The EU remains deeply concerned about the increasingly deteriorating situation and militarisation of the conflict in Syria as well as its spill over effects within the region. Only a political solution that results in a united, inclusive and democratic Syria can end the terrible bloodshed and grave violations of human rights. The issue of the respect and protection of minorities in Syria is another subject of major concern. The EU has stated on many occasions the need for all parties in the conflict to respect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities.
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The recent events in the town of Maaloula are of particular concern for the symbolic dimension of this town for the Christian community in Syria. The EU has also condemned the continuing widespread and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Syria, including increasing attacks on religious and ethnic communities. These crimes must be investigated, and perpetrators and those ordering these crimes must be held accountable. For the first time, a new UN study on men and violence includes data, across a number of countries, from men themselves telling us why some men use violence against women and how this can be prevented.
What similar research, if any, has been carried out by the Commission in this area? It provides available data, explores men's attitudes towards women and explains why men may commit violence against women. It offers recommendations that include promoting non-violent masculinities, encouraging the development and improvement of programmes to rehabilitate perpetrators of violence against women, raising public awareness and improving research.
The Commission has also funded several projects through the Daphne programme that engage men in violence prevention. Statistics continue to show that domestic abuse of men is increasing in the UK. In this context, what mechanisms have been put in place at EU level to raise awareness of domestic violence against men, and to tackle the stigma surrounding this crime? The Commission is committed to a strong policy response to combat all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, that disproportionately affect women.
However, gender-based violence can also affect men. Countries with diverse portfolios of gas suppliers and supply routes, sufficient infrastructure connections and developed gas markets, tend to have lower wholesale gas prices. At retail level taxation is an important component. Northern Ireland gas suppliers sell to consumers by purchasing gas from producers or wholesalers at prices set with reference to the UK trading hub, the National Balancing Point NBP. The brutal attack by members of the Somali al-Shabab movement at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, has also highlighted the prevalence of Islamic extremism in parts of Africa.
In this context, what action has the Commission taken to assist the authorities in Kenya and Pakistan in the light of the latest round of attacks? Moreover, what strategy, if any, is in place at EU level to combat the threat posed by Islamic extremism both to EU citizens and to Christians throughout the world?
The EU is continuing to support Pakistan in its efforts to tackle the threat from terrorism. A central element of that strategy is to prevent people turning to terrorism by tackling the factors or root causes which can lead to radicalisation and recruitment, in Europe and internationally. In this context, can the Commission detail what efforts are being made at EU level to ensure that older people across Europe have the confidence to use our roads so that they can continue to participate in society? The Commission considers that the safe mobility of elderly people, including elderly drivers deserves particular attention and specific measures due to the ageing of the European population.
Technology is another area where progress is expected to help elderly drivers. Driver assistance systems are now being developed and some of them are already commercially available in certain vehicles. These systems can help elderly drivers to compensate for the functional limitations due to age. The Commission intends to promote the deployment of those technologies that improve safety. They are aimed at improving knowledge, disseminate best practices and make recommendations concerning the mobility of elderly people.
Moreover, the Commission intends to provide funding for research on this topic under the Horizon framework programme. The Commission will also encourage Member States to take the mobility of elderly people into account in the framework of its upcoming package on urban mobility. In this context, can the Commission detail whether an impact assessment has been, or will be, carried out in relation to these proposals, and outline the timeline it envisages for progressing this piece of legislation?
The two legislative proposals will need to be adopted by the European Parliament and by the Council of the European Union, in co-decision, in order to become law. There is no precise timeline for the adoption of the proposals by the European Parliament and by Council. Wijzigingen aan de methodologie om de structurele tekorten van de lidstaten te berekenen. Kan de Commissie details openbaar maken van de geschatte impact van de herziene methodologie voor de huidige output gaps en tekorten van alle lidstaten?
Kan de Commissie de verwachte impact verduidelijken van de herziene methodologie voor de beleidsaanbevelingen die verschillende lidstaten in het kader van de procedure bij buitensporige tekorten hebben ontvangen? Wijzigingen van de bestaande methoden worden overwogen om ervoor te zorgen dat de uitvoering van het SGP de structurele en conjuncturele economische situatie in de lidstaten accuraat weerspiegelt, en om een doeltreffend toezicht op de uitvoering te bevorderen.
