prestige of the bodies which make up ALTE and
the importance of its objectives and functions, does the
Commission consider, in the interests of the harmonization
of standards advocated by it, that it should participate in the
activities of this association, with a view to achieving a
Union-wide single standard which would guarantee the
quality of certificates stating the degree of competence
achieved in a European language ?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson

on behalf of the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

Article 126 of the EC Treaty sets out Community policy
relating to cooperation in education . The first paragraph
requires the Community to contribute to the development of
quality education by encouraging cooperation between
Member States and, if necessary, by supporting and
supplementing their action, while fully respecting the
responsibility of the Member States for the content of
teaching and the organization of education systems .

In line with this requirement, the Commission intends to
continue the work already done under the Lingua
Programme by granting assistance for projects aiming to
improve the arrangements for the awarding of certificates in
connection with the learning of languages .

The ALTE project, along with other projects relating to
certificates for foreign language skills in a profession or
sector of the economy, has received financial assistance
under the Lingua Programme . This programme has
provided funding for projects designed to make existing
certification systems more transparent and to encourage
cooperation between the parties concerned .

Furthermore, the results of the projects supported by the
Commission may provide input for the Council of Europe's
work on the design of a common European reference
framework for language learning at all levels .

programmes connected with them, dozens of existing
training and employment projects which would be eligible
for co-financing, even after reform of the ESF, have received
no guaranteed funds since 31 December 1993, when the old
guidelines ceased to apply ?

Is the Commission aware that as a result not only is the
continuity of the projects at risk, but staff working on them
are also faced with redundancy ?

What urgent action of a temporary nature does the
Commission intend taking to put an end to this scandalous
state of affairs which is entirely at variance with the spirit of
the ESF ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

( 21 February 1995 )

In relation to the 1989 — 1993 programming period, all
commitments have been made at the level of the

Commission . However, the implementation of the
programmes in the Member States has continued in 1994
and 1995 . Payments are effected by the Commission on the
basis of certification by the Member States and the
Commission cannot make a payment before a Member State
requests it . The Commission is in contact with the Member
States in an attempt to accelerate the payment requests for
files on which payments can be made .

For the programming period 1994 — 1999, it is not possible
to make commitments until such time as the partnership
negotiations have been completed and the relevant
Commission Decisions have been taken . Delays in approval
do mean that Commission funding for new programmes has
been delayed . However, expenditure on new programmes is,
in principle, eligible from the date of submission, not the
approval date of the programme .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2812 / 94

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2807 / 94 by Richard Balfe ( PSE )

by Magda Aelvoet ( V ) to the Commission

to the Commission
( 22 December 1994 )

( 11 January 1995 ) 95 / C 103 / 79 )

( 95 / C 103 / 78 )

Subject : Redundancies caused by failure to approve
Community guidelines in time

Is it true that because of the failure to approve by the due
date the Community guidelines, and the operational

Subject : Safety helmets to prevent fatal cycling accidents

Studies in the United Kingdom show that, of all cycling
fatalities involved in road traffic accidents, head injuries are
a contributing cause in 70— 80 % of cases .

No C 103 / 40 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

Helmets to B. S. 6863 are designed to protect those areas of
the head statistically most likely to be injured, that is,
forehead, scalp, ears, skull, brain and brain stem .

One survey has concluded that when a helmet is worn there
is 85 % reduction of risk of head injury and 88 % reduction
of risk of brain injury .

In Victoria, Australia, after compulsory wearing of cycle
helmets was introduced on 1 July 1990, there was a rise in
the use of helmets and a corresponding fall in head
injuries .

Considering that it has been estimated that there are over
600 000 head injuries to cyclists in the European
Community each year at a cost of over ECU 1 billion, does
the Commission think there should be moves to implement
measures to make our roads safer for cyclists, especially in
view of environmental concerns which look set to further

encourage the use of bicycles ?

Given that a moped is defined in the United Kingdom as a
vehicle not capable of more than 30 mph, the rider of which
must wear a motor cycle helmet ( and I understand a similar
situation exists in other European Community countries ),
why should safety standards and protective ability of
helmets for cyclists, who often are capable of exceeding
30 mph, be any less than that provided by a motor cycle
helmet ?

Is information about road traffic accident statistics

involving cyclists in every Member State ?

Does the Commission intend to set up a Europe-wide study
to ascertain the general feeling on the subject and to look
into the possible benefits of introducing the obligatory
wearing of cycle safety helmets ?

( Statistics provided by Headway ( National Head Injuries
Association ), 7 King Edward Court, Nottingham,
NG1 1EW ).

Answer given by Mr Kinnock

actions at national level in order to promote and develop the
wearing of cycle helmets, in 1993 / 94 for example to two
conferences ( Paris and Stockholm ) and to comparative
testing of cycle helmets for children ( Germany ).

In these circumstances the Commission does not believe the

suggested study would provide substantially new insights
into the matter and has therefore no plans at present to
commission such a study .

On the general question of road safety, including cycling, the
Commission is pursuing initiatives in the framework of its
action programme on road safety C 1 ) ( which addressed
vehicle design, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, and
infrastructure ) which was the subject of a Council
resolution on 30 November 1993, and of the Visser
Report ( 2 ).

Concerning accident statistics, the Commission has
instigated a Europe wide data base of accident reports,
which will, when operational, be able to give the requested
information . The system is currently in the trial phase, and
will be operational from 1 996 .

In addition, the helmets for cyclists are included in Council
Directive 89 / 686 / EEC of 21 December 198 9 on the

approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to
personal protective equipment ( PPE ) ( 3 ). This Directive has
been in force since 1 January 1993 and will be in total
application as of 1 July 1995 . After this date all helmets for
cyclists that are put on the market or into use will have to
conform with this safety Directive and therefore bear the
' CE ' marking given after a type examination has been made
by the notified body . A harmonized standard on this subject
is in preparation in the European committee for
standardization ( CEN ) but has not yet been adopted ( final
voting in April 1995 ).

f 1 ) COM(93 ) 246 .

( 2 ) A3-67 / 94, 11 . 3 . 1994 .

( 3 ) OJ No L 399, 30 . 12 . 1989 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2813 / 94

by Barbara Weiler ( PSE )

to the Commission

on behalf of the Commission ( 11 January 1995 )

(9 February 1995 ) ( 95 / C 103 / 80 )

The Commission believes that the wearing of a cycle safety
helmet reduces the risk of head injuries in the event of an
accident . However, the Commission is mindful of the fact
that the wearing of helmets is not yet compulsory in any
Member State .

The Commission is in regular contact with cycling groups,
most notably the European Cyclists Federation, and is
therefore aware that there is no clear consensus on the

question of compulsory wearing of helmets . However, the
Commission has given its financial support to various

Subject : Transposition of Directive 91 / 533 / EEC
(' Obligation to inform ')

Which Members of the European Union have not yet
ratified the Directive 91 / 533 / EEC of 14 October 1991 on an

employer's obligation to inform employees of the conditions
applicable to the contract or employment relationship (*)
which should have been transposed into national legislation
by the end of June 1993 ?

What action does the Commission intend to take to improve
the inadequate legal protection of employees in regard to

24 . 4 . 95 LJN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 41

written labour contracts and to transpose such provisions
into Member States ' national law ?

What solution does the Council propose to this type of
problem ?

C ) OJ No L 288, 18 . 10 . 1991, p . 32 . ( J ) OJ No L 149, 5 . 7 . 1971, p . 2 .

Answer

Answer given by Mr Flynn ( 16 March 1995 )
on behalf of the Commission

( 16 February 1995 ) On 18 June 1980, the Commission forwarded to the
Council a proposal for a Regulation ( x ) amending, for the
benefit of unemployed workers, Regulation ( EEC )
No 1408 / 71 .

As things stand, two Member States, Belgium and Italy, have
not yet informed the Commission of national measures
transposing Directive 91 / 533 / EEC .

Two Member States, Germany and Luxembourg, have
informed the Commission of draft laws which are still going
through the national procedures for the adoption of
legislation .

Infringement procedures have been initiated against these
four Member States .

The proposal covers inter alia the transfer of
early-retirement benefits and their payment to frontier
workers .

The Council has not yet been able to overcome the
differences of opinion between delegations on this
proposal .

