WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2938/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Commission initiatives for the development of Internet
C 117/106 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 4. 98 (98/C 117/135) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2936/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (17 September 1997) Subject: Illegal freight pick-ups by Turkish lorries in Greece There have recently been a growing number of complaints by Greek transport companies concerning the illegal practice involving Turkish lorries picking up freight in Greece on their return from Italy to Turkey, a practice which also undermines fair competition. More specifically, Turkish international transport vehicles are picking up freight in Greece on their return from Italy and continuing towards Turkey using their transit licences instead of the paper licence form specified in the bilateral agreement between Greece and Turkey. As a result, business is › illegally › being taken away from transport companies in a Member State, namely Greece, which has, furthermore, issued 3 500 (fully exempt) bilateral or transit licences to Turkish transport companies, a measure which has not been reciprocated by Turkey. Can the Commission intervene and what measures can it take to persuade the Turkish authorities to ensure compliance with the rules by Turkish transport companies, whose current illegal practices are seriously undermining the interests of hundreds of Community transport companies? Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (31 October 1997) The Commission has not been informed of complaints by Greek transport companies concerning Turkish lorries picking up freight in Greece without the proper authorization on their return from Italy to Turkey. Article 1. 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 881/92 relates to access to the market in the carriage of goods by road within the Community to or from the territory of a member State or passing across the territory of one or more Member States (1). Pursuant to that measure the Commission made a recommendation to open negotiations with a number of third countries, including Turkey, on road transport market access. To date the Council has not agreed with the proposal relating to Turkey. In the absence of a specific agreement between the Community and Turkey in road freight transport, the regulation of traffic between Greece and Turkey is a matter for the two countries concerned, subject to compliance with the relevant international rules. (1) OJ L 95, 9. 4. 1992. (98/C 117/136) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2938/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (17 September 1997) Subject: Commission initiatives for the development of Internet US President Clinton has recently promised aid of $100 million to the American data processing industry in order to improve the efficiency of Internet services in the United States. This initiative is known as NGII ( Nxt Generation Internet Initiativeí), and is accompanied by many others, including a second Internet initiative ( Internet II Initiativeí). These developments reflect intensive efforts on the other side of the Atlantic to take the lead in a sector which has decisively influenced developments in the field of communications this decade and will probably continue to do so early in the next century