Deze technische werkzaamheden doen absoluut geen afbreuk aan de rol van het Europees Parlement en de Raad als medewetgevers inzake het economische governance. Is the Commission aware of the Wall Street Journal article? If not, why not? Does the Commission agree that technical changes on this scale are a risk to the credibility of the revised SGP? Can the Commission clarify the reasons for the revision of the current methodology? Can the Commission publish details of the estimated impact of the revised methodology on the current output gaps and deficits of all Member States?
Can the Commission clarify the expected impact of the revised methodology on the policy recommendations that various Member States have received under the Excessive Deficit Procedure? Commission services and Council committees regularly carry out technical work that underpins the SGP assessment methodology. Changes to existing methods are considered to ensure that implementation of the SGP accurately reflects the structural and cyclical economic situation in the Member States, and to facilitate effective monitoring of the implementation.
Usually, this involves reviews of the recent economic literature on relevant issues, dry-runs and sensitivity analyses and other technical work to ensure that the changes adopted would indeed result in a more accurate reflection of the cyclical positions of Member States. One example where the current methodology could be improved is the method's pro-cyclicality, most notably with respect to how the method measures structural unemployment rates in the Member States.
While the Council committees are associated with the technical work, the European Commission is solely responsible to ensure that the SGP assessment methodology is up-to-date and robust. This technical work absolutely does not undermine the role of the European Parliament and the Council as co-legislators on economic governance. As a result of the oil exploration that the Spanish company REPSOL is conducting in territorial waters of the Canary Islands, oil exploration has also begun in the adjacent territorial waters of the Kingdom of Morocco.
This exploration, authorised by the Moroccan Government, is occurring in the vicinity of the territorial waters of the Western Sahara. This exploration, if it is deemed feasible and exploitation of the oilfields begins, would pose a series of environmental risks to the maritime ecosystems of the Canary Islands. These very important ecosystems would be seriously threatened, since Moroccan environmental legislation and its enforcement do not ensure the same safety standards that EU legislation offers.
If exploration is occurring in the maritime space of the Western Sahara, what measures will she put forward to force Morocco to halt such illegal exploration? If exploitation is occurring in this maritime space, what measures will she put forward to force Morocco to halt the exploitation of natural resources that do not belong to it? This exploration, if it is deemed feasible and exploitation of the oilfields begins, would present a series of environmental risks to the maritime ecosystems of the Canary Islands.
These very important ecosystems would be seriously threatened, since Moroccan environmental legislation and its implementation do not ensure the same levels of safety provided for in EU legislation. In view of this information, is the Commission keeping abreast of the abovementioned exploration being conducted in this area? Does the Commission have information about the location of this exploration by Morocco, and can it confirm that it will not extend illegally into the territorial waters of the Western Sahara?
In its opinion, what impact might it have on commerce, jobs and the security of supply, and also politically, if, for example, the State Grid actually became an electricity network operator in Germany and this trend continued? Kann die Kommission konkrete Strategien benennen? Die EU hat sich zu offenen Handelsbeziehungen mit China verpflichtet. In puncto Transparenz hat sich die Bilanz Chinas verbessert. Diese Themen wurden zuletzt am Mehr Wettbewerb mit China kann viele Herausforderungen mit sich bringen.
China is buying and leasing more and more production facilities in a number of different countries, most recently in Eastern Europe, in order to meet its own demand. In the meanwhile, MEPs remain committed to establishing fair trade relations with China. Can the Commission point to any specific strategies in this area? The EU is committed to open trade relations with China. This strategy of supporting fair competition while being firm that China trades in accordance with internationally agreed rules, respects Intellectual Property Rights IPR and meets its World Trade Organisation WTO obligations has been the guiding principle of the EU's trade policy with China.
China's track record on transparency is improving. China's tariff structure is in accordance with the commitments it undertook upon accession to the WTO. In the absence of a multilateral trade agreement, any tariffs changes would be the result of unilateral decisions by China. Increased competition with China may pose many challenges. But China's market and rapid development continues to offer opportunities, with significant potential for further expanding trade and investment.