(!) OJ No C 169, 8 . 7 . 1980, p . 22 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2818 / 94

by José Barros Moura ( PSE )

to the Commission

WRITTEN QUESTION E-28 16 / 94 ( 11 January 1995 )

by Jean-Pierre Raffarin ( PPE ) ( 95 / C 103 / 82 )

to the Council

( 12 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 81 )

Subject : Transfer of early-retirement benefits to country of

residence

National social security arrangements are coordinated by
Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 1408 / 71 ( 1 ) of 14 June 1971
which provides for the transfer of benefits to the country of
residence of the recipients of these benefits . However, early
retirement benefits are not always deemed to fall within the
scope of this Regulation, as a result of which transfrontier
workers are severely penalized .

This is the case of Mr Marcel Catteau, a French national,
who has always worked in France while being domiciled in
Belgium : he has been married to a Belgian citizen for 30
years . He was made redundant and so would have access to
the early retirement scheme if he had not been living in
Belgium . He receives unemployment benefit from the

Belgian authorities but this is far from what he would have
received under the early retirement scheme .

Subject : Experience in connection with employment in

Portugal

Can the Commission say more about ' the experience of . . .
Portugal in developing a framework at national level and
structures and procedures at local level, in order to support
an integrated concept for development at local level '
referred to in the Presidency Conclusions of the Essen
European Council ( p . 6 ) — an experience of which the
public, the media, the social partners and the political
parties in Portugal are completely unaware ? Would this
experience have anything to do with the posting of workers
as part of the freedom to provide services — as referred to in
the abortive draft Directive — which does indeed reduce the

official unemployment figures in Portugal ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 1995 )

The White Paper on growth, competitiveness and
employment ( a ) points to the new needs created by changing

No C 103 / 42 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

lifestyles, the ageing of the population and concern for the
environment as an important source of new jobs .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2836 / 94

by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 11 January 1995 )

At the Essen European Council, the Commission presented
95 / C 103 / 83
a report assessing the potential of this new source, based on
a survey carried out in the Member States . The report
identified 1 7 specific fields in which an increasing number of Subject : Monitoring Committees (
local initiatives are being launched . In the case of Portugal,
the local initiatives mentioned were chiefly concerned with The shortcomings in the
cultural the revival activities of traditional . acitivities, for tourism, and with Monitoring Committees referred to

Subject : Monitoring Committees ( Funds )

The shortcomings in the operation of a number of
Monitoring Committees referred to in the Annual Report of
the Court of Auditors concerning the financial year 1 993 are
of many kinds and cannot simply be shrugged off .

At the Essen Council, the Portuguese Government presented
a memorandum on the local aspect of the internal market,
with the aim of promoting local development at Community
and national level . It proposes more coordinated and
efficient implementation of Community policies and actions
already existing in this field and the launching of a
programme of pilot actions .

Is it not necessary, despite the Commission's replies to these
observations, not only to increase the powers of these
important bodies but also to evaluate carefully their whole
operation ?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies

on behalf of the Commission

( 20 February 1995 )
In Portugal, the Community Structural Funds, and in
particular the European Social Fund ( ESF ), are already
supporting a large number of local development initiatives The Structural Fund regulations specify
through the Community Support Framework ( CSF ). In the the principle of subsidiarity, the
period 1990 — 1993, more than 10 000 people found jobs appropriate territorial level are
through local employment initiatives, amounting to nearly implementing the aid measures .
5 % of the total population benefiting from job creation
aids . Public spending ( including the ESF contribution ) The Commission believes that the
totalled over ECU 17,5 million . constitute the most important instrument

The Structural Fund regulations specify that, pursuant to
the principle of subsidiarity, the Member States at the
appropriate territorial level are chiefly responsible for
implementing the aid measures .

In the CSF for the period 1994 — 1999, the ESF part of the
operational programme ' promotion of the regional
development potential ' will support local employment
initiatives, as well as the craft trades and the creation of local
training structures . Local human resources development
programmes in Portugal are becoming increasingly
important, as shown by the increase in public spending to
ECU 108 million ( over six years ). Approximately 30 000
people will benefit from these measures, representing more
than 8 % of the total number of jobs which will be created
with the support of the CSF .

As to the impact on the Portuguese job market of initiatives
such as the proposal for a Directive concerning the posting
of workers as part of the freedom to provide services
( COM(93 ) 225 final ( 2 ), which is now being discussed
within the Council, the Commission has not received any
relevant statistical estimates from the Portuguese
authorities .

The Commission believes that the monitoring committees
constitute the most important instrument for ensuring that
such implementation is effectively monitored . In the light of
the experience gained in the previous programming period,
the powers and duties of the monitoring committees have
been confirmed and to some extent better specified for the
new programming period . It is the responsibility of each
Member State to introduce the most appropriate
monitoring system based on the nature of the operations
jointly funded and the institutional and administrative
structure of the various regions qualifying under the Funds .
The Commission will analyze and evaluate the monitoring
systems as introduced . Where appropriate, the necessary
measures to ensure that these systems are even more
effective will be proposed to the Member States under the
partnership arrangements .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2837 / 94

by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 11 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 84 )

(M COM(93 ) 700 final .
( 2 ) COM(93 ) 225 final — OJ No C 187, 9 . 7 . 1993 . Subject : Aid from the Funds and VAT

The Annual Report by the Court of Auditors concerning the
financial year 1993 stresses that recoverable VAT is
obviously not eligible for assistance from the Funds .

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 43

Has the Commission's research shown that these sums are in

fact frequently subsidized, and is it possible to establish
whether this arises from genuine ignorance or whether it is
rather a deliberate way of obtaining additional aid, bearing
in mind that inspections are in any case limited ?

Answer given by Mrs Gradin
on behalf of the Commission

( 13 February 1995 )

Recoverable VAT cannot be regarded as eligible
expenditure for operators and cannot, therefore, be
co-financed by the Structural Funds .

It is for the appropriate authorities in the Member States to
check the eligibility of expenditure declared by operators,
and particularly any VAT that might be included .

In the course of the inspections carried out by the
Commission, which are necessarily limited in number,
officials check that the expenses declared are eligible and
legitimate, by spot checks on supporting documents . A
systems audit conducted by the Commission in all the
Member States with regard to the Structural Funds revealed
no major loopholes in the national systems established to
monitor and authorize expenditure .

The Commission intends to remind Member States of the

need to ensure compliance with the rules on eligibility of
expenditure, with particular reference to VAT .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2839 / 94

by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke ( ARE )

required, and therefore contracted with the MIDA

( management initiative development activities ) consortium
to provide this technical assistance, following the normal
procedures .

The Commission concluded one contract with MIDA for an

amount of ECU 3,2 million . The period of the contract was
from 1 September 1991 to 31 December 1992 . The contract
was not renewed .

Following on-the-spot audits, the majority of which were
carried out by the Commission in October 1992, a number
of problems were highlighted . Following these audits, no
further contract has been given to MIDA and a note of
reimbursement was issued .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2841 / 94

by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 11 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 86 )

Subject : Information in relation to access to the ESF

The Annual Report of the Court of Auditors concerning the
financial year 1993 notes a lack of information about the
activities of the ESF, eligibility criteria and the criteria for
subsidies .

Apart from the holding of seminars, is the Commission
considering other measures to improve access to the ESF for
potential recipients of funding ?

to the Commission Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

( 11 January 1995 )
( 21 February 1995 )
( 95 / C 103 / 85 )

Subiect : Problems concerning MIDA

Can the Commission provide an overview of the contracts
concluded with and carried out by MIDA ?

I should like to know exactly what went wrong in this
connection and why ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

(7 March 1995 )

Following the reorganization of the European Social Fund

( ESF ) in 1993, a separate unit was created which deals with
information . It holds regular meetings with national
administrations to streamline information provision on ESF
in the Member States . The Commission has laid down
further provisions in its Decision 94 / 342 / EC (*) to give
direction to the information provision where Structural
Funds are involved . Information provision is regularly a
topic in the monitoring committee meetings .

These measures together with the organization of seminars
contribute to an improvement in the awareness of the
Community's involvement, through the ESF, with the
citizen .

(M OJ No L 152, 18 . 6 . 1994 .
The Commission, in launching the Community initiatives,
considered that recourse to external technical assistance was

No C 103 / 44 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2844 / 94

by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke ( ARE )

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

on behalf of the Commission

to the Commission (9 February 1995 )

( 11 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 87 The Court highlighted the excessively long delays in
processing applications for aid payments to be transmitted
to Brussels and those to be dealt with in the Member

Subject : Incomes in aquaculture State .

