WRITTEN QUESTION E-0747/00 by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Jobs reliant on EU membership.
C 26 E/102 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission (12 April 2000) The Commission supports strongly the development and use of renewable energy sources, such as the use of wind power and envisages a percentage of 12 % of final energy consumption by 2010. This will help achieve the Kyoto target of minus 8 % and deal with other environmental problems such as acidification or ozone. Obviously, wind-energy plays an important role in such strategies and was one of the fastest growing industries in the Community in 1999. Using alternative methods for energy production does not exclude, however, that such activities might have significant environmental impact in certain situations which should be identified, assessed and taken into account in decision-making. The design and building of wind-farms should take account of other environmental problems which might be encountered so one environmental problem is not replaced by another. Such evaluation does not hamper or delay the use of wind-energy but ensures an environmentally sound approach. Directive 97/11/EC amending the first environmental impact assessment (EIA) Directive does not give details concerning the notion áwind farmsí. It is to be noted that the logic for all activities listed in annex II of Directive 97/11/EC is that it is up to the Member States to determine the details (thresholds and criteria) above which a significant environmental impact is likely to occur. Such determination might differ from one Member State to another depending on specific characteristics. In some cases a wind-farm may consist of at least two wind turbines only which might cause significant environmental impact (e. g. when being placed close to a bird protected area) whereas in others several wind turbines might form a wind-farm. As regards details of how the different Member States have transposed the notion áwind-farmí in their national legislation, it is to be noted that eight Member States, including Germany, still have not fully transposed Directive 97/11/EC. The Commission therefore does not have all information necessary to is defined differently using a answer the question. According to available information áwind-farmí combination of thresholds and criteria (e. g. The Netherlands: áwhere the overall capacity of wind-mills is of 10 MW or more/year or 10 or more wind-millsí, United Kingdom: áthe installation of more than 2 turbines or where the hub height of any turbine or height of any other structure exceeds 15 metresí; Italy: at national level legislation all industrial plants producing power exploiting the wind are subject to screening but if they fall in a nature conservation area they are automatically subject to environmental impact assessment). (2001/C 26 E/122) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0747/00 by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission (13 March 2000) Subject: Jobs reliant on EU membership The British government has stated that 3 445 000 jobs depend solely on exports to the EU. Is this comparable with Commission estimates? Has the Commission made any assessment of how many UK jobs would be at risk if Britain failed to integrate further into the European Union? Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission (27 April 2000) The Commission has not made an estimate of how many jobs in Britain depend solely on exports to the Community. It would not therefore dissent from the estimate of the British government. 26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/103 The Commission has not made any assessment of how many British jobs would be at risk if Britain failed to integrate further into the Union. (2001/C 26 E/123) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0749/00 by John McCartin (PPE-DE) to the Commission (13 March 2000) Subject: Dutch legislation on termination of pregnancy Is the Commission aware of the proposed changes in Dutch legislation allowing abortion in pregnancies over 24 weeks on the grounds that the babies have a disability and does the Commission consider that such a law would be contrary to Article 6 of the Treaties? Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission (11 May 2000) The Commission has not been informed and is not aware of any proposals for changes to Dutch law with regard to abortions to be allowed after the 24th week of pregnancy. In any event, the Commission generally does not think it appropriate to deal with hypothetical questions, such as those that might be raised by draft laws that may or may not be enacted. (2001/C 26 E/124) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0751/00 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Council (15 March 2000) Subject: Rome Convention What meetings have taken place on the proposed legislation on non-contractual obligations (Projet de communication sur la loi applicable aux obligations non-contractuelles (Rome II)) to replace the Rome Convention in the last six months? Where did these meetings take place? Have ministers of Member States discussed this proposal in the last six months? If so, on what occasions and what were their conclusions? If ministers were not involved, what level of civil servants attended the meetings? Which officials attended the meetings? Which Council officials and/or department have overall charge of negotiations on Rome II? Is the inter- service consultation document (DG JAI D (99) 495 ü Communication de la Commission sur la loi applicable aux obligations non-contractuelles), which is in circulation at the present time, available in English? If the answer to this question is yes, from whom may a copy be obtained? If the answer is no, why is no copy available in English? What is the content of the inter-service consultation document? When is the outcome of the inter-service consultation expected? Are any outside bodies being consulted on this proposal? If so, which groups are being consulted and how are these groups selected? When is publication of a formal legislative proposal expected in this area? When is the legislative process expected to be completed?