It will also send a message that closer engagement and reciprocal opening is in the best interest for both sides. I understand that correspondence has been exchanged between the European Commission Directorate General for Competition and the Greek authorities concerning the tax status of shipping companies registered in Greece. Is the European Commission conducting enquiries and, if so, what is their subject matter? What progress has been made in any enquiries being conducted by the Commission into the tax status of shipping companies in Greece?
The Commission has exchanged correspondence with the Greek authorities regarding the taxation rules applicable to the Greek shipping companies. Nevertheless, at this stage, no position has been taken regarding the compliance of these taxation rules with EU rules. What made the Commission decide to modify the scope of the ECB's remit under the single supervisory mechanism? Did any Member States express objections to this in Council and, if so, which?
Will the forthcoming ECB asset quality review cover all banks in the euro area irrespective of size? What action will be taken should it emerge from ECB investigations that a bank is undercapitalised? National supervisors will have responsibilities for less significant banks.
The ECB may at any moment decide to directly supervise one or more credit institutions to ensure consistent application of supervisory standards. The work of national supervisors is integrated into the SSM: The ECB is currently developing this framework. The comprehensive assessment will consist of a supervisory risk assessment, an Asset Quality Review AQR and a stress test. It will cover banks that will most likely be subject to direct ECB supervision. A finalised list of banks will be published in I understand that the Troika European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund has demanded that the Greek Government make specific amendments to labour and trade union legislation.
Have the European Commission and Troika demanded that the Greek Government amend the institutional and legal framework governing trades union in Greece? Has the question of institutional intervention in elections in the workplace and in trades union been raised? The Commission together with the ECB and the IMF is engaged in a regular policy dialogue with the Greek authorities on a broad range of labour market issues. However, the subjects mentioned by the Honourable Member are not part of the policy conditionality agreed between the Greek Government, the IMF, the ECB and the Commission on behalf of the euro area Member States in the context of the economic adjustment programme for Greece.
Iran is undoubtedly one of the key players, both in political and economic terms, in its region. It has also been a source of major problems, as illustrated by its aggressive foreign policy, nuclear programme, ongoing human rights violations and drug trafficking. Given that most EU Member States have diplomatic missions in Tehran and there is no longer any EU delegation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, it would seem advisable and recommendable to establish diplomatic relations of some sort with the country.
It should in no way be seen as a reward, linked to the action currently being taken by the Iranian regime, but as a diplomatic tool that can be used whenever important issues arise in order to help shape developments. In the light of the above, does the EEAS plan to take any action in the very near future to establish a permanent representation in Tehran with a clearly defined mandate which would enable it to address the current problems?
As noted by the Honourable Members, the Islamic Republic of Iran is an important regional actor, and the European Union is very much aware of both the regional significance of the country and of the potential of further developing relations between the European Union and Iran.
Due to the nuclear issue, however, the efforts to deepen relations that began in , and which included the negotiation of a comprehensive Trade and Cooperation Agreement, a framework for political dialogue and possibly the opening of an EU Delegation, have been on halt since Given that is the European Year of Citizens, which focuses on the rights conferred by EU citizenship, a large proportion of the activities organised are aimed at educating citizens about their rights and responsibilities, including the idea that democratic participation and active citizenship are lifelong and multifaceted learning processes.
Young people in particular need access to, and encouragement to exercise, the civil and political rights and duties recognised by democratic society. With that in mind, what is the Commission doing to comprehensively reach out to all young Europeans in order to ensure that every single citizen is educated about the rights that come with EU citizenship? The Commission cooperates with the Council of Europe on a citizenship and human rights education project, which promotes cooperation among regional and international initiatives.
Finally, the Youth in Action programme annually supports thousands of projects that target youths through non-formal citizenship activities. I recently received a troubling letter from two Canadian women who were living in Glyfada Athens, Greece last year. They contacted me to express their concern at the way they were treated after informing the local police that they had been drugged and then gang-raped. The women, who are in their early 20s, claim that the police dismissed their allegations, implied that they were to blame and had perhaps had too much to drink, and then suggested that they return the next day to complete the paperwork.
