WRITTEN QUESTION No. 756/98 by Outi OJALA to the Commission. Eliminating discrimination based on sexual orientation
C 386/40 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 11. 12. 98 According to the information available to the Commission, as a general rule the production and distribution of drinking water and the collection and treatment of urban waste water in the Member States is the responsibility of the municipalities concerned, groups of municipalities or municipal or regional bodies. The management of the service may be provided by the public body itself or delegated to another public body or to a private or semi-public company. Exceptions are the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece, where the service is the responsibility of national publicly-owned institutions, and England and Wales, where the service is the responsibility of private companies. Investment costs are covered by a combination of a specific payment by the user and financial aid awarded at local, regional, national or Community level, except in Ireland where there is no specific payment. Operating costs are generally covered by the specific payment by the user, again except in Ireland. On this subject, it should be noted that the proposal for a Directive establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (1) provides for the cost of the service to be recovered from users in accordance with the principle of rational use of water resources, while ensuring the quality of the service provided. (1) COM(97) 49 final, as amended by COM(98) 76 final. (98/C 386/054) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0756/98 by Outi Ojala (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (18 March 1998) Subject: Eliminating discrimination based on sexual orientation In its decision in case C-249/96 (Lisa Grant v. South West Trains), the Court of Justice of the European Communities held that, under the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Council may, on a proposal from the Commission and having consulted the European Parliament, take certain measures to eliminate various kinds of discrimina- tion, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Although the Treaty of Amsterdam has not yet been ratified, it is already possible and indeed essential to begin making the changes it contains. What specific measures does the Commission propose to take to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation in the European Union, and how does it propose to involve Parliament in preparations for such measures? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (19 May 1998) The Commission is currently exploring the possibilities offered by Article 13 of the draft Amsterdam Treaty and its implications for Community policy. A wide debate to identify the way forward on Article 13 will be launched during 1998, to ensure a broad consultation with all key actors on non-discrimination issues. Parliament representatives will be involved in this consultation process. At the present time the Commission is not in a position to give the Honourable Member a precise answer concerning the possible priorities, in terms of types of discrimination and specific actions. This question will depend very much of the outcome of the consultation process