The Annual Report of the Court of Auditors concerning the
financial year 1993 as it were predicts that problems will
shortly arise in the aquaculture sector in connection with
income support . According to the Commission, this will
require a revision of the policy on subsidies .

What are the Commission's plans in this respect, or what
measures are primarily envisaged ?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

on behalf of the Commission

Aware of the situation, the Commission continues to insist
that national authorities improve their administrative
practices .

To this end, Commission officials visited Spain and Italy in

1994 ( the two Member States mentioned by the Court ),
with a view to clearing past commitments .

( 13 February 1995 ) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2848 / 94

by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke ( ARE )

The Commission has no plans to introduce arrangements to
provide direct income support for producers in the
aquaculture sector .

The Commission intends to continue support for the
development of aquaculture exclusively through the
part-financing of structural investments using the recently
created Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance ( FIFG )

( Regulation ( EEC ) No 2080 / 93 i 1 )). The implementing
Regulation ( Regulation ( EC ) No 3699 / 93 ( 2 )) lays down
that investments financed by the FIFG must offer an
adequate guarantee of technical and economic viability and
must, in particular, avoid the risk of creating surplus
production capacity .

to the Commission

( 11 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 89 )

Subject : EU observers in former Yugoslavia

Do the EU observers in the former Yugoslavia report
regularly on the situation there ? If so, what are their
findings ?

must, particular, creating surplus Is there any coordination of the distribution of
production capacity . humanitarian aid ? Is official aid from the Union or any

Member State coordinated with other aid ? What is the role

(!) OJ No L 193, 31 . 7 . 19 93 . of the EU observers in this respect ?

( 2 ) OJ No L 346, 31 . 12 . 1993 .

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek

on behalf of the Commission

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2846 / 94 (8 February 1995 )

by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 11 lanuary 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 88 )

Subject : Applications for payments for fisheries projects

The Annual Report of the Court of Auditors concerning the
financial year 1993 rightly mentions the long time taken to
process applications for payments in respect of fisheries
projects .

The European Commission Monitor Mission ( ECMM ), set
up in 1991 within the framework of European political
cooperation, is accountable to the Council Presidency . The
Mission compiles daily and weekly monitoring reports as
well as special reports, which the Presidency sends to the
Member States and the Commission . These reports focus
primarily on military and political elements and, to a far
lesser extent, by means of a general overview, on the
humanitarian situation . I would ask that the Honourable

Member contact the Presidency should he need more
detailed information and regular updates .

What practical measures does the Commission intend to The mandate for the international coordination of
take ? humanitarian aid in the former Yugoslavia has been

24 . 4 . 95 LJN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 45

entrusted to the UNHCR . In order to assist the UNHCR in

its efforts, the Birmingham European Council of 16 October

1992 decided to create the ECTF ( European Community
Task Force ), a joint Commission-Member States initiative .
Based in Zagreb, one of the ECTF's tasks is to improve
cooperation between the Member States in the field with
regard to the humanitarian aid programmes financed by the
Commission .

The UNHCR holds a monthly information meeting in
Zagreb which the ECTF and some Member States attend,
along with some of the international agencies . The ECTF
publishes a fortnightly report on humanitarian operations
in the former Yugoslavia, which is distributed as a matter of
course to the Member States . Furthermore, the Commission
organizes meetings every three months in Brussels with
programme directors for humanitarian aid in the Member
States, to whom it regularly sends information regarding
humanitarian efforts in the former Yugoslavia .

so that national authorities can carry out their tasks swiftly
and under the best possible conditions .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2863 / 94

by Winifred Ewing ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 91 )

Subject : Lesser used languages throughout the European

Union

Given the adoption of the Killilea report by the European
Parliament in February 1994 what concrete steps is the
Commission taking to strengthen the position of lesser used
languages throughout the European Union ?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson

on behalf of the Commission

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2855 / 94 (8 February 1995 )

by Glyn Ford ( PSE )

to the Council

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 90

Subject : Asylum seekers

Is the Council aware of the case of Mr Daya Pal Singh a Sikh,
asylum seeker in the United Kingdom, whose application
was first lodged in October 1986 ?

Can the Council state the average time to process an asylum
application in other Member States and if known state the
longest time an application has had to wait in order that the
appropriate Member State can have its name submitted for
the Guinness Book of Records ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The examination of applications for asylum is a matter
which is the exclusive responsibility of the authorities of the
Member States . The Council is therefore not informed of

individual applications for asylum lodged with Member
States .

Council bodies have carried out studies of the average time
taken by examination procedures in the various Member
States . The figures in these studies are however no longer
relevant as several Member States have amended their laws

The Euromosaic report on the situation of the various
minority language groups of the Community was completed
at the end of 1994 and will be published during 1995 .

In 1994, the Commission adopted the report of activities

1989 — 1993 for the abovementioned languages ( 1 ).

The Commission manages the budget line B3-1006

( promotion and safeguard of regional and minority
languages and cultures ). The amount has risen from ECU
3,5 million in 1994 to ECU 3,75 million in 1995 .

The Commission will continue to support initiatives in
favour of regional and minority languages and cultures . A
call for proposals for the promotion and safeguard of
regional and minority languages and cultures will be
published shortly in the Official Journal .

(!) COM(94 ) 602 final .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2864 / 94

by Winifred Ewing ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 92 )

Subject : EU aid for town twinnings

Will the Commission please state what percentage of town
twinnings received Community financial support in each
Member State ?

No C 103 / 46 T EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

Answer given by Mr Santer TABLE 2
on behalf of the Commission

Percentage of towns per country receiving aid in 1994 as a
( 13 February 1995 ) proportion of the number of twinned towns in the

In 1994 the Commission gave financial aid to over 2 500
twinned towns . The towns concerned received support for
twinning activities they had set up with one, two or even
more partner towns in other countries in the Community or
in central and eastern Europe .

A look at the nationality of the towns involved in all these
exchanges shows that towns in certain countries made
greater calls on the Commission and are, as a result, better
represented than others ( Table 1 ). More French, German
and British towns received grants ( 37%, 22% and 14%
respectively ) than their Greek or Portuguese counterparts

( approximately 1% ) — a reflection of the geographical
imbalance which still exists within the twinning movement
at the European level . The Commission is doing its best to
reduce the imbalance by giving priority to projects involving
new towns in countries which have hitherto made very little
commitment to international relations . One third of all the

schemes supported in 1994, for instance, involve the
conclusion of new twinning arrangements, primarily with
towns in such countries . In many cases, however, the
initiative in setting up new twinning schemes comes from
towns in Member States such as France, Germany and
Britain, which are a driving force in extending the twinning
network and are therefore still highly sought-after as
partners for towns in other countries .

The relationship between the number of grants made per
country and the number of twinning schemes in each also
needs to be considered . This sets the results somewhat more

in context ( Table 2 ). In France, for example, where there are
2 716 twinned towns, 935, or some 34 %, of them received
aid . In Ireland and Spain, on the other hand, 65 % and 42 %
respectively of all existing twinning arrangements received a
grant . In Germany only 25 % of the 2 341 towns involved in
twinning were given aid . The same applies to Italy, where
only 24% of twinned towns were supported by the
Community .

TABLE 1

country

Belgium 14,4

Denmark 6,7

Germany 23,8

Greece 17,4

Spain 42,7

France 34,4

Ireland 65,1

( in % )

Italy 24,8

Luxembourg 25,0

Netherlands 9,6

Portugal 24,6

United Kingdom 33,6

Central and eastern Europe Not available

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2869 / 94

by Winifred Ewing ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

( 951 C 103 / 93 )

Subject : Nuclear power in the Ukraine

Will the Commission please state what actions it is currently
undertaking to assist the Ukraine with the decommissioning
of outdated and unsafe nuclear reactors and will it also state

what help it is offering towards the establishment of a safe
and reliable source of energy for that country ?

Breakdown of aid given in 1994 by country Answer given by Mr Van den Broek

on behalf of the Commission

Belgium 2,1

Denmark 0,7

Germany 22,1

Greece 0,7

Spain 6,1

France 37,1

Ireland 2,7

Italy 6,5

Luxembourg 0,3

Netherlands 1,3

Portugal 1,3

United Kingdom 14,4

Central and eastern Europe 4,7

( in % ) ( 14 February 1995 )

Within the Tacis nuclear safety programme, a project has
been initiated in 1994 aiming to investigate the
decommissioning routes ( strategy ) to safe enclosure, to
evaluate all parameters for the optimal route ( expected cost,
timetable, manpower requested and collective exposure )
and to prepare the basis documentation to be submitted to
the Ukrainian safety authority in order to obtain the
decommissioning licences needed .