No medical examination was carried out, and nor were the women advised as to how to go about finding healthcare. The Commission has no legal competence to intervene in individual criminal proceedings in cases of individual victims in Member States. The directive also requires that, at a later stage of proceedings, specific protection measures based on individual assessments are in place for such vulnerable victims. En outre, tous les projets font l'objet d'exercices de suivi annuels. Programmes foresee diverse objectives and results, and different conditionalities are attached to programmes depending on sectors and strategies.
As a matter of principle, funds are contracted through competitive procedures. In the implementation phase the Commission constantly examines the actions and evaluates if the standards and criteria have been met. Funds are released only if conditionalities are met. Furthermore, all projects are subject to annual monitoring exercices. The correct use of funds for each contract is ensured through regular audits by certified auditing companies.
In addition, the Commission contracts independent evaluations of the performance of each programme. The Honourable Member will find more detailed information on the cooperation programmes at the page indicated below. Acesta a declarat recent: The French report highlights the transnational nature of Roma integration projects, which leads directly to the need to consult the Commission.
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This approach lies on two pillars: The Commission is in permanent dialogue with the French national Roma contact point officially nominated by the government as being in charge of coordinating the implementation of the national Roma integration strategy in France. Transnational cooperation is a promising way forward to meet the challenges of Roma integration at the local level. The crisis facing Europe is having a major impact upon local and regional media in Member States.
A significant number of local newspapers and local and regional radio and television stations are facing serious financial difficulties. This is affecting their activity and hindering them in their mandate to inform the general public about the various aspects of local and regional government measures, problems affecting citizens and the solutions that local and national government proposes, as well as European issues and EU policies across various domains.
Furthermore, with the prospect of European Parliament elections next year, citizens require ongoing and accurate information, especially those in rural areas, regarding European policies and the way in which the citizens' representatives, the Members of the European Parliament, are acting in their interests. How can the Commission support the activity of local and regional media in Member States so as to respect the principle of free access by all citizens to accurate information, particularly in the context of the European Parliament elections in ?
Diversity, freedom and pluralism of regional and local media are crucial to citizens' rights, especially in the context of exercising their right to vote for the European elections. The Commission does therefore not have overall competence regarding local and regional media. This pan-European network brings together 13 international, national and regional radio stations from 12 EU Member States. Broadcasting in 12 official EU languages, Euranet Plus takes on EU affairs from a European perspective with full editorial independence. At present, it is committed, among other things, to providing an in-depth coverage of the next Parliamentary elections.
At the same time the Commission seeks to ensure respect for media freedom and pluralism within its competences. It is currently reflecting possible follow up to the public consultation on the report of the independent High Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism. Instead, it provides for a replacement of water resources, with the replacement cost borne by the citizens whose water has been contaminated.
Water resources for other urban areas that are farther from the basin, and that have not been contaminated, are increased, without those areas being required to pay for the additional water resources. The municipalities are currently being pressured to sign a water exchange agreement — an agreement that is burdensome to taxpayers — with the irrigators.
Does the Commission take the view that the solution of paying replacement costs to the irrigators, instead of granting a direct allocation of water, respects the use priorities established in the Water Framework Directive?
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These costs are instead often shifted by water providers to households which are charged for drinking water purification. The Commission agrees that, when this happens, the PPP is not adequately taken into account. To this end, the Commission, as announced in the Water Blueprint, is working with Member States and stakeholders to develop a guidance document on cost recovery under the Common Implementation Strategy of the WFD. Finally, under the European Regional Development and Cohesion Funds for the financial framework , the fulfilment of Art.
The water pricing policy needs to be reported in the context of the RBMP. A number of EU Member States have not yet complied with animal welfare and similar requirements relating to battery hens and pigs. In other words, there are a number of products on the internal market that are in fact illegal because they do not comply with EU rules.
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It is not fair to those producers who do comply with the rules, and it is unfair to consumers that they cannot be sure that the food they buy is produced in a lawful manner. Obbligo di segnalazione oltre boa per i bagnanti. Il mese scorso, infatti, vi sono stati casi di annegamento, nei litorali italiani, dovuti ad incidenti in mare per mancata segnalazione a imbarcazioni private.
