WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3263/97 by María ESTEVAN BOLEA to the Commission. Petroleum coke
C 134/128 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 4. 98 (98/C 134/168) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3262/97 by Peter Skinner (PSE) to the Commission (20 October 1997) Subject: Improvements in transnational knowledge of fire Fire has devastating impacts within the whole of the European Community and has no respect for national boundaries. The action programme in the field of civil protection, proposed by DG XI, offers one practical way of assisting experts to develop better strategies. The action programme has no budget for 1997. Would the Commissioner confirm that new proposals for a continuing budget are to be made and that an urgent and sustained effort will be made to have these proposals adopted and approved. Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (21 November 1997) The proposal for a Council decision establishing a Community action programme in the field of civil protection (1) is still before the Council. If this programme is adopted in the very near future, it is for the budgetary authority to allocate appropriations to this Community activity. (1) OJ C 202, 12. 7. 1996. (98/C 134/169) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3263/97 by Mar ·a Estevan Bolea (PPE) to the Commission (20 October 1997) Subject: Petroleum coke What are the properties of petroleum coke, especially as regards: › › the sulphur percentage content the parts per million of: chlorine, fluorine, lead, zinc, copper, chromium, nickel, cadmium, vanadium, others › and its calorific value? Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (14 November 1997) Petroleum coke has a sulphur content of between 2 and 6. 5%, a heavy metal content of less than 1 000 parts per million (ppm) (in these heavy metals, the vanadium content varies between 200 and 400 ppm), and a gross calorific value of approximately 7 780 kilocalories per kilogram. (98/C 134/170) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3273/97 by Gianni Tamino (V) to the Commission (20 October 1997) Subject: Plans to exterminate grey squirrels According to a report published in the Italian newspaper LíUnita‘ on 27 July 1997, the United Kingdom and Belgium have asked the European Union to support a programme to eradicate the grey squirrel because they are worried that the indigenous red squirrel is being ousted from increasingly wide distribution areas. In Italy, a Turin University project, authorized by the National Institute for Wild Fauna, has been blocked by a judge because it infringes national hunting legislation