The results of this project are expected in the middle of

1995 . They will be used within the Community-G7 action
plan for Ukraine's energy sector aiming inter alia at the early
and definitive closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant .

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 47

The Community-G7 action plan includes also elements for
the re-organization and modernization of the Ukrainian
energy sector, such as :

— rehabilitation of the thermal power sector

— completion of the WER-1000 reactors under
construction at Zaporozhe, Khmelnitsky and Rovno

— energy saving

— improved energy efficiency .

Under the Tacis energy programme, several projects already
deal with some of those improvement measures, in
particular global energy saving strategy and different energy
audits in the industrial sectors .

Finally, since 1993 several Tacis nuclear safety projects
address real safety concerns in operating nuclear power
plants, with the active assistance of Community nuclear
operators permanently present on the sites of Rovno, South
Ukraine and also, recently, of Zaporozhe .

As previously mentioned, the Commission has adopted a
general target of 60 days which is achieved in the great
majority of cases and which corresponds to the target
proposed in the recommendation on payment delays which
the Commission intends to address to Member States . This

period includes preparation of a payment order following
the necessary checks on the validity of the payment by the
department responsible for the programme concerned, the
approval of financial control as required by the financial
regulations, registry of the transaction in the Commission's
central accounts and preparation and dispatch of the
payment instruction to the bank . Beneficiaries in Member
States will generally receive the payment two to three days
thereafter .

In the minority of cases where the 60-day target is exceeded,
the question arises whether the invoice was in order and
eligible for payment . Complaints relating to specific cases
will be carefully examined .

The Commission will continue to monitor its own payment
performance closely with the aim of paying promptly rather
than incurring expenditure on interest charges .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2878 / 94

by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz ( V )
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2874 / 94

to the Commission

by Winifred Ewing ( ARE )

to the Commission ( 16 January 1995 )

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 94 )

Subject : Late payments by the Commission

Will the Commission comment on the allegations that it is
often very late in paying grants and experts ' fees while at the
same time it has issued a recommendation to all Member

States suggesting that business creditors should be
automatically entitled to interest payments at commercial
rates on overdue debts ?

( 95 / C 103 / 95 )

Subject : Euratom loans

1 . How much has the European Union borrowed in
order to make funds available for Euratom loans ?

2 . Have any Euratom loans been paid out since
31 December 1991 ? If so, for which projects, and what
amount in each case ?

3 . How much was paid out in Euratom loans up to
31 December 1991 ? For which projects ?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen

Answer given by Mr de Silguy
on behalf of the Commission

on behalf of the Commission
( 15 February 1995 ) (3 March 1995 )

The Commission confirms the approach set out in the letter
from President Delors dated 3 November 1994 in reply to
the Honourable Member's letter of 8 September 1994 on
this subject .

In the Commission's case, the period between receiving the

invoice and dispatching the payment is recorded in the
central accounts and currently averages 40 days .

1 . By Council Decision of 23 April 1990 ( ), the total
amount of Euratom borrowings was set at ECU 4 000
million .

2 . No loan was granted after 31 December 1991 .

3 . To date, Euratom loans have been granted for a total
of ECU 2 876 million . All these loans concerned nuclear

No C 103 / 48 PËN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

power stations and industrial installations involved in the
fuel cycle within Member States .

(!) OJ No L 112, 3 . 5 . 1990 .

Commonwealth of Independent States . The Community is
in the process of finalizing the adoption of the instruments
required for ratification .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2882 / 94
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2881 / 94 by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz ( V )
by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz ( V ) to the Commission

to the Commission ( 16 January 1995 )

( 16 January 1995 ) ( 95 / C 103 / 97 )

( 95 / C 103 / 96 )

Subject : EU and EIB loans for nuclear energy projects

Subject : Environmental impact assessments and Euratom

loans

It is stipulated that an environmental impact assessment
forms part of the procedure for considering possible
applications for Euratom loans from enterprises or
institutions in the countries of central and eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union .

1 . What is the legal basis for these assessments — Directive

85 / 337 / EEC (*) or the relevant national provisions of
the applicant country in question ?

2 . In either case, is the procedure open to the public ?

(M OJ No L 175, 5 . 7 . 1985, p . 40 .

Answer given by Mr de Silguy

on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 1995 )

1 . The guidelines established for the implementation of
Decision 94 / 179 / Euratom stipulate that the appraisal of the
project shall include an assessment of its environmental
impact . The aim of this provision is to enable the
Commission to give an opinion on the environmental
impact of the project in the most effective way possible,
without being tied to national or other provisions .

2 . The rules of public participation come under the legal
and institutional framework of the non-member country
where the project is developed .

The Commission would like to draw the attention of the

Honourable Member of Parliament to the Espoo
Convention, concerning environmental impact assessment
in a cross-border context to anticipate, reduce and control
the considerable cross-border impact that activities could
have on the environment, by subjecting them to an
environmental impact assessment procedure .

This Convention was signed in Espoo in 1991 by the
Community, the Member States and inter alia the countries
of central and eastern Europe and the States of the

The European Union and its Member States have two
instruments for granting loans for nuclear energy projects
within the Union : loans in the context of the European
Investment Bank's ( EIB ) normal activities, and Euratom
loans .

Why have two different instruments been set up to perform
the same function ?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy

on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 1995 )

Very considerable resources are required to finance projects
relating to nuclear energy . Parliament and the Council have
rightly considered that having the Euratom instrument
alongside the instrument of the European Investment Bank

( EIB ) would offer greater flexibility and a better spread of
risk .

In the particular case of loans to improve the degree of safety
in non-member countries, it should be noted that the
Council's mandate to the EIB does not authorize financing
of projects in countries covered by the Tacis Programme .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2886 / 94

by Sir Jack Stewart-Clark ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 98 )

Subject : Language teachers

I refer back to the question I put to the Commission on

1 March 1994 ( E-346 / 94 (')) on the subject of language
teachers .

In his reply on 5 April 1994, Commissioner Ruberti did not
answer the main part of my question . This concerns teachers

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 49

from one country who should be encouraged to travel to
another country within the European Union to teach the
language of his or her country to the students of the country
being visited . It must stand to reason that a British national
can teach English better to French students than can a
French teacher who has been trained in Britain and the other

way around .

Could the Commission please inform me whether it is
proposing to encourage the movement of teachers to other
countries for the purpose of teaching their native
language ?

(•) OJ No C 352, 12 . 12 . 1994, p . 48 .

Answer given by Mrs Cresson

on behalf of the Commission

( 20 February 1995 )

Under the principle of free movement of persons, a teacher
— exercising the same right as any other citizen — is at
liberty to go to another Member State to teach . Of course,
since the content of education programmes and the
organization of educational systems are decided on by
Member States, administrative difficulties may continue to
obstruct vocational mobility .

The Commission for its part is working to make the teaching
profession more open by spreading information about
educational systems and promoting recognition of
professional qualifications, and on 13 December 1994 it
adopted a communication on the recognition of
professional qualifications for academic and professional
purposes ( 1 ).

A native speaker is not necessarily a more effective teacher,
since he or she has not had to cope with the same
language-learning problems as the target group . The
Commission's priority is to improve the training of
foreign-language teachers in general .

In this connection a period of residence in the Member State
of the language taught is essential . It is for this reason that
the Lingua Programme has made grants to language
teachers to enable them to undertake in-service training in a
Member State where the language that they teach is spoken .
The Socrates Programme, which should be adopted in the
very near future and will incorporate Lingua, provides
additionally for assistantships abroad for future language
teachers to improve their knowledge of the languages they
will be teaching . These assistants will also be expected to
transmit their own language and culture in the Member
State visited .

(M COM(94 ) 596 final .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2887 / 94

by Concepció Ferrer ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 99 )

Subject : Allocation of the reserve earmarked for the

adaptation of fishery structures

On 9 November 1994 the European Commission decided
that a total of ECU 81,9 million of the funding available
would be earmarked for the adaptation of fishery structures
in accordance with Objective 5 of the Community's
structural policy for the period 1994 — 1999 .

The Commission had previously decided on the overall
allocation of funding, which had accounted for only 90 % of
available resources .

