WRITTEN QUESTION E-2629/99 by Francesco Speroni (TDI), Umberto Bossi (TDI) and Gian Gobbo (TDI) to the Commission. Participation of the President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, in the international summit of the left.
C 46 E/2 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 13. 2. 2001 All payments by the Commission are based on the specific items listed in the decision, which means that assistance cannot be provided twice for the same expenditure. The first phase of the project was finished according to the timetable drawn up when the part-financing decision was adopted. Car parks were provided for in the initial decision to prevent vehicles parking in the protected areas. The rebuilding of the boundary wall of the park is included in the second phase of the project and is largely complete. The two phases of the project made no provision for a ban on traffic on the road system in the Casa de Campoí park. (2001/C 46 E/002) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2036/99 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission (3 November 1999) Subject: Knorr Bremse and European funding Knorr Bremse has announced several hundred redundancies in Kingswood, Bristol (UK), in order to transfer work to its factories in France, Italy or Germany and Hungary. Can the Commission say whether any financial assistance of any kind has been asked for by this company or given to this company for job creation in France, Italy or Germany or through TACIS and PHARE programmes in Hungary? Supplementary answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (3 May 2000) According to information from the European Social Fund Mission in France, in 1997 and 1998 the Knorr Dahl Freinage branch in Lisieux (Lower Normandy) received financial assistance under Objective 4 for training (improving skills in various fields) amounting to FRF 909 000. This assistance was not aimed at job creation, to which the Honourable Member refers in his question. In Berlin, Germany, Hasse & Wrede GmbH, a subsidiary company of Knorr Bremse AG, received DEM 533 000 for investments in machinery and equipment, mainly in order to retain existing jobs. In Italy this company received no Community part-financing. As far as the Commission is aware, Knorr Bremse has never asked for or benefited from Community assistance through the P programme in Hungary, and this country is not eligible for the T programme. Finally, Knorr Bremse received no funding under the Community initiatives A or E. (2001/C 46 E/003) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2629/99 by Francesco Speroni (TDI), Umberto Bossi (TDI) and Gian Gobbo (TDI) to the Commission (12 January 2000) Subject: Participation of the President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, in the international summit of the left On Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 November 1999, Romano Prodi, in the capacity of President of the Commission, participated in the international summit of left-wing leaders, together with Jospin, DíAlema, Clinton, Blair et al. 13. 2. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 46 E/3 In taking part in this meeting, does Mr Prodi believe he has fully represented the various strands of political and cultural opinion within the EU and its institutions? Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission (21 February 2000) Mr Prodi took part as an observer in a meeting between centre-left Heads of State and Government on Sunday 21 November 1999 on topics directly concerning Europeís development prospects in relation to globalisation. The day before, he had addressed the opening session, which was separate from the formal proceedings of the summit. His contribution to the meeting can be summarised as a presentation of his vision for and ideas on the European social model and the fight against unemployment. He has expressed his ideas on numerous occasions, before Parliament and elsewhere. The President of the Commission has a political function to perform. In keeping with the obligations imposed by that function, he retains the right to express his political views in complete independence and on his own responsibility. (2001/C 46 E/004) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2711/99 by Francesco Turchi (UEN) to the Commission (11 January 2000) Subject: Noise pollution Everybody who lives near noise sources run risks to his or her health. The effects may vary according to the physical characteristics of the noise, the times when and the way in which the noise is emitted, and can be classified as causing damage, nuisance or annoyance. Exposure to noise can have serious effects on the hearing, as well as causing light-headedness, speech difficulties, memory problems, fatigue, violent headaches, general exhaustion, irritability and anxiety. Sleep disturbances caused by noise lead to problems and personality changes. Can the Commission therefore say what has been and is being done in Europe to safeguard the health of all citizens and what measures have been put into effect to mitigate the problem and reduce noise levels? Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (3 February 2000) The effects of noise pollution on health, for example memory loss, fatigue, irritability and others, have been widely documented in medical literature. They have been a public health concern for some time. The reduction of noise in the environment, in the home and in the workplace is a long-term task. Several European legislative texts regulate noise by limiting emission levels. The most important of these are Council Directives 86/594/EEC of 1 December 1986 on airborne noise emitted by household appliances (1) and 86/188/EEC of 12 May 1986 on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to noise at work (2). The latter will shortly be revised within the process of revising the Directive on protecting the health of workers from exposure to vibrations, noise and electromagnetic fields (3). This Directive has now been split, and only the vibrations aspect is currently being discussed in the Council. A Green Paper has been published on exposure of the public to noise: the Commission Green Paper of 4 November 1996 ü Future noise policy (4). The Commission is also working to reduce noise emissions from aeroplanes by using silencers, and is funding research and noise prevention work via the programme of Community action on pollution-related diseases (5)