WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2433/98 by Bartho PRONK , Petrus CORNELISSEN to the Commission. Exclusion of merchant seamen from EU directives
5. 2. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 31/143 Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission (14 September 1998) The Commission is aware of the claims made recently in the British media that some car manufacturers or dealers are operating price fixing strategies in the United Kingdom. In view of the national character of the alleged strategies, and in the light of the subsidiarity principle, it would seem primarily to be for the United Kingdom authorities to verify whether these allegations are correct and, if so, to take appropriate steps to deal with them. (1999/C 31/200) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2418/98 by Anita Pollack (PSE) to the Commission (27 July 1998) Subject: Monsanto and the terminator gene What legal avenues are open to the EU to persuade or force Monsanto not to use its terminator gene? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (28 September 1998) The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible. (1999/C 31/201) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2433/98 by Bartho Pronk (PPE) and Petrus Cornelissen (PPE) to the Commission Subject: Exclusion of merchant seamen from EU directives (30 July 1998) Merchant seamen are excluded from a large number of directives in the social security field, particularly those concerning employment. " The following directives are some of those involved: 77/187/EEC (1) Safeguarding of employeesí rights in the event of transfers of undertakings 80/987/EEC (2) Protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer (certain national exemptions where crews are covered by other forms of guarantee) 75/129/EEC (3) Collective redundancies 94/45/EC (4) European Works Councils in Community-scale undertakings and groups of undertakings (option for Member States not to apply the Directive to Merchant Navy crews). In the Working Time Directive, a special procedure is followed in order to include merchant seamen within the scope of that Directive. They all prompt the following questions: 1. Does not the Commission feel that it is unfair to exclude merchant seamen from social security directives? 2. What are the reasons for their exclusion? 3. Would the Commission be prepared to take action, similar to the procedure in the Working Time Directive, to put an end to the exclusion of merchant seamen from other Directives?