Following these two decisions, the indicative amount for
Spain is ECU 119,6 million . Can the Commission provide
information on how this funding is to be distributed ?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

on behalf of the Commission

( 10 February 1995 )

Pursuant to the code of practice for the implementation of
structural policies by the Commission, signed by Mr Bruce
Millan and Mr Egon Klepsch on 13 July 1993, the
Commission is about to sent Parliament all the single
programming documents for structural measures under
Objective 5(a ) in the fisheries sector, which were approved
on 28 December 1994 .

The Honourable Member can therefore consult the

document on Spain which gives all the information he
requires on the allocation of appropriations for that
Member State .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2894 / 94

by Maren Giinther ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 100 )

Subject : The need for more decentralized management of

the Phare and Tacis Programmes

Point 12.29 of the Court of Auditors ' report i 1 ) advocates
more decentralized management of the Phare and Tacis
Programmes and states that the Court has already called for
this in its annual reports concerning the financial years 1991
and 1992 .

No C 103 / 50 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

What steps have been taken to comply ?

(M OJ No C 327, 24 . 11 . 1994 .

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek

on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

The steps taken to decentralize management include
stronger involvement of recipients in the planning process
and in the administration of Tacis and transferring some of
the Commission's responsibilities from Brussels
headquarters to the Commission delegation in the recipient

country .

In the beginning, recipient institutions were still very
inexperienced in dealing with western assistance, and so
most decisions were handled centrally by the Commission in
Brussels . Three years on it has been possible to give the
partner countries a greater role, particularly in Tacis
programming and in project identification and
preparation .

Partner organizations ( e.g . ministries, non-governmental
institutions, private sector ) are involved in project
identification and preparation and confirm their interest
and acceptance of specific projects by endorsing the detailed
terms of reference . Since late 1993, they have participated as
observers and since mid-1994 as voting members in the
tender evaluation committee, so they can follow the choice
of the best contractor for the job . They receive a copy of all
technical parts of the contract which allows them to follow
closely its execution by the contractor, and all progress and
final reports from contractors, as well as monitoring

reports .

The coordinating units play a key role in representing the
partner country's view during multi-annual programming,
the preparation of annual action programmes and the
assessment of project ideas and of potential recipients . They
also receive all monitoring reports .

In 1994, the Commission delegations took on responsibility
for preparing terms of reference for a number of projects, for
managing the experts who coordinate programme
implementation in the regions and for coordinating
monitoring activities . Greater involvement of the
delegations in this way helps to ensure that terms of
reference more closely reflect the possibilities on the ground
and the selection of better-suited partner organizations .

By way of example, under the Bistro ( named after the
Russian word ' quick ') Programme managed by the
Commission delegation in Moscow large numbers of
relatively small projects ( up to ECU 100 000 ) are evaluated

by the delegation, and implemented, subject only to a rapid
consistency and quality control from headquarters . Many of
these projects are for training and seminars, but the range is
great . While Bistro's aim, like the rest of the Tacis
Programme, is to support a transfer of understanding from
West to East, its projects are more frequently lead and
managed by Russian bodies .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2 / 95

by José Apolinârio ( PSE )

to the Commission

(5 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 101 )

Subject : Retention by Ifadap ( Portugal ) of a percentage of

the aid granted to farmers from EAGGF Guidance
Section funds

Of the EAGGF Guidance Section funds allocated to

Portugal, Ifadap ( the body responsible for administering the
funds in Portugal ) retains 1,5% of the aid granted in
accordance with certain regulations and allocated by law to
farmers .

Has the Commission simply turned a blind eye to this illegal
practice or is it taking any action to stamp it out ?

Answer given by Mr Fischler
on behalf of the Commission

(1 February 1995 )

The Commission was already fully aware of the practice to
which the Honourable Member refers and it was on that

account that in reviewing the Structural Fund operating
arrangements in 1993 it proposed that the relevant
provisions be amended to remove any ambiguity in this
regard . Following adoption of the amendments it twice
wrote to the Portuguese authorities calling for practice to be
brought into line with the new wording . Portugal finally
confirmed, by a letter of 21 December 1994, that in future
Community contributions would be paid in full to recipients
of assistance .

24 . 4 . 95 | EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 51

WRITTEN QUESTION E-13 / 95

WRITTEN QUESTION E-19 / 95

Izquierdo Rojo ( PSE ) by Jean Gol ( ELDR )

to the Commission to the Commission

by María Izquierdo Rojo ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 19 January 1995 )

( 19 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 102 ) ( 95 / C 103 / 103 )

Subject : EU financial aid for the programme to eradicate

cannabis growing in Morocco

In the course of a visit to Morocco the President of the

Commission announced that the Community would help to
finance a programme to eradicate cannabis growing in the
Rif region, in northern Morocco . This is part of a
wide-ranging anti-drugs programme which will require
considerable efforts on Morocco's part .

Has a decision already been taken regarding the exact
amount of aid to be provided by the Community ? When
could it be made available ? Does the Commission think that

delays are occurring ?

Answer given by Mr Marin
on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

On 20 December 1993 the Council adopted a pilot
programme on cooperation between the Community and
Morocco aimed at tackling the drug problem and at
developing the country's northern provinces . This
cooperation should at the same time help to eradicate
cannabis growing in the Rif region and improve the
socio-economic situation in the area .

To put these conclusions into effect, and in the light of
requests from Morocco, the Commission embarked on a
programme in December 1993 worth ECU 22,8 million ( i.e .
250 million dirhams ) for 1993 and 1994 . This programme is
broadly based on the following themes :

— incentives for productive investment aimed at
developing sources of income which would provide an
alternative to the production and trafficking of
cannabis ;

— improvements in the standard of living of the rural

population by means of two types of project : a maternity
health and family planning project, and a joint forest
management project .

This pilot programme and the results are currently
undergoing evaluation .

Subject : Overall plan for humanitarian aid projects —

criteria and conditions of eligibility for
humanitarian aid

1 . Can the Commission specify what precise criteria and
conditions must be met by NGOs which want to finance
humanitarian aid projects so that they become eligible for a
partnership framework contract with ECHO ?

2 . What NGOs are currently recognized as meeting these
criteria and conditions ?

3 . To what extent does the Commission ensure the

perfect philosophical and political representativeness of
these NGOs ?

4 . Why was the request made in June 1 994 by the Belgian
NGO ' Delipro ' for emergency aid for the Zaire United
Workers organization refused, despite the fact that it is
known and recognized for its experience in the field of
humanitarian aid ?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 1995 )

1 . At its meeting on 5 May 1993, the Commission
approved a model framework partnership contract for the
financing of humanitarian aid programmes . The aim of the
framework contract is to rationalize and formalize the

Commission's relations with its partners ; it lays down the
general and specific conditions applicable to humanitarian
operations financed by the Community .

The framework contract also establishes eligibility criteria
for non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) so that
humanitarian operations are entrusted to professional
partners who can demonstrate substantial experience in this
area, as well as the human resources, materials and finance
necessary to guarantee sound economic management and
efficiency . NGOs must also provide humanitarian
assistance regardless of the race, religious beliefs or
nationality of beneficiaries and without any kind of
discrimination . Responding to the needs of victims is the
prime objective .

2 . With reference to the Honourable Members question
on the number of NGOs which meet these criteria, it is

No C 103 / 52 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

worth noting that, so far, 150 NGOs and international Answer given by Mr Flynn
organizations active in the field of humanitarian aid have on behalf of the Commission
concluded framework partnership contracts with the (6 March 1995 )
Commission . A list of these organizations has been sent to
the Honourable Member and to the Secretary-General of
Parliament .

The preparatory committee for the operational programme

3 . The Commission works with NGOs regardless of their
ideology or religious denomination . Effectiveness in the
country or region concerned, expertise and professionalism
are the only criteria taken into consideration . It must at the
same time be pointed out that the Commission works with a
considerable number of NGOs which represent the diversity
and pluralism of NGOs in general .

4 . As regards the reasons for refusing a funding request
from the NGO ' Delipro ' in June 1994, in favour of the Zaire
United Workers organization, the Commission would like
to draw your attention to the six-month humanitarian
assistance programme it prepared following a mission to
evaluate humanitarian needs in Zaire in May 1994 . This
programme was aimed primarily at the Shaban population,
focusing on the towns of Likasi and Kolwesi in Shaba,
Mwene Ditu and Mbuji Mayi in eastern Kasai, and was
intended purely as a bridging operation linking on-going
projects and the health facilities support programme . As a
result, the amount of aid set by the Commission was very
limited and would allow for only those activities and
programmes already being funded by the Community since
the events in Shaba of 1992 to be continued .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-25 / 95

by Mihail Papayannakis ( GUE / NGL )

to the Commission

( 19 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 104 )

Subject : Computerization of the IKA

Some Dr 12 billion from the Delors Package have been set
aside for the computerization of the IKA ( Social Security
Foundation ). This project has been repeatedly postponed
owing to differences that have arisen in the administration .
Can the Commission confirm that it has appointed an
expert to resolve these differences in respect of this specific
project and can it say exactly why these differences have
arisen ?

