WRITTEN QUESTION E-0285/00 by Claude Desama (PSE) to the Commission. Proposed merger between Worldcom and Sprint.
C 303 E/172 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 24. 10. 2000 Does this arrangement contravene the principle of equality implied in Community law? Could any steps be taken under Community law to change the provisions? Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission (16 March 2000) Rules on acquiring or losing nationality are governed exclusively by the national law of each Member State. This was made quite clear in Declaration No 2 annexed to the Treaty on European Union, which states that áthe question whether an individual possesses the nationality of a Member State shall be settled solely by reference to the national law of the Member State concerned. í (2000/C 303 E/193) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0285/00 by Claude Desama (PSE) to the Commission (11 February 2000) Subject: Proposed merger between Worldcom and Sprint The proposed merger between Sprint and MCI Worldcom constitutes a market threat to the European Internet backbone network. Together, the two companies would hold a dominant position in the USA, enabling them to charge increased fees to network operators and users. The new merged company would be able to take advantage of its control over critical intersections to make a profit from the provision of data transmission and data switching services worldwide on Internet. How does the Commission intend to respond to this anti-competitive arrangement? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (7 March 2000) The proposed merger between Spring and MCI WorldCom was notified to the Commission on 11 January 2000 so that it could be scrutinised for compatibility with the common market. As in 1998 when examining the merger between MCI and WorldCom, the Commission will carefully study the effects of combining the respective activities of Sprint and MCI WorldCom on the Internet market. If the Commission found that the proposed merger would create or reinforce a dominant position, the parties concerned would have to suggest appropriate ways of resolving the competition problems which this would pose. (2000/C 303 E/194) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0291/00 by Jan Wiersma (PSE) to the Commission (11 February 2000) Subject: Phare programme for Croatia In view of the positive outcome of the elections in Croatia on 3 January 2000, will the Commission reconsider the suspension of the Phare programme for Croatia?