WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1871/97 by Gerardo FERNÁNDEZ-ALBOR to the Commission. Safety in children's play areas
22. 1. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 21/107 (98/C 21/215) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1871/97 by Gerardo Ferna·ndez-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (30 May 1997) Subject: Safety in childrenís play areas Childrenís play areas in Spain are not as safe as they should be, according to the Spanish Ombudsman, who has just produced a study showing that the child mortality rate in Spain as a result of accidents at home and during leisure activities is 9. 4 per thousand among the under-fourteens. This is the highest rate in the European Union. The study recommends that the games and safety environment in play areas be standardized. It says that if the efforts of the European committee to achieve standardization do not bear fruit, Spain should adopt mandatory standards to ensure the safety and hygiene of its play areas. What is the current position regarding the proceedings of the EU committee in question and what initiatives could the Commission put forward on this matter, so as to prevent, or at least reduce, the grave shortcomings identified by the Spanish Ombudsman in this area? Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (10 July 1997) An extensive working programme for standardisation of playground equipment has been carried out by the European committee for standardisation (CEN) one of the three recognized European standardisation organizations, for a number of years. The work is now almost finalized. The general standard for safety requirements and test methods (prEN 1176-1) will most likely be finalized after a meeting in June 1997 and the standards for additional requirements and test methods for certain specific types of equipment (carousels, swings, rocking equipment, slides and runways) are to be finalized within a few months thereafter. Voting will take place during the autumn of this year. The work has been carried out with consumer-representation coordinated through the European association for the co-ordination of consumer representation in standardisation (ANEC). According to ANECs assessment the standards will provide for a satisfactory level of safety. Moreover on 14th May 1997, the Commission adopted a communication (1) and a proposal for a Parliament and Council decision adopting a programme of Community action on injury prevention in the context of the framework for action in the field of public health. This programme will be aimed at reducing the number of injuries in key areas, including home and leisure accidents involving children, young adults and elderly people. (1) COM(97) 178 final. (98/C 21/216) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1878/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (2 June 1997) Subject: Actions to support run-down urban areas In the European Regionsí bulletin of 18 October 1996 ( Information Note: The Unioní, p. 359) actions in support of run-down urban areas are announced. These actions, which are approved by the European Commission and cover a series of measures to run for five years, in accordance with the rules on state aid, are intended to promote job creation in the poorest neighbourhoods of the EUís towns and cities. This should enable the governments of the Member States to provide financial support in the run-down areas to maintain or set up firms which have a purely local vocation. The measures are directed mainly at unemployed young people, young people without vocational qualifications and women and will cost a maximum of ECU 10 000 for each job created