La competenza di regolamentare il nuoto in mare aperto appartiene agli Stati membri. La Commissione non dispone di un quadro di insieme delle regolamentazioni degli Stati membri in merito al nuoto in mare aperto. Per quanto concerne le immersioni, esistono norme volontarie europee che stabiliscono i requisiti per la formazione sia del subacqueo che dell'istruttore.
La direttiva stabilisce i requisiti per la progettazione e la fabbricazione di tali dispositivi e le regole per la loro libera circolazione nell'Unione. Norme armonizzate volontarie che corroborano i requisiti della direttiva sugli aspetti della salute e della sicurezza sono state prodotte dalle organizzazioni europee di normazione. Si noti che la direttiva disciplina soltanto i prodotti, ma non il loro uso. Conformemente all'articolo 6 il datore di lavoro prende le misure necessarie per evitare i rischi, valutarli e combatterli. Inoltre, la direttiva fa obbligo ai datori di lavoro di effettuare e documentare una valutazione dei rischi.
Italy currently has no framework law regulating the activities of swimmers in the open sea, while it does for diving. Can the Commission say what the existing legislation is in the various Member States? Does it think it should also regulate swimming in the open sea to prevent accidents at sea? The competence to regulate swimming in the open sea as such rests with the Member States. There is no legislation at EU level that would regulate non-occupational sea swimming or diving activities. The Commission has no comprehensive overview of Member States' rules regarding swimming in the open sea.
Regarding diving, there are voluntary European standards in place which lay down requirements for the training of both the diver and the instructor. The directive lays down requirements for the design and manufacture of such equipment and rules on its free movement in the Union. It should be noted that the directive only regulates the products, but not their usage.
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Furthermore, the directive obliges employers to carry out and document a risk assessment. The directive applies to all sectors of activity, including occupational swimming and diving. De Franse consumentenbond Que Choisir heeft na onderzoek bekend gemaakt in alle 92 door hen onderzochte flessen wijn sporen van bestrijdingsmiddelen gevonden te hebben. Het ging om 33 verschillende middelen, waarvan er 7 bekend staan als kankerverwekkend. Welke maatregelen denkt de Commissie te nemen om het gebruik van bestrijdingsmiddelen ook in de wijnbouw te verminderen, zoals in vrijwel alle andere sectoren in de Europese landbouw wel gebeurt?
Indien de Commissie geen maatregelen neemt, waarom niet? Wat zijn de regels voor residulimieten van pesticiden in wijn? Vindt de Commissie ook dat het belang van de consument en de volksgezondheid voorrang heeft op het belang van de wijnsector? Franse wijnen zijn op grote schaal verontreinigd met landbouwgif. Gemiddeld zijn per fles vier soorten gif te traceren. Het gaat onder meer om stoffen die als kankerverwekkend bekend staan.
In alle 92 flessen bleken pesticiden te zitten. Zelfs twee verboden substanties, het giftige bromopropylate en het bestrijdingsmiddel carbendazim, werden aangetroffen. In deze context rijst de vraag naar de afdoendheid van de Europese wetgeving op vlak van voedselveiligheid en de mate van consumentenbescherming. De Franse consumentenbond zegt zelf zich grote zorgen te maken, omdat regelgeving vrijwel geheel ontbreekt. Voor wijnen bestaan er, in tegenstelling tot voor veel voedsel en dranken, geen wettelijke maxima voor de hoeveelheid bestrijdingsmiddelen die er in mogen zitten.
Zal de Commissie de Franse autoriteiten en de wijnsector contacteren om de resultaten te evalueren en hen aan te sporen verbeteringen aan te brengen? Is de Commissie van mening dat er maatregelen moeten worden genomen of voorstellen moeten komen om dergelijke resultaten te voorkomen? Of vindt de Commissie de huidige Europese wetgeving afdoende? De Commissie is op de hoogte van de publicatie van de Franse consumentenbond.
Dat betekent dat zowel voor druiven bestemd voor de productie van wijn als voor tafeldruiven een MRL wordt vastgesteld. Deze controles worden verricht op het onbewerkte product, zodat in geval van een overtreding dienaangaande dadelijk handhavingsmaatregelen kunnen worden genomen. De lidstaten kunnen echter nog steeds de eindproducten controleren, in voorkomend geval rekening houdend met de specifieke verwerkingsfactoren voor wijn, of in het slechtste geval ervan uitgaande dat de niveaus in wijn dezelfde zijn als die in druiven.