' modernization of public administration ' raised a number of
questions concerning the management of the IK A ( Social
Security Foundation ) computerization project and in
particular the technical aspects of implementing the master
plan adopted by IKA .

The Commission appointed an expert to examine the master
plan and put forward a concrete proposal, working closely
with the competent authorities . In the light of the results of
this expert opinion and the information received by the
Greek authorities, the parties concerned have agreed that
the IKA should go ahead with implementation of the master
plan .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-34 / 95

by André Sainjon ( ARE )

to the Commission

( 25 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 105 )

Subject : Hungary's reinforcement of customs protection

for cars

The association agreement between the Community and
Hungary, which was signed on 16 December 1991 and
whose trade aspects came into force on 1 January 1992,
provides for the establishment of a free trade area between
both parties by 1 January 2001 . To this end, Hungary must
gradually dismantle its customs duties . The first reduction,
involving private cars, was due to take effect on 1 January

1995 .

Invoking a ' nascent industries ' clause, Hungary decided to
raise the level of its customs protection for private cars of
less than 1 600 cm ( 3 ). Customs duty, which was due to fall
from 13 % to 11,7% under the timetable negotiated as part
of the agreement, would be raised to 25 % for vehicles
imported from the Community .

Clearly, this measure provides protection for Suzuki and, to
some extent, Opel, as these manufacturers together
represent about 40 % of the Hungarian market for private
cars . How does the Commission plan to react to this
discriminatory measure ?

24 . 4 . 95 I M Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 53

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek

WRITTEN QUESTION E-36 / 95

on behalf of the Commission

by Mark Killilea ( RDE )
( 14 February 1995 ) to the Commission

( 25 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 107 )
At the end of October 1994, Hungary informed the
Commission of its intention to adopt exceptional measures
of limited duration in the form of increased customs duties
for several categories of private car under Article 28 of the Subject : Structural Funds and
Europe agreement . The Community expressed great programmes in Ireland
concern at this but, before the consultations requested by
the Community as provided for under the Agreement Could In its submission to the European
be held, the Hungarian Government decided not to proceed 1994 — 1999 round of Structural
with implementation of he planned measures . It follows that

proposed any specific measures to

the schedule for dismantling customs duties on private cars
remains in force . support programmes ?

Subject : Structural Funds and child-care support
programmes in Ireland

In its submission to the European Commission under the

1994 — 1999 round of Structural Funds, has Ireland
proposed any specific measures to implement child-care
support programmes ?

If so, can the Commission give details of these ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
WRITTEN QUESTION E-35 / 95 on behalf of the Commission

by Jean-Pierre Raffarin ( PPE ) ( 16 February 1995 )

to the Council

( 23 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 106 )

Subject : Redirection of investment to western regions

The Atlantic regions are worried because :

— the entry of Austria into the European Union marks the

shift of Europe's centre of gravity to the east ;

— the last European Summit in Essen excluded most of the

Atlantic Arc from the 14 major projects intended to
improve the trans-European networks .

What measures does the French Presidency intend to take to
redirect public and private investment to western regions,
which are fighting against their impaired worsened
peripheral location ?

Answer

( 16 March 1995 )

The Council defined the operational rules of the Structural
Funds and entrusted the administration of those rules to the

Commission . It is not for the Council to intervene to steer its

administration in any particular direction .

During the negotiations between the Commission and the
Irish authorities on the Community support framework

( CSF ) for Ireland 1994 — 1999, it was agreed that almost
ECU 7 million European Social Fund ( ESF ) assistance would
be devoted to specific actions concerning the promotion of
equal opportunities in the labour market between men and
women . Of this, approximately ECU 2 million will be
invested in the training of workers and managers for
child-care centres under the human resource development
operational programme .

The urban, local and rural development operational
programme aims to assist in the development of designated
disadvantaged areas . Local partnership boards will develop
and implement action plans, which can include support for
pilot pre-school units . It is not possible to indicate a precise
allocation to this area, as this will depend on action plans,
which have yet to be submitted .

The Commission adopted the operational programme for
the employment initiative for Ireland in December 1994 .
The NOW strand of this initiative aims to promote equal
opportunities between women and men in the labour
market, through the provision of Structural Fund assistance
for innovative and trans-national actions . This strand of the

employment initiative is receiving ECU 18,5 million
Structural Fund assistance up to the end of 1993, which
includes support for the establishment of innovative models
of child-care provision . As actual projects to benefit from
assistance have not yet been selected, it is not possible to
indicate precisely what proportion of the employment
budget will be devoted to this priority area .

No C 103 / 54 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

WRITTEN QUESTION E-47 / 95

by Jürgen Schröder ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 16 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 108 )

Subject : Community initiatives and the Free State of

Saxony

The Free State ( Federal Land ) of Saxony is in receipt of
financial aid from the EU under a number of Community

For cosmetics products produced without recourse to
animal experiments a logo has been introduced in Germany
showing a rabbit with a protecting hand over it .

In respect of which products or groups of products have EU
labels been developed in order to help protect human health the environment and animal welfare ?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

on behalf of the Commission

initiatives . Can the Commission state : ( 28 February 1995 )

1, under which Community initiatives Saxony is receiving
financial support,

2, the total amount of financial aid granted to Saxony

under Community initiatives, broken down by year ( up
to 1999 inclusive ) and by Community initiative,

3, the total amount of financial aid paid to date and

remaining to be paid under the Phare Programme in
conjunction with the Community's Interreg II initiative
for cross-border projects in 1994 and 1995 between
Saxony and ( a ) the Czech Republic and ( b ) Poland ?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies

on behalf of the Commission

( 10 February 1995 )

The Commission has not yet taken a decision on the
Community initiatives for Sachsen proposed by the German
Government . When it has done so it will provide the
Honourable Member with the information requested .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-63 / 95

by Ursula Schleicher ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 30 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 109 )

Subject : Labelling of consumer goods

For traditional foodstuffs a ' sun logo ' has just been
introduced for products that are particularly
environmentally-friendly . The environmental label was
introduced on the basis of an EC Directive . Parliament had
also proposed a logo for foodstuffs exposed to radiation,
but this proposal was not adopted by the Commission .

Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 880 / 92 of 23 March 1992 on
a Community eco-label award scheme (*) lays down the
conditions for the award of a label intended to promote
products which have a reduced environmental impact .
Pursuant to Article 2 of this Regulation, the label does not
apply to food, drink or pharmaceuticals .

The label is awarded by product groups . Applications for
the award of the label must be addressed to a competent
authority designated by each Member State .

The ecological criteria for each product group are
determined on the basis of an assessment, covering the entire
life cycle of the products, of the products ' impact on the
environment . Hence consumers are assured that the

products receive the Community label only on the basis of
an overall study and not by virtue of some adventitious
characteristic .

Regulation ( EEC ) No 880 / 92 does not define the criteria for
award of the eco-label with the specific objective of animal
protection in mind . However, this label may not be awarded
to products which do not comply with Community
legislation in regard to health, safety or the environment .

Commission Directive 94 / 2 / EC of 21 January 1994
implementing Council Directive 92 / 75 / EEC with regard to
energy labelling of household electrical refrigerators,
freezers and their combinations ( 2 ) specifies that the
labelling of such appliances, with a breakdown by category,
must comply with a model, and provides for the affixing of a
logo corresponding to the Community eco-label, if such a
label has been awarded .

Two drafts are current being prepared with an eye to laying
down details for the labelling of dryers and washing
machines in regard to energy consumption, using the same
logo .

i 1 ) OJ No L 99, 11 . 4 . 1992 .

( 2 ) OJ No L 45, 17 . 2 . 1994 .

