WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3167/98 by Anita POLLACK to the Commission. Safety checks on amusement park attractions
C 135/174 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 14. 5. 1999 Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (12 November 1998) Wind farms may cause environmental damage by spoiling the landscape and creating noise and are therefore included in the infrastructure covered by Annex II to Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 amending Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. (1) Annex II projects are subject to environmental impact assessment based on criteria or requirements to be laid down by the Member States regarding their size, location and specific characteristics. The new Directive must be transposed by the Member States by 14 March 1999 at the latest. Moreover, certain wind farms are covered by the provisions of the present Annex II(3)(a) to Directive 85/337/EEC if they are ‘industrial installations for the production of electricity’. (1) OJ L 73, 14. 3. 1997. (1999/C 135/217) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3155/98 by Felipe Camisón Asensio (PPE) to the Council (19 October 1998) Subject: Natural gas consumption Recent data shows that the consumption of natural gas is being reduced significantly in Member States such a Germany, is increasing significantly in Greece and Spain. Does the Council know of any socio-economic reasons for this difference? In this connection also, what are the Council’s forecasts with regard to the consumption of natural gas in the region of Extremadura? the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Finland and Austria, while it Reply (20/21 December 1998) Consumption of natural gas has varied over the years and will continue to do so due to different factors, including weather. However, the general trend in the European Community indicates a steady growth. The Council expects this trend to be reinforced by the entry into force of the Directive on natural gas. The Council has not discussed the consumption of natural gas in any specific region. (1999/C 135/218) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3167/98 by Anita Pollack (PSE) to the Commission (27 October 1998) Subject: Safety checks on amusement park attractions In its reply to Question H-0669/97 (1) the Commission stated it had given a mandate to the European Standardization Organisations to draw up a European standard for technical specifications for fairground equipment. Has this now been done, and does the Commission not agree, that technical specifications are fine as far as they go, but the crux of the matter which needs to be addressed is minimum standards for regular inspection of these attractions to ensure safety is observed at all times? (1) European Parliament debates (September 1997)