WRITTEN QUESTION No. 742/98 by Mihail PAPAYANNAKIS to the Commission. 'Western Road Axis'
9. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 310/121 What steps does the Commission intend to take to allow these wine growers to recover their right to the áorganic farmingí classification? (1) OJ L 198, 22. 7. 1991, p. 1. Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (8 April 1998) 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. (98/C 310/161) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0739/98 by Klaus Lukas (NI) to the Commission (18 March 1998) Subject: Discrimination against non-ABTA travel agents Documents forwarded to me reveal serious discrimination by regional education authorities in the United Kingdom against tour operators who do not belong to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) or do not have their registered offices in the United Kingdom. Teachers are, for example, instructed by these regional education authorities on no account to choose non-British tour operators or firms that are not members of ABTA to arrange a school ski course in Austria. If this instruction is not followed, the course is not approved. This attitude is all the more incomprehensible as it can hardly be argued that ABTA members provide íbetterí safeguards for the customerís money since the firm concerned is subject to the Austrian travel agency safeguard regulation (safeguards for customersí money), which is equivalent to the British legislation (Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992) implementing the same EU directive. To be able to offer to arrange school ski courses, the Austrian firm concerned tried to join ABTA (despite the substantial increase in costs this would have entailed). This proved impossible, however, because ABTAís statutes are so worded as de facto to limit membership to British firms. The attitude of the regional education authorities, especially in conjunction with the approach adopted by ABTA, is now thwarting all the good intentions associated with the establishment of the internal market. 1. Is the Commission aware of these events? 2. What does the Commission think of the attitude taken by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and the British regional education authorities? 3. What does the Commission intend to do about the attitude taken by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and the British regional education authorities in this matter? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (8 May 1998) 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. (98/C 310/162) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0742/98 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (18 March 1998) Subject: Western Road Axisí Will the Commission say what progress has been made so far as regards the Western Road Axisí? Will it also say whether an environmental impact study has been carried out and what exactly it is planning, since it is reported that preliminary work on the road and the process of expropriation have already begun, triggering protests and accusations?