WRITTEN QUESTION P-0132/00 by Francesco Speroni (TDI) to the Commission. Road signs in Italy.
21. 11. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 330 E/89 (2000/C 330 E/098) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0132/00 by Francesco Speroni (TDI) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Road signs in Italy Italian motorways are full of fifty kph speed-limit signs underneath which is attached another sign indicating that this limit applies only in case of fog. Since this stipulation appears in Italian only, drivers unfamiliar with that language are likely to be confused by the signs. Would the Commission not agree that, in the interests of road safety, action should be taken t make those signs readily understandable to all? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (2 March 2000) Road safety is a key issue within the European transport policy and the Commission fully understands the Honourable Memberís concerns about road signs. Their characteristics, for example their size, shape and colour, are governed by an international agreement administered by the United Nations economic commission for Europe and these signs usually take the form of a pictogram to avoid difficulties of understanding as mentioned by the Honourable Member. However, where it is not the case, it is up to the individual Member State which is a signatory to the Convention to propose a modification to replace text messages with pictograms. (2000/C 330 E/099) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0136/00 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Council (31 January 2000) Subject: Setting up of Eurojust At the Tampere Summit, the European Council decided to set up an agency to provide a more vigorous response to the most serious forms of organised crime (Eurojust). The Council was asked to adopt the necessary legislation by the end of the year 2001. 1. What progress has been made concerning specific plans to set up Eurojust? 2. In so far as it is possible to say at present, how will the agency be structured in organisational terms? 3. What are the Councilís estimates concerning the future staffing levels of Eurojust? 4. What are the Councilís estimates regarding costs? Reply (2 May 2000) The Portuguese Presidency submitted to the Council a discussion paper examining all the possible options regarding setting up Eurojust. A first discussion of this document has already been held within the competent Council bodies. The Presidency also submitted the question of setting up Eurojust to the Justice and Home Affairs ministers at the informal meeting in Lisbon at the beginning of March 2000