WRITTEN QUESTION E-1721/99 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission. The need for urgent implementation of legislation on safety in fairgrounds.
20. 6. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 170 E/81 Reply (2 December 1999) The Council is deeply concerned about the serious situation in Iraq. It considers lasting security and stability in the region as well as the living conditions of the Iraqi people to be the prime considerations for the UN Secrurity Council in reaching an agreement on Iraq. (2000/C 170 E/093) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1721/99 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission (29 September 1999) Subject: The need for urgent implementation of legislation on safety in fairgrounds The recent case of a four-year-old boy who died after falling off a fairground ride in Torrevieja (Alicante) is the latest in a sad succession of accidents caused by defective recreational equipment of this kind. At the time of the accident, the residents of Alicante were still absorbing the news of the death of another child in Campello after he received an electric shock from a fairground ride. A study financed by the Commission in 1995 found that fairground accidents account for more hospital stays than any other type of accidents occurring in leisure time. The study also showed that checks and inspections carried out on such equipment varied considerably between the Member States and that national legislation in this area also differed widely. The Commission had been planning to draw up a directive, but this never materialised. The European Parliament was informed that the 1992 Edinburgh Summit changed the Commissionís priorities, and it decided to withdraw the proposed legislation on technical standards for fairgrounds. Finally, the Commission decided to ask the European Committee for Standardisation to draft European legislation establishing technical specifications for fairground equipment. Prompted by the Alicante accident, the Organización de Consumidores Espaæoles (Spanish Consumersí Organisation) has expressed concern at the fact that this legislation will not be adopted and come into force for another two years and has drawn attention to the worrying legal vacuum in Spain concerning the standards that recreational machinery must meet. Could the Commission give details of progress to date on the drafting and adoption of European rules for fairgrounds? How and when will Community citizens benefit in practice from European legislation in this area? Given the seriousness of the accidents that have occurred on this type of equipment, what does the Commission intend to do to speed up implementation of the Community? Does the Commission agree that it should reconsider its 1992 decision and give the rules the status of a directive? the legislation adopted throughout Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (4 November 1999) The Commission entirely shares in the Honourable Memberís unease concerning fairground safety, more particularly since this generally affects children. The Commission is particularly sensitive to the recent accident which led to the death of a four year old child. The aspects on which the Honourable Member has based the analysis of the situation coincide with those supplied by the Commission, more particularly in the answers given to questions E-3167/98 by Mrs Pollack (1) and H-0669/97 by Mr Willockx at question time during the September 1997 parliamentary session (2). C 170 E/82 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 6. 2000 To be more precise, although it emerges from the 1995 study that was jointly financed by the Commission that accidents occurring during this type of leisure activity resulted in an average hospitalisation of 7,8 % as compared with the average of 5,5 % caused by all other factors recorded by the European Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System (Ehlass 1987-1998), those same accidents represented 1,2 % of the accidents listed, a proportion also including accidents taking place on playing fields. Since the conclusions reached at the 1992 Edinburgh Council have not been challenged, the Commission intends to continue the approach adopted when it conferred a remit on the European Centre for Standardisation (CEN) to draw up harmonised standards for amusements parks. At the moment the CEN has stated that the surveys relating to those standards should begin during the first half of next year. (1) OJ C 135, 14. 5. 1999. (2) Parliamentary debates (September 1997). (2000/C 170 E/094) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1723/99 by Marie-Noºlle Lienemann (PSE) to the Commission Subject: Measures to combat American dominance of the internet (29 September 1999) How can the European Union respond to ásecond-generationí developments on the internet? How can the European Union ensure that full-scale research laboratory coordination programmes are introduced? To what extent can it guarantee that the necessary additional resources will be allocated to strengthening Europeís position in relation to American dominance of the internet? Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (29 November 1999) If Europe is to fully participate in the future development of the Internet, it is vital that our scientists and researchers are actively involved in the process of its construction. With this in mind, the Community sponsors leading edge research in this field to ensure that Europe is at the forefront of emerging developments. Under the 1st call of the Information society-related technologies (IST) programme of the 5th framework programme (FPV) approximately € 300 million in funding has already been awarded to 138 collaborative research projects developing next generation networking technologies and applications to exploit their potentialities. This area is one that is likely to be a priority throughout the life of the current framework programme (1999-2002). Already the IST expert advisory group, which provides advice to the Commission in developing the programme, has identified a number of key areas where European industry has the potential to lead the world ü e. g. mobile, wireless and optical technologies for the Internet. These priorities will be reflected in next yearís work programme. However the issue is not just a technological one. There are also major regulatory and legal issues surrounding the continuous development of the Internet in which the Community is actively engaged. In particular, the Community has been reassessing its regulatory policy in this area to provide legal certainty and therefore facilitate the development of a new range of services, in particular in the context of e-commerce. The overall aim of such activities is to ensure an open and competitive European market in this area. The Commission adopted on 10 November 1999 a communication Towards a new framework for electronic communications infrastructure and associated service ü 1999 communications reviewí. This communica- tion lays down the position of the Commission with regard to the new regulatory framework for all electronic communications infrastructure and associated services, and launches a public consultation. After the public consultation, the Commission will proceed to legislative proposals in the second quarter of the