WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3029/98 by Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE to the Commission. Obstacles to the free movement of products containing precious metals
14. 5. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 135/153 (1999/C 135/190) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3025/98 by Phillip Whitehead (PSE) to the Commission (8 October 1998) Subject: Gas and fire liability Will the Commission reconsider the need for a proposal on service liability to complement the existing Directive on product liability? In addition, has the Commission undertaken any research into how information on fire safety might best be applied to consumers in holiday accommodation and does the Commission consider that there is a case to mandate the existing Recommendation on Fire Safety? Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (5 November 1998) In the context of consumer safety protection, and the internal market, the Commission intends to reconsider and explore the needs, scope, options, approaches and possible contents for Community action in the field of service safety. Preventive aspects of the safety of services will be considered as well as reparative aspects linked to liability. The Commission intends to launch studies for an updated assessment of the issue as soon as possible. The necessary contacts with Member States’ experts and interest groups will take place in the course of these studies. Safety information is already part of Council Recommendation 86/666/EEC of 22 December 1986 on fire safety in existing hotels (1). The Commission does not plan to launch specific research on that subject. Following a Resolution by Parliament on fire safety in hotels (2) a study on the state of the implementation of the Recommendation in the Member States shows that the Recommendation has been extensively implemented in national legislation. The Commission does not, therefore, envisage proposing that this Recommendation becomes mandatory. For further information on this point, the Honourable Member is referred to Written Question E-1423/97 by Mrs Pollack (3). Safety in hotels could nevertheless be examined when considering the safety of services and taken into account in the studies to be carried out in this context. (1) OJ L 384, 31. 12. 1986. (2) OJ C 205, 25. 7. 1994. (3) OJ C 45, 10. 2. 1998. (1999/C 135/191) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3029/98 by Miguel Arias Cañete (PPE) to the Commission (8 October 1998) Subject: Obstacles to the free movement of products containing precious metals Since there is no specific Community directive to harmonise the manufacture and marketing of products containing precious metals, some EU Member States are using their domestic legal regulations to obstruct