Strasbourg Diary October 2003 By John Purvis, MEP

EU RULE INCREASES USED CAR DUMPING
It is sad that a directive designed to improve our environment has resulted apparently in another kind of pollution – the dumping of tons of scrap metal in the streets.
There has been a massive rise in the number of dumped cars, says a council, because of an EU directive designed to ensure substances like engine oil, mercury and lead can no longer be thrown away but must be made safe. A report from the City of Edinburgh Council shows that 3409 cars were abandoned in the city’s streets in 2202-2003 compared with 678 the previous year, before the new legislation was introduced. The increased dumping is partly due to scrap dealers charging for the disposal of old vehicles because of increased recycling costs. In 2007 the disposal of cars will fall under the responsibility of the car manufacturers but until then the owner must meet the costs of the safe disposal of the vehicle and its substances. Despite the threat of a £ 2500 fine or three months’ imprisonment for abandoning a vehicle, irresponsible owners are deciding to take the chance rather than pay for the disposal of a worn-out vehicle. It’s time a less expensive arrangement for the council tax payer was reached between the council, car owners and car dealers in which the means and cost of safe disposal are mutually agreed.

BIG BROTHER MOVE TO MONITOR DRIVERS FOILED
The ability for governments to map digitally every public road in Europe and to monitor the individual movements of each vehicle could have scary consequences.
I am relieved therefore that the European Commission has at last agreed under pressure that a proposal to toll road usage by satellite could be a threat to privacy. This controversial `Big Brother’ system will be able to track vehicles by satellite so the movements of all cars and lorries can be monitored 24 hours a day and road users can be billed for the miles they drive. European Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio has finally admitted after huge protests from MEPs like myself that the system could not guarantee the confidentiality of the material it gathered. I can see how it would gladden the bureaucratic heart to be able to track every vehicular movement on a public road and then send out bills for the privilege. The price we could pay in the curtailment of our civil liberties, however, and the risk of the information being abused is far too great. Therefore, any such scheme will have to meet the strict requirements of data protection legislation and human rights law.

WHAT PRICE SAFETY?
Although stricter security arrangements at airports can seem tedious sometimes, it is reassuring to know a resolution adopted by the European Parliament and Council mainly concerned with controlling access to airports is being taken seriously. Checks on passengers, baggage and cargo on the ground are part of the new regulation which also calls for surprise inspections to be conducted at airports under the supervision of the European Commission. Inspections of crew members and ground staff will be part of that arrangement. The European Parliament has also been successful in persuading the member states to accept that the public authorities will have to pay a fair share of the cost of these new measures. They are also being asked to adopt a national security and safety programme while retaining the freedom to apply even stricter measures if they so wish.

BEE HEALTHY HONEY
A few months ago, the European Commission was very concerned about pigs becoming bored and farmers were instructed to make sure there were playthings in the pigsty. This month, the species under the spotlight is the honey bee. Difficulties facing the European bee-keeping sector because of the use of certain toxic products in agriculture had been brought to the Commission’s attention. The result will be a “multifactoral” analysis (whatever that means) to identify the key factors that influence bee health. The Commission is being asked to set up a committee of internationally recognised beekeeping specialists to advise on guidelines and training programmes to bring about a lasting improvement in bee health and the quality of European honey. They will clearly be busy little bees!

John Purvis is a member of the Committee on Industry, External Trade Research and Energy and Vice Chairman of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. He can be contacted by e-mail at jpurvis@europarl.eu.int or visit his website on www.scottishtorymeps.org.uk.