WRITTEN QUESTION E-0945/00 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Release of airspace.
13. 2. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 46 E/89 Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (10 May 2000) The Commission is about to complete its assessment of the Danish Governmentís plans to introduce so- called renewable energy (RE) certificates for electricity based on renewable energy sources. A decision should be ready in the near future. The system with regard to RE certificates is as follows. Producers of electricity from renewable energy sources will receive a number of RE certificates representing their total production. Consumers will be obliged to buy RE certificates representing a certain share of their total electricity consumption. Producers of the more expensive RE-based electricity are thereby sure to receive compensation over and above the market price for electricity. The price of the certificates ranges between DKK 0,10 and DKK 0,27 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) electricity they represent. The obligation to buy certificates will raise the total amount on electricity bills for consumers, which the Honourable Member compares to a new form of taxation in all but name. The Commission notes that the money paid for the certificates will not go to the state budget, and therefore does not constitute a tax. It is more like a parafiscal levy, money raised in order to finance a particular project or objective and thus benefitting certain companies, in this case electricity producers using renewable energy sources. The Commission would like to point out that currently producers of RE-based electricity in Denmark receive direct state subsidies, financed from tax revenue. Moreover, the fact that a measure has an effect similar to a consumption tax does not itself have an impact on the Commissionís assessment of the effects of a measure on competition and the functioning of the internal market. It is only when such a measure is not applied in a uniform manner, so that it favours certain undertakings or the production of certain goods, that the Commission can intervene with reference to Article 87(1) (ex-Article 92) of the EC Treaty. The Danish carbon dioxide (CO2) tax on fuels and electricity relates to the CO2 content of the fuel. For electricity, the tax rate relates to the CO2 content of coal, since most power plants in Denmark are coal- fired. With a tax rate of DKK 100 per ton CO2 emitted when electricity is generated from coal, the tax for electricity is DKK 0,10/kWh. Currently, windmills and other RE-based power plants, which emit no or very little CO2, receive a grant of the same amount as a compensation for the tax. During the coming years, these grants will be replaced by the minimum price of the RE-certificates, which is also DKK 0,10/kWh. In this way it is ensured that the power plants concerned continue to be compensated for the CO2 tax. (2001/C 46 E/092) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0945/00 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (29 March 2000) Subject: Release of airspace At a meeting of the federation of European civil aviation, the French representatives insisted that the steady increase in air traffic which was responsible for delays at airports was due chiefly to the poor organisation of existing slots and recalled that military aviation used 60 % of Franceís airspace for long periods of time. Since the problem of flight delays affects all the Member States, will the Commission say: 1. What percentage of airspace is reserved from military use in the other Member States? 2. Do any figures exist for Greece? C 46 E/90 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 13. 2. 2001 3. Does the parallel use of airspace by military aviation pose any safety risk to flights? 4. What are its proposals and those of Eurocontrol on this matter, and specifically on the reduction of the amount of airspace set aside for military flights, so as to increase the airspace for civil aviation flights, thereby increasing their safety? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (22 May 2000) 1. and 2. The percentage of airspace used for military purposes varies between Member States, but is also not constant over time or even over airspace altitude. In addition some ámilitaryí airspace can be used flexibly and will be open to civil use as military operations allow. It is, however, clear that the percentage of airspace used for military purposes is significant and imposes a constraint on civil flights. The Commissionís communication of 1st December 1999 (1) on the creation of the European single sky sets out some further information on this subject in its fourth annex. Each Member State should possess a well-regulated air-traffic control sector, with access to all 3. and 4. necessary information, in particular strategic planning data, flight plan data and air picture. Mutually coherent management of airspace by civil and military controllers is essential for smooth air-traffic control, which in turn maximises safety. If this is the case, there should be no safety issues arising from use of airspace by military and civilian flights and other activities affecting airspace. The Commission has established a high level group constituted of representatives of Member Statesí civil and military air management authorities, which is currently preparing a report to assist the Commission to prepare proposals on the integrated management of airspace and on the development of new concepts, procedures and practices for air traffic management. The group will report in June 2000. The issue of a more efficient use of the available airspace, including current military restrictions, is closely examined in this context. (1) COM(1999) 614 final. (2001/C 46 E/093) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0954/00 by Giles Chichester (PPE-DE) to the Commission (29 March 2000) Subject: MCI Worldcom/Sprint telecoms merger The European Commission now has before it a competition case of exceptional development of the Internet, market ü the proposed merger of MCI WorldCom and Sprint. importance to the information technology, and communications in the European common The merger of MCI WorldCom and Sprint threatens to create a stifling and unacceptable concentra- 1. tion of power over the Internet in the hands of one company. Estimates provided by outside parties, place MCI WorldCom-Sprintís combined share of the Internet backbone market at between 43 and 70 %. The proposed merger would enable MCI WorldCom-Sprint to use its dominant position to dictate the terms and pricing of critical Internet backbone connections to European backbones and, in turn, Internet service providers (ISPs), as well as content and portal sites. How will the European Commission prevent the proposed merger of MCI WorldCom and Sprint from creating a damaging and anti-competitive concentration among top-level Internet backbone providers that would harm European Internet development and growth?