WRITTEN QUESTION E-1008/00 by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Liberalisation of the market in electricity in Germany.
20. 2. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 53 E/53 (2001/C 53 E/062) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1007/00 by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Safety in connection with the transport of fuels by sea (31 March 2000) The initiative of developing the Unionís northern dimension will, if put into practice, increase energy cooperation and trade between Russia and the European Union. It is for example predictable that the transport of oil and other liquid fuels by sea in the Baltic and particularly the Gulf of Finland will increase considerably in the next few years. The Baltic is a shallow and almost landlocked sea area, in which accidents involving tankers at sea could easily cause irreparable destruction. In the light of the above, how does the Commission propose to improve safety regulations for the transport of polluting materials by sea? Does the Commission intend in future to introduce stricter safety regulations for oil shippers, e. g. regarding the hull design of their vessels? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (19 May 2000) Following the accident with the oil tanker Erikaí in December 1999 and the consequent massive pollution of the French western coastline, the Commission adopted on 21 March 2000 a communication to the Parliament and the Council on the safety of seaborne oil transport (1). This lists a number of short and medium term measures aimed at enhancing the prevention of pollution by ships. The Commission communication is accompanied by three legislative proposals, including a proposal for a regulation by the Parliament and Council on the accelerated phasing-in of double hull or equivalent design standards for single hull oil tankers (2). This legislative proposal aims at applying rapidly in the Community the latest internationally agreed construction standards for oil tankers to provide the highest degree of protection against oil pollution in case of grounding or collision. (1) COM(2000) 142 final. (2) COM(2000) 67. (2001/C 53 E/063) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1008/00 by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Liberalisation of the market in electricity in Germany (31 March 2000) According to reports in the media the liberalisation of the electricity market in Germany has taken place in a way which is contrary to the principles of open competition. Transfer charges are made in respect of transfers of electricity between the north and the south of the country, and these can account for as much as a quarter of the wholesale price of electricity. This procedure is not in conformity with the principles of free competition, because it strengthens the position of German large-scale firms and local operators at the expense of non-German competitors. In view of the above, what does the Commission propose to do to investigate whether this state of affairs can be regarded as complying with the spirit of the objective of liberalising the EUís electricity market? How does the Commission propose to prevent the áapparent liberalisationí of the electricity markets, which damages free competition, from taking place in future in Germany and the other Member States of the Union? C 53 E/54 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 2. 2001 Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (22 May 2000) the Council of 19 December 1996 In implementing Directive 96/92/EC of concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (1), Germany has opened up its market immediately at a rate of 100 %, thereby going beyond the requirements of the Directive. As a result, electricity prices have already come down considerably in the German market. the Parliament and of However, it is important that the intention to open the market fully translates into concrete commercial activities in practice. According to the latest available information (2), the share of electricity imported into Germany amounts to around 8 % of total electricity consumption in Germany. To increase cross-border trade will require non-discriminatory access to the network for all companies wishing to sell within and to the German market. In this respect, the Commission, on the basis of a first, provisional analysis, has expressed its concerns about some rules contained in the second association agreement ( Verbändever- einbarungí), in particular with regard to the charges for transit between the southern and the northern part of Germany and imports, and has informed the associations accordingly. At the Community level, the Florence Forum, which brings together the Commission, the Parliament, national administrations, the council of European regulators and the Association of European transmission system operators (ETSO), has been working on the development of a Community wide system of cross- border tarification. At the fifth Florence Forum in March 2000 an agreement was reached to develop a provisional cross border tarification mechanism based on compensation payments between national system operators, applicable for one year, to be replaced by a refined final system. The intention is that once the Community wide system is in place all existing national import and export charges, including in Germany, will be withdrawn. In general, the Commission is aware that the different degrees of market opening in Member States can lead to difficulties in practice. The Commission therefore welcomed the call from the European Council at its meeting in Lisbon to speed up liberalisation in gas and electricity, with a view to a fully operational internal market in these areas. (1) OJ L 27, 30. 1. 1997. (2) Quarterly statistics on oil, gas, coal and electricity of the International Energy Agency (IEA), 4th Quarter 1999. (2001/C 53 E/064) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1010/00 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission Subject: Measures to combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa (31 March 2000) The statistics on the spread of AIDS in Africa and its devastating consequences in sub-Saharan Africa are striking. Of 33,6 million AIDS sufferers worldwide, 23,3 million are to be found in this region. The disease has already killed 13,7 million persons in Africa (ten times more than warfare in the region) and has left 10 million children orphaned, a figure that will rise to 13 million by the end of 2000. After the remarks by the United Nations Secretary-General that AIDS is the African plague of the 21st century and that we must take immediate preventive action, produce low-cost drugs and distribute them as a matter of the utmost priority, the United Nations Security Council allocated a further 100 million dollars to the fight against AIDS. 1. What was the European Unionís contribution to this? 2. What countries are to be targeted by this aid?