Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-11-Speech-2-329"
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"en.20071211.38.2-329"2
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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, on the first question, there is no doubt whatsoever that modifications to vehicles which result in noise emissions above the permitted level are prohibited. Such modifications may even be a criminal offence. It goes without saying, however, that it is the responsibility of the Member States to ensure, through their normal traffic surveillance, that such traffic offenders – for that is precisely what they are – are caught. I do not see the remotest prospect that we at the European level can do anything to make the Member States take more action to curb practices which are unequivocally illegal.
Car racing on the public highway is, of course, illegal in every European country. There is no European legislation that anyone could cite in answer to a charge of racing on the public highway. This matter therefore lies entirely within the competence of the Member States, which have all the instruments they need to prevent such offences.
As for noise emissions from rail transport, my direct responsibility is limited to active noise prevention, in other words what can be done to cars to limit the noise they emit. I am not directly responsible for the passive noise prevention to which you have referred here. I am more than willing, however, to discuss the matter with the competent Commissioner and to ensure that you get an answer as quickly as possible to the question as to whether the Commission has any plans in this respect.
I do, in fact, share your views entirely. This is a very important issue. Noise prevention efforts cannot be focused on road traffic alone. Modern railway technology can pose particularly serious noise problems. I know from Germany that noise pollution is a very significant factor in the modern technology that powers the Transrapid monorail system. We shall therefore look into this matter, and you will receive a definite answer.
The third question referred to control mechanisms. On this matter, I can only say that our legislation is unambiguous. The rules are clear, the limits are clear, and responsibility for ensuring that the limits are observed lies with the Member States. The Commission does not possess control instruments with which it can check in every single case whether European legislation is actually being applied in the Member States.
The subsidiarity principle is a fact of life. I cannot identify where we would have to amend European legislation in order to ensure that it was properly applied everywhere. The rules are the same for all Member States. They have clear instructions stipulating how these should be applied. In this case, which concerns Lithuania, I can only say that our counterparts in the parliament and government of that country are responsible for ensuring that such problems do not arise."@en1
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