WRITTEN QUESTION E-2601/99 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Testing the effects of pesticides on environmental management and on pollution.
C 225 E/180 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 8. 8. 2000 Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (4 February 2000) At this stage, the Council and Parliament have not yet reached a final compromise concerning the Youth programme. The first meeting of the Conciliation Committee was held on 27 January 2000, under the Portuguese Presidency. The Commission is confident that the new programme will be adopted. In so far as the conciliation procedure is to be concluded during the first quarter of the year 2000, all possible steps have been taken to ensure that the programme continues. (2000/C 225 E/200) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2601/99 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (11 January 2000) Subject: Testing the effects of pesticides on environmental management and on pollution 1. Is the Commission aware that the Netherlands is playing a pioneering role in the EU in reducing pollution of the environment by toxic substances in agriculture in that the Dutch authority responsible for the approval of pesticides has banned, with effect from 2000, 42 pesticides still being used in agriculture? 2. Is the Commission also aware that this step forwards puts Dutch farms at a competitive disadvantage compared with similar farms in other EU Member States in that the ban on these 42 substances makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Dutch farmers to grow potatoes, bulbs, onions, grass seed, flax and beans? Dutch farmers ü who are already under considerable pressure ü are put in such a difficult position that the result is bankruptcies; one step forwards is tantamount to one step back. Can the Commission say to what extent other Member States are adopting the measures taken by the 3. Netherlands and, if so, when? 4. What action has been taken, or is being taken, to (further) limit the adverse affects of poisonous substances in agriculture, even if this is at the expense of further intensification and increases in scale in the agricultural sector? 5. Is the Commission prepared to combine the desire for reducing pollution of the environment with counteracting distortion of competition by working towards the introduction of a directive on pesticides applicable to all EU countries which is at least as stringent as the rules currently in force in the Netherlands? Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (14 February 2000) The Commission is aware that the Netherlands have reviewed recently the authorisation of a number 1. of active substances. 2. Council Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July 1991 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market (1) provides conditions under which Member States can grant authorisations for plant protection products. This Directive provides for a gradual re-evaluation of all the active substances which were on the market in July 1993. This re-evaluation is under way. The Commission intends to adopt in early 2000 a new regulation to speed up this review. 3. The Commission has no information to which extent other Member States have taken or will take the same measures as the Netherlands. The Commission is however aware of the fact that other Member States are also reviewing the authorisation of certain plant protection products as provided in the Directive. It should be noted that the active substances on which the Netherlands have acted are not necessarily all authorised in all the other Member States. 8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 225 E/181 The Honourable Member is invited to refer to the answer at point 2 above. In addition, in line 4. and 5. with the objectives set out in the Fifth environment action programme and its recent revision and the result of a multi-annual project ending in 1998 with some six reports discussed in a Commission workshop with all concerned, the Commission is preparing a communication to Council and Parliament. The workshop documents and conclusions are available on the website of the Commission at: http://europa. eu. int/comm/environment/ppps/home. htm. (1) OJ L 230, 19. 8. 1991. (2000/C 225 E/201) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2602/99 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (11 January 2000) Subject: Access of immigrants who are nationals of other EU Member States to government service posts in Luxembourg On 19 March 1999, in its answer to Question E-4067/98 (1) by Mr SØrgio Ribeiro, the Commission said that infringement proceedings against would be taken out Luxembourg under Article 171 of the EC Treaty. In the second half of the present year, DG V informed the CLAE (the Luxembourg liaison and action committee for non-nationals) that, despite the legislation adopted by the Luxembourg authorities, restric- tions still existed as regards access to government service posts for immigrants from other Member States. A competition is currently under way in Luxembourg city (the notice of competition appeared on 17 November 1999 and the deadline for applications is 24 December 1999) for a number of posts, for which Luxembourg nationality is specified as a condition for admission. Can the Commission provide information on the situation regarding this? (1) OJ C 297, 15. 10. 1999, p. 128. Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (17 February 2000) The Commission would like to inform the Honourable Member that, following adoption of the act of 17 May 1999, it has dropped its infringement proceedings against Luxembourg. This act provides that, in the research, teaching, health, inland transport, posts and telecommunications sectors and in the water, gas and electricity distribution services, the nationality requirement shall not apply to applicants who are Community nationals. The ECJ judgment of 2 July 1996 (1) referred only to these areas, to which the Commission had restricted its action in line with its áglobalí approach as set out in its Communication 88/C72/02 (2). As regards posts in central or local government (as referred to in the notice of competition in question), it is for the national authorities, on the basis of the criteria laid down by the Court of Justice and under its supervision, to judge the applicability of Article 39(4) (formerly Article 48) of the EC Treaty on a case by case basis, depending on the duties and responsibilities attaching to each specific post (3). The Commission is currently reviewing the situation in the Member States as regards access to government service outside the above sectors, in particular at the regulatory level