WRITTEN QUESTION E-1825/99 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Reforming the Amsterdam Treaty so as to make job creation policy a European policy.
18. 7. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 203 E/59 Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission (25 November 1999) Member States differ widely in their internal structures. Under Article 203 (formerly Article 146) of the EC Treaty, they are free to choose their representatives in the Council to suit their own particular circumstances. (2000/C 203 E/071) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1825/99 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Council (13 October 1999) Subject: Reforming the Amsterdam Treaty so as to make job creation policy a European policy Given that within the European Union there is a correlation between low per capita income and unemployment in the sense that in general it is precisely those areas which are less developed which most frequently suffer from high rates of unemployment, does the Council intend, in the context of the Intergovernmental Conference, to tackle a reform of the Amsterdam Treaty which would go beyond Articles 125 to 130 thereof and make job creation policy a European policy, along the lines of regional policy? Answer (24 January 2000) It is for the Conference of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, and not the Council, to determine by common accord the amendments to be made to the Treaties. The Council reiterates that a Conference of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States will be convened at the start of the year 2000. In accordance with the conclusions of the Cologne European Council, the purpose of that Conference will be to resolve the institutional issues left open in Amsterdam that need to be settled before enlargement (namely, the size and composition of the European Commission, weighting of votes in the Council and possible extension of qualified-majority voting in the Council). Other necessary amendments to the Treaties arising as regards the European Institutions in connection with the above issues and in implementing the Treaty of Amsterdam, could also be discussedí (point 53 in fine of the Presidency conclusions of the Cologne European Council on 3 and 4 June 1999). (2000/C 203 E/072) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1828/99 by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission (13 October 1999) Subject: Smoking as a cause of ill-health in the world and EU policy Apart from causing cancer, fatal heart disease and a host of other illnesses, smoking is now being blamed for male impotence in smokers between the ages of 21 and 75, according to studies by the BMA. At the same time, research by the Athens Medical School has revealed that medical students are unaware of the harmful effects of smoking and that one in two smokes regularly. It should be pointed out that in Greece alone the number of young smokers increases by some 50 000 a year. In the EU the tobacco industry spends as much in one day alone on advertising its products as is spent in one year on information campaigns against smoking. In view of the above, will the Commission say what action is it taking, what resources does it have available and what policy is it pursuing in order to address the prime cause of ill-health that can be tackled and protect the health of European citizens and young people in particular?