24 . 4 . 95 |_ EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 55

WRITTEN QUESTION E-66 / 95

Joint answer to Written Questions E-66 / 95 and E-67 / 95

by Jannis Sakellariou ( PSE ) given by Mr Pinheiro

on behalf of the Commission
to the Commission

( 14 February 1995 )
( 30 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 110 )

Subject : Arms shipments by individual EU Member States

to Sudan's neighbours

Does the Commission agree that :

1 . A political solution must be sought to the civil war in the
Sudan ;

2 . Arms shipments to neighbouring countries aimed at
enabling them to give the Sudanese Government military
support in its struggle against the resistance movement
are counter-productive, if the political solution
advocated above is to be achieved ; and

3 . Individual Member States must not therefore
circumvent the arms embargo imposed on the Sudan by
the EU on 15 March 1994 by supplying neighbouring
countries with arms to achieve the object set out in
Paragraph 2 above ?

If not, why not ?

If so, what measures does the Commission intend to take to
persuade individual Member States that the common line

adopted by the European Union is right ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-67 / 95

by Jannis Sakellariou ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 30 January 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 111 )

Subject : Military aid by individual EU Member States to the

Sudanese Government

Does the Commission agree that a political solution must be
sought to the civil war in the Sudan ?

If not, why not ?

If so, what measures does the Commission intend to take, in
view of the fact that individual Member States are

supporting the Sudanese Government in its struggle against
the resistance movement by providing military aid, notably
in the form of training for Sudanese police officers and
security equipment for the Sudanese Government ?

The Commission shares the opinion that only a negotiated
and lasting settlement can bring a peaceful solution to the
civil war in southern Sudan . It, therefore, continues —
together with the Member States — to support the initiative
in the framework of the inter-governmental authority on
drought and development ( IGADD ), a regional mediation
approach which is seen by the Member States and by the
Commission as a political possibility to end the suffering of
the populations concerned .

Consequently the European Union has repeatedly urged the
warring parties in the framework of the common foreign
and security policy ( CFSP ) to implement a ceasefire and to
make serious efforts to achieve a negotiated solution in the
IGADD context, and has expressed its full support for the
diplomatic efforts undertaken by the heads of State of the
four mediating IGADD countries concerned .

While development cooperation with the Sudan, in
particular under the Lomé Convention, has been reduced
since 1990 to an absolute minimum, the European Union
and the Sudanese authorities are engaged since July 1994 in
a frank dialogue on the political and humanitarian concerns .
The subjects discussed are essentially humanitarian
assistance ( in particular access and obstacles to relief
operations ), the civil war in the south and human rights
issues . It is too early to draw final conclusions, and the frank
dialogue is to be continued .

In the framework of CFSP, and in particular based on
Article J.2 of the Treaty on European Union, the Council
adopted on 15 March 1994 a common position on an
embargo on the export of arms, ammunition and military
equipment to Sudan . According to Article J.2, the Member
States ensure that their national policies conform to the
common positions . The implementation of this embargo
falls, therefore, under the exclusive responsibility of the
Member States .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-75 / 95

by Hiltrud Breyer ( V )

to the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 112 )

Subject : EU aid for the Saarland

1 . Can the Commission say which projects in the
Saarland ( FRG ) have received aid over the last ten years, or
are currently receiving and, from EU programmes, how
much each project has received, or is receiving and which EU

No C 103 / 56 HEN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

programmes are involved, distinguishing between those
programmes that require complementary funding from
Lander, Federal or Municipal budgets and those
programmes or funds that do not ?

2 . Can it provide a comparative table showing the
take-up rates by the German Lander, both at present and
over the last ten years, of EU resources, broken down by
programme and fund ?

3 . Can it provide a comparative table showing the
take-up rates of programmes by the Federal German Lander
and the Member States of the Union both at present and
over the last ten years, indicating which programmes have
been extensively, moderately and insufficiently used ?

4 . Can it name the EU funds and programme, requiring
complementary funding that have existed over the last ten
years or exist at present ; which of these have provided — or
provide — resources for the Saarland and which have — or
do — not ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-76 / 95

by Helwin Peter ( PSE ) and Doris Pack ( PPE )

to the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 113 )

Subject : Allocation of aid to the Saarland over the last five

yers

1 . Can the Commission say which projects in the
Saarland are receiving aid from EU programmes, how much
each project is receiving, and which EU programmes are
involved, distinguishing between those programmes that
require complementary funding by Land, Federal or
Municipal budgets and those programmes or funds that do
not ?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-75 / 95 and E-76 / 95

given by Mr Santer
on behalf of the Commission

(9 March 1995 )

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to
answer the question . It will communicate its findings as
soon as possible .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-81 / 95

by Ludivina García Arias ( PSE )

to the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

(9 SIC 103 / 114 )

Subject : Council Directive of 20 October 1980

Article 8 of Council Directive 80 / 987 / EEC of 20 October

1980 on the approximation of the laws of the Member
States relating to the protection of employees in the event of
the insolvency of their employer (*) establishes the duty of
Member States to ensure that employers fulfil their
contractual obligations towards employees in the event of
the insolvency of the employer .

To what extent has this Directive, and more specifically the
provisions of Article 8, been transposed into the national
law of the Member States ?

Could the Commission give an assessment of the Directive's
implementation in each Member State ?

On how many occasions and for what reasons have
employees who have been affected by the insolvency of their
employer and / or by the failure of Member States to respond
in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity had to
appeal to the Commission or the Court of Justice of the
European Union ?

( x ) OJ No L 283, 28 . 10 . 1980, p . 23 .

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

2 . Can it provide a comparative table showing the ( 16 February 1995 )
take-up rates by the German Lander of EU resources,
broken down by programme and fund ?

3 . Can it provide any information regarding the relative
take-up rates of EU funds and programmes by the Federal
German Lander and the Member States of the Union ?

The Commission will shortly be presenting to the Council
and Parliament the report on the transposai of Council
Directive 80 / 987 / EEC of 20 October 1980 on the

approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to
the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of
their employer .

4 . Can it have the EU funds and programmes that require All of the questions which the Honourable Member put to
complementary funding from public budgets in the the Commission will be answered in detail in this report .
individual Member States, and say which of these provide
resources for the Saarland and which do not ?

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 57

QUESTION E-88 / 95 The charges levied by certain EICs for such services do not

Muscardini ( NI ) appear excessive and should not be an obstacle to the wide

to the Commission dissemination of Community information .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-88 / 95

by Cristiana Muscardini ( NI )

(8 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 115 )

Subject : The activities of the Milan Euro Info Centres

The reply to my previous question ( No 2091 / 94 (*)) on the
same subject was unsatisfactory . I have therefore decided to
reformulate some of my questions .

1 . Does the Commission feel that the fee of Lit 80 000

charged for an Official Journal is justified by the fact
that the charges are widely publicized and known to
users ?

2 . Does the Commission consider that the charge made for
such a service will contribute to the dissemination of

information ?

3 . Does the Commission feel that making available a text
published by the Official Journal counts as an ' active '
added-value service or as advice, thereby justifying a
charge on this scale ?

(') OJ No C 30, 6 . 2 . 1995, p . 57 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-109 / 95

by Manuel Medina Ortega ( PSE )

to the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 116 )

Subject : Fishery agreements with Morocco

What are the prospects for negotiating a new fisheries
agreement with Morocco so as to guarantee continued
fishing activity for the Community fleet working in the
weaters administered by that country as of the data on
which the present agreement runs out ?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino

on behalf of the Commission

( 10 March 1995 )

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to

the reply it gave to Oral Question H-40 / 95 by Mrs Fraga
Estévez during question time at Parliament's February 1995
part-session (*).

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis t 1 ) Debates of the Parliament ( February 1995 ).

on behalf of the Commission

( 10 March 1995 )

Further to the reply to question No 2091 / 94, the
Commission is able to provide the following additional
details :

Annual subscription to the Official Journals costs a
company ECU 1 150 per annum and the price of a single
copy ranges from ECU 6 to ECU 12 .

Many companies do not usually take out these
subscriptions, preferring to use the services of an
intermediary such as a Euro-Info Centre ( EIC ) which will
provide them with a more appropriate service :

— generally, a company knows neither the exact title of the

document sought and even less often the corresponding
Official Journal reference . The EIC helps the company to
identify the relevant text, often using a databank
search ;

— the document thus identified is not always of direct use

to the businessman . The EIC will supplement the
information and, if need be, add comments necessary to
enable the company to benefit from it .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-113 / 95

by Joaquín Sisó Cruellas ( PPE )

to the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 117 )

Subject : Eco-taxes

What is the Commission's attitude to the declarations by
Belgium and Holland that they will conjointly introduce an
energy tax if this is not done at European level, given the flat
opposition which such a tax arouses, particularly in the
UK ?