Zoals bekend leiden de oenologische praktijken echter tot een aanzienlijk lager gehalte aan de meeste bestrijdingsmiddelen. An investigation performed by Que Choisir , the French consumer organisation, found pesticide traces in all 92 of the wines analysed. Australia and the United States have introduced legislation in this area, but the European Union has not.
What measures does the Commission intend to introduce to reduce the use of pesticides in viticulture, as is happening in almost all other sectors of European agriculture? If the Commission is not planning to introduce such measures, why not? Why has the European Union not introduced any legislation on residue limits in wine, whereas countries such as Australia and the United States have done so?
What are the rules on pesticide residue levels in wine? Does the Commission intend to present proposals to amend this legislation? Does the Commission agree that the interests of consumers and public health take precedence over the interests of the wine industry? There is large-scale contamination of French wines with agricultural toxins.
On average, four different kinds of toxin could be detected per bottle, and these included known carcinogens. Pesticides were found in all 92 bottles. Two prohibited substances — the toxic bromopropylate and the pesticide carbendazim — were even found. One Bordeaux wine Mouton Cadet was found to contain at least 14 different varieties of agricultural toxin.
In this context, the question arises as to the adequacy of European legislation in relation to food safety and the level of consumer protection. The French consumer organisation in question says that it has major concerns because there is an almost total lack of regulation. In contrast to food and drinks, there are no statutory maximum levels for pesticide content in wines. Will the Commission contact the French authorities and the wine industry in order to assess the results and urge them to bring about improvements?
Does the Commission believe that measures need to be put in place or proposals brought forward in order to prevent the recurrence of results of this kind? If so, what measures or proposals is it planning? Or does the Commission believe that the current European legislation is sufficient? The Commission is well aware of the publication by the French consumer organisation. This includes the setting of MRLs for grapes intended for wine production as well as for table grapes. Member States are responsible for controls on wine grapes to check compliance with MRLs which makes sure that they are safe for consumers.
These controls take place on the raw product for which enforcement measures can then directly be taken in case of non-compliances. Still, the Member States can control final products taking into account specific processing factors for wine where available, or assuming as a worst case that the levels in wine are the same as those in grapes.
It is however well known that oenological practices lead to considerable decreases of most pesticides. Wegens de technische problemen rond de Fyra wil de NS afzien van de aankoop van nieuwe hogesnelheidstreinen en slechts intercity's gaat inzetten op dit traject. Als deze plannen door de Nederlandse regering zouden worden goedgekeurd, blijft een groot deel van de capaciteit van het hogesnelheidsspoor onderbenut.
In de Nederlandse media hebben echter berichten gecirculeerd dat andere partijen hebben aangegeven de exploitatie van hogesnelheidstreinen op dit traject te willen overnemen, zodat er in de toekomst wel hogesnelheidstreinen kunnen rijden. Kan de Nederlandse regering, in strijd met de Europese aanbestedingsnormen, eenzijdig besluiten de NS toestemming te geven om intercity's in plaats van hogesnelheidstreinen te laten rijden over het hogesnelheidslijntraject? Dit teneinde de reiziger een hogesnelheidsverbinding met steden als Brussel, Londen of Parijs te verzekeren.
In het algemeen, hoe beoordeelt de Commissie de wijze waarop de Nederlandse staat met de aanbesteding van de HSL is omgegaan? De aanbesteding is in de afgelopen jaren meerdere keren aangepast; is dit wel eerlijk naar andere partijen die destijds buiten de boot vielen? De hsl-concessie voor de exploitatie van internationale hogesnelheidstreinen tussen Amsterdam en Brussel is gegund op basis van een concurrentiegerichte aanbestedingsprocedure op grond van Verordening EG nr. De Commissie is van mening dat een vervanging van rollend materieel voor hogesnelheidstreinen door conventioneel rollend materieel een aanzienlijke wijziging van het concessiecontract zal vormen.
