WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2661/97 by Patricia McKENNA to the Council. Need to incorporate conventions of the International Labour Organization into the World Trade Organization
C 82/124 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 17. 3. 98 Belgium, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Sweden and the United Kingdom have set upgrading and recycling aims in one form or another within their means of transposing Directive 94/62+EEC in order to achieve the result required by Article 6. Belgium and Austria have asked the Commission for an authorisation to exceed the maximum targets provided for in Article 6(1) of the Directive. Scope for this is provided by Article 6(6) of the Directive. The Commission has so far not taken any decision. The Commission has been notified by Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal of draft regulations laying down the upgrading and recycling rates. The draft Finnish and Portuguese measures have still not been adopted. The Dutch authorities have still not informed the Commission of the adoption of their draft. The Commission is unaware of any upgrading and recycling targets laid down in the Danish national legislation transposing Directive 94/62/EC. Greece and Luxembourg have still not transposed the Directive and, to the Commission’s knowledge, have not set any packaging waste upgrading or recycling targets. (1) Europe’e environment statistical compendium for the Dobris assessment (ISBN 92-827-4713-1). (2) See pages 282-285. (3) Commission Decision of 3 February 1997 introducing tables corresponding to the system of databases in accordance with Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste (OJ L 52, 22. 2. 1997). (98/C 82/201) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2661/97 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Council (1 September 1997) Subject: Need to incorporate conventions of the International Labour Organization into the World Trade Organization Solidar, the alliance of non-governmental organizations working on worker and trade union rights, has launched a campaign urging the incorporation of seven key conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) into the World Trade Organization (WTO). The conventions are aimed at protecting fundamental rights in the workplace, including the right to join a trade union, the right not to be subject to slavery or forced labour, the right to oneís own childhood and the right not to be subject to negative discrimination on grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnic or political opinions. Does the Council support the proposals made by Solidar? Will it work so that the WTO commits itself to respecting worker and trade union rights along the lines suggested? Answer (28 October 1997) The first WTO Ministerial Conference held in Singapore from 9 to 13 December 1996 studied at length the problem of fundamental labour standards. In this context, the Council would remind the Honourable Member that the final declaration adopted by that Conference with the European Unionís approval established clearly that the ILO was the competent body for setting and dealing with such standards. The declaration pointed out however that the WTO and ILO Secretariats ôwill continue their existing cooperationö. (98/C 82/202) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2663/97 by Eryl McNally (PSE) to the Commission (25 July 1997) Subject: Rational Planning Techniques in the Electricity and Gas Distribution Sectors What has happened to the Rational Planning Techniques Directive?