Answer given by Mr Monti
on behalf of the Commission

( 24 February 1995 )

The Commission considers that the reports referred to by
the Honourable Member concern what are no more than

statements of intent originating from various national

No C 103 / 58 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

sources . It does not consider that it would be appropriate to
adopt a position on a matter that is under examination by
the relevant Community bodies and is still being discussed
with the Member States .

the needs of workers and employers . The Commission is
now reviewing with the members of Eures how this might
best be achieved . The Commission will, within the limits of
the budget available, play a full part in expanding the
network bearing in mind that the public employment
services must also play an active role in these
developments .

A copy of the directory of Euro-advisers is sent direct to the
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1 16 / 95 Honourable Member and to the Secretariat-General of the

by Joaquín Sisó Cruellas ( PPE ) Parliament .

to the Commission

(8 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 118 )

Subject : The ' Eures ' employment network

The new ' Eures ' European employment network was
inaugurated on 17 November 1994, with the aim of
encouraging mobility at European level by disseminating
offers and requests for employment by means of
Euro-assessors .

My information indicates that this nework is for workers
and employers . Given the high levels of unemployment
which exist within the Union, can the Commission state
whether this network also reaches all those Community
citizens who are unemployed, particularly those seeking
first - time employment ?

Given that there are at present 350 Euro-assessors spread
throughout the countries of the Union, could the
Commission provide me with a list of the names and
locations of all the various European bodies which they
assist ?

Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

( 21 February 1995 )

Eures has a mandate to inform, counsel and place all job
seekers whether they are employed, unemployed or young
people looking for their first job .

Eures operates through a partnership between the
Commission, national employment services and other
institutions interested in labour mobility ( e.g . trade unions
and employers organizations particularly in the
cross-border areas ) in the Member States and in the
countries of the European Economic Area . The partners are
linked by and make use of two European data bases, one
containing job offers and applications for work and the
other information on living and working conditions .

One of the priorities for the development of Eures, which
was agreed with the partners in December, is to develop
Eures services and to consolidate the network so that it is no

problem for an individual to gain access and so that it meets

WRITTEN QUESTION E-318 / 95

by Glyn Ford ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 13 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 119 )

Subject : Use of the leghold trap

With respect to Regulation ( EEC ) No 3254 / 91 ( ), will the
Commission impose an import ban on countries which have
banned the use of the leghold trap, but have not introduced
internationally agreed humane trapping standards ?

(!) OJ No L 308, 9 . 11 . 1991, p . 1 .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-319 / 95

by Glyn Ford ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 13 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 120

Subject : Use of leghold traps

Will the Commission impose an import ban under
Regulation ( EEC ) No 3254 / 91 on countries which have
adopted an internationally agreed humane trapping
standard which would still permit the use of leghold
traps ?

WRITTEN QUESTION E-320 / 95

by Glyn Ford ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 13 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 121

Subject : Régulation ( EEC ) No 3254 / 91

Will the Commission confirm that the purpose of
Regulation ( EEC ) No 3254 / 91 to ban the import of certain
furs was to discourage or bring an end to the use of the
leghold trap ?

24 . 4 . 95 EN Official Journal of the European Communities No C 103 / 59

WRITTEN QUESTION E-321 / 95

by Glyn Ford ( PSE )

to the Commission

their right of free movement in another Member State .
Permits are issued by the Member States .

( 13 February 1995 )

Following the Commission's contacts with the Italian

95 / C 103 / 122 ) authorities, the latter issued a circular to the regional and

local authorities reminding them of their obligation to
comply with Community law relating to the issuing of
Subject : Humane killing residence documents . A memo also requested them to report
cases in which irregular practices had been identified .

Does the Commission consider drowning to be a humane
method of killing either captive or wild animals in the
European Community ? The Commission has received a number of complaints
concerning this problem in recent months and has again
contacted the Italian authorities to ask for details of the

information they have obtained on the practice in question

Joint answer to Written Questions

and to take the necessary measures to resolve the individual

E-318 / 95, E-319 / 95, E-320 / 95 and E-321 / 95 cases reported to the Commission .

95 / C 103 / 122 )

Joint answer to Written Questions
E-318 / 95, E-319 / 95, E-320 / 95 and E-321 / 95

given by Mrs Bjerregaard
on behalf of the Commission

( 21 March 1995 )

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its

answers to his Written Questions Nos 674 / 94 to
682 / 94 i 1 ).

(!) OJ No C 6, 9 . 1 . 1995 . WRITTEN QUESTION E-398 / 95

by Glenys Kinnock ( PSE )

to the Commission

(6 February 1995 )

WRITTEN QUESTION E-369 / 95 ( 95 / C 103 / 124 )

by Christine Crawley ( PSE )

to the Commission

( 15 February 1995 ) Subject : Aid conditionality and drug control
( 95 / C 103 / 123 ) performance

Subject : Difficulties for UK citizens in Italy

The Commission will be aware of the Permesso di Soggiorno
required by UK nationals resident in Italy . In the light of the
Commission's reply to my question E-786 / 94 ( J ), what steps
has the Commission taken to ensure freedom of movement

and residence in Italy for European Union citizens, what has
been ' the Italian Government's reaction and when will the

requirement for the Permesso di Soggiorno cease ?

In the light of the suggestion in the proposed European
Action Plan to Combat Drugs, that EU aid to developing
countries could be made conditional on the latter's progress
in drug control, would the Commission clarify what criteria
it proposes to use to progress ?

t 1 ) OJ No C 6, 9 . 1 . 1995, p . 45 . Answer given by Mr Marin
on behalf of the Commission

( 24 February 1995 )
Answer given by Mr Flynn
on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 1995 )

Community law ( Article 4.2 of Directive 68 / 360 / EEC )
makes provision for a residence permit ( carta di soggiorno )
to be issued as proof of the right of residence granted by the
Member States inter alia to Community workers exercising

In its communication to the Council and the Parliament on
an action plan to combat drugs ( 1995 — 1999 ) (*), the
Commission has proposed that the European Union, in the
context of its common foreign and security policy, not only
include the ' drugs ' question in the political dialogue between
the European Union and third countries, but also envisage

No C 103 / 60 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 24 . 4 . 95

common actions to improve the capacity and willingness of
certain countries or regions to commit themselves fully to
the fight against drugs . It is also suggested that if partner
countries were to maintain a resolutely negative attitude
towards the démarches or political requests, there might be
a reappraisal of the assistance policies of the Community
and the Member States, with due regard to the legal nature
of existing external obligations e.g . the contractual nature of
the Lomé Convention .

Pending a conclusion by the Council on the Commission's
proposal, no action has been taken in the directions outlined
above, and accordingly, no criteria have yet been devised to
relate the conduct of development assistance to the fight
against drugs .

It is however relevant to mention that, when the Council
adopted, on 19 December 1994, Regulation ( EC )
No 3281 / 94 applying a four-year scheme of generalized
tariff preferences in respect of certain industrial products
originating from developing countries ( 2 ), the special
preference then adopted for the benefit of the countries of
the Andean pact in support of their fight against drugs, it
also adopted an article calling on the Commission to
examine annually the, progress made by these countries in
their fight against drugs . This examination might lead to
partial or full removal of the special preference granted . This
is a first example of a formal link between a measure of trade
and economic assistance by the Community and the drug
control performance of the beneficiary . Criteria and
procedures have still to be established, in consultation with
the beneficiary countries .

WRITTEN QUESTION E-404 / 95

by Jean-Pierre Raffarin ( PPE )

to the Commission

( 15 February 1995 )

( 95 / C 103 / 125 )

Subject : Funding of the ' Coupe d' Europe des Saveurs

régionales '

The European Parliament voted to include in the budget for

1995 an appropriation of ECU 1 million for the ' Coupe
d'Europe des Saveurs régionales '.

The aim of this event is to promote regional products of
quality in Europe .

The appropriation was entered under item Bl-381, ' Quality
promotion measures '.

What measures does the Commission intend to adopt to
ensure that this event is indeed organized with its
support ?

Answer given by Mr Fischler
on behalf of the Commission

( 22 March 199S )

(!) COM(94 ) 234 final .

( 2 ) OJ No L 348, 31 . 12 . 1994 . The Commission is conducting a detailed investigation of
the problem raised by the Honourable Member and will
inform him of the outcome as soon as possible .