Uit berichten in de pers blijkt dat tenminste twee spoorwegondernemingen concrete plannen zouden hebben voor de exploitatie van hogesnelheidsdiensten op de lijn Brussel-Amsterdam als voortzetting van diensten uit Londen. Overeenkomstig Verordening EG nr.
De Commissie beschikt niet over gedetailleerde informatie over wijzigingen van de voorwaarden inzake de hsl-concessie. Because of the technical problems surrounding the Fyra high-speed train, Nederlandse Spoorwegen wants to abandon the purchase of new high-speed trains and just use intercity trains on this route.
If these plans are approved by the Dutch Government, a large proportion of the high-speed rail network's capacity will be underused. Reports have been circulating in the Dutch media about other parties who have indicated that they would be willing to take over running high-speed trains on this route, so that high-speed trains could indeed operate on the route in the future. Can the Dutch Government unilaterally decide to grant Nederlandse Spoorwegen authorisation to operate intercity trains on the high-speed rail network, instead of high-speed trains, contrary to EU public procurement regulations?
Is the Commission aware that there are parties who may wish to operate high-speed trains on this route? In general, what is the Commission's assessment of the manner in which the Dutch State has tackled tendering for the high-speed rail line? The terms of the tender have been modified several times in recent years — is this fair towards other parties who were sidelined at the time?
The Commission considers that a replacement of high-speed rolling stock by conventional rolling stock would constitute a substantial amendment to the concession contract. Information from the press indicates that at least two railway undertakings would have concrete plans to operate high-speed services on the Brussels-Amsterdam route as a continuation of services originating in London. The Commission has no substantiated information about modifications of the terms of the HSL-concession. However, if modifications to essential provisions had been of a substantial nature, the award of a new contract might have been necessary.
El Gobierno de Irak ha sido responsable de la seguridad del campo de Ashraf desde , cuando las fuerzas de los Estados Unidos en Irak le transfirieron su control. Fifty-two people were killed and seven others abducted. The attack was directed against a hundred members of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq MEK group, an organisation which opposes the regime in Tehran and is protected under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Although the attack was immediately condemned by the international community, neither the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy nor other Western officials have called for a thorough and independent UN investigation and for more protection for the survivors of the attack and other members of the group.
The European Union has merely asked the Iraqi authorities to clarify the circumstances surrounding the killings; and the UN has only asked the Government in Baghdad to carry out an impartial investigation without delay. Does the Commission not think it should urge the UN to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the massacre at Camp Ashraf? Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and the GoI, the latter was also responsible for ensuring the safe transportation of residents to Camp Hurriya and the security of Camp Hurriya itself. At the time she also welcomed the Government of Iraq's decision to open an enquiry into the events.
Since then, she has repeatedly called on the Iraqi authorities to fulfil their responsibility and to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the violence. Following the attack, UNAMI conducted an on-site visit to assess the situation in Camp Ashraf, which confirmed the violence and the need for the GoI to conduct a public and impartial enquiry. She will also continue to call on the Government of Iraq to fulfil its obligations by ensuring the safety of the residents of Camp Hurriya.
To what extent do these documents take into account inclusive education and training? This report will be a product of the Thematic Working Group on Entrepreneurship Education — composed of the Commission, national governmental experts and other relevant stakeholders — and will be published in early It will report on policy-level success factors including educator development, learning outcomes, stakeholder commitment as well as curricula and pedagogies related to entrepreneurship education.
The Group has taken an inclusive approach to ensure that its work is relevant to all learners and across all sectors of education and training. While the report will not address special needs education specifically, it will nevertheless be of relevance to it. The Rethinking Education communication also mentions collaborating with the OECD on a guidance framework for entrepreneurial education institutions. El objetivo es presentar una propuesta de medidas vinculantes que combine tanto la mejora de la accesibilidad como el potencial de crecimiento para las empresas de la UE.
In view of the above, could the Commission indicate what stage the publication of the European Accessibility Act has reached, and what is its expected publication date? The Commission has carried out preparatory work to assess the impact of possible measures to improve the accessibility of goods and services in the internal market. A study has been contracted to support the gathering of socio economic data of possible measures to improve accessibility. The outcome of the study has been used for the preparation of the related Impact Assessment.
The conclusions of this meeting will complement the preparatory work of the Commission services and would allow the identification of the most appropriate measures for improving the accessibility of goods and services in the European Union.
The objective is to present a proposal for binding measures that would combine both, improvement of accessibility and growth potential for EU companies. I'm sure it will make for a great movie and I hope to see it one day on the silver screen! What motivated you to become an indie author? I only sent Credence to one agent, who turned it down.
But I had a great deal of experience with screenplay rejections. I spent a couple of years submitting them with little success to agents, managers and producers. It's a task which can wear out even the strongest workhorse, so when I saw the chance of publishing basically for free, I jumped on the indie bandwagon at once. How has Smashwords contributed to your success? I'm not much of a marketer or a publicist, but it's quite clear one of the rules to bringing your work in front of readers is exposure and availability.
If people can't find your work I owe so much to Mark, his staff and Smashwords for allowing that. What is the greatest joy of writing for you? To tell the truth, I hate the mechanical part of writing. The physical act of hammering down sentences and rearranging words for maximum readability is a daunting task. Even coming up with a decent story is a painful process. Finding the right opening, an engaging hook, coming up with interesting yet identifiable, human characters who will carry the story to its conclusion, is quite a complicated alchemy.
To me, this overly long process offers little pleasure. However, on rare occasions, story, plot, subplots, dialog, theme, symbols, love story, all that comes together and melts into a sublime moment which pulls you out of yourself, out of time and space, and makes you all eyes, mind and emotion, and you are able to elevate yourself to a state of pure revelation -- that's when, hopefully, the fire the author has stolen from the Gods passes on -- to mankind.
What do your fans mean to you? I think every fan is a "seer," someone who is able to enjoy and experience emotionally or rationally something the author first envisioned -- every single one of my fans belongs with me to a netherworld of chance. What are you working on next? As I previously said, I'm now working on a series of science fiction novelettes, expanding my reach to readers as much as possible.
Who are your favorite authors? I loved all science fiction authors I met in my youth. From Verne, to H. They were all giants and they will always be there, for me to look at and to learn from.
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But I think there is one author I discovered quite late, who WAS science fiction during all his life. The same way the characters at the end of Bradbury's Fahrenheit somehow BECOME the books they read, this author was both, undivided reality, dream and all the schizophrenia to be found in between. He was a great, torn thinker. A man with unsurpassed imagination and unparalleled love for mankind.
He was a genius and a creator. He was Philip Kindred Dick. What inspires you to get out of bed each day? Well, Ray Bradbury reportedly never woke up from his bed until something played in his "theater of the mind" long enough to stir an idea worth writing. Only then would he sit up, throw away the blankets and dash to the typewriter. As for me, I'm not nearly good enough, of course. It's not inspiration which drives me out of my bed -- it's the realization that without a fight, no story will be pulled out.
The sooner I begin, the sooner I can hope to get it alive and kicking in front of my eyes. When you're not writing, how do you spend your time? It's hard to believe, but when I'm not writing, my brain never stops whirring, turning inside-out the stories I'm working on at the moment, those which I'm stuck on, as well those which have yet to be put to paper, always trying to make them better, more streamlined, more scary, or thoughtful, or human, or humorous, or crazy. How do you discover the ebooks you read? Most often that not, the ebooks I read are the same old classic which have now been released in the electronic format.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote? The very first thing I remember writing was this tiny poem dealing with crickets hiding in the grass, when I was nine or ten. What is your writing process? There's a bunch of talented writers, like Ann Rice Interview with a Vampire, who can pull out a story writing it from scratch, going on just basically by following the characters, with very little plotting.
I must have a given framework, a theme, a known beginning, end, a few scenes in the middle, an emotional turnpike, an emotional meltdown, a lot of eye-openers, a couple of major whammos, and a big surprise by the end. All this is no guarantee for a decent story, but all my best stories have all that.
I might change this approach once I get more confident with my writing Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
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- The Death of Ivan Ilych.
- LABOUR AND LOVE?
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I think one of the first stories I've ever read was by Gianni Rodari, an Italian writer. I could possibly've read it in my first or second year -- a story about a tiny man lost in a big city. How do you approach cover design? As many writers starting out an many in the making I'm totally broke.
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