B4-0358, 0359, 0361, 0362 and 0363/99

Resolution on the crisis in Venice

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to Venice's unique status as a city of great architectural and artistic beauty and a complex, delicate lagoon ecosystem, which has led UNESCO to proclaim it a world heritage site,

B. having regard to the particular geographical and hydrogeological characteristics of Venice, where the phenomenon of 'high water' has considerably worsened in recent years, which leads to various areas in the historic centre being frequently flooded, causing damage and inconvenience to inhabitants and businesses,

C. whereas a delegation from Parliament's Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy visited Venice to study the prospects for research into water technologies and ascertained that the city is in a state of crisis,

D. whereas the population of the Venice lagoon is decreasing faster than that of any other European city, falling from 171 000 inhabitants in 1951 to little more than 60 000 at present (one quarter of whom are over 65 years old) and more than 10 000 dwellings are empty and many others abandoned,

E. whereas this exodus from Venice is accompanied by the exodus of businesses and a weakening of the manufacturing base, which are penalized by the problems and high cost of transport in Venice and by inappropriate industrial development patterns,

F. whereas tourism is becoming Venice's only resource and hence the city is in danger of becoming a repository of historic monuments rapidly 'consumed' by tourists and abandoned by its residents (there are more than 10 million visitors per year and 7 million of these stay only during daylight hours),

G. whereas a number of exhaustive studies have been carried out aimed at alleviating the transport problems in Venice, containing the high water problem and reducing motor-boat traffic,

H. whereas the local authorities told Parliament's delegation that, in view of the complexity of the problems they have to tackle in the Venice lagoon, the involvement of the European institutions is required,

The European Parliament,

1. Welcomes the fact that, for the first time, the Commission has established an 'urban action framework' aimed at promoting sustainable development of the city; considers in this connection that, with a view to saving the city and promoting sustainable activities which enable normal daily life to be resumed, Venice and its lagoon can serve as a test bed for integrated policies;

2. Hopes that Venice's specific characteristics will prompt the Commission, the Italian Government and the Veneto regional authorities to include the historic centre of Venice and the lagoon in the new Structural Fund Objective 2 which, for the first time, covers urban renewal measures, and therefore that the promotion of State aids in such areas will be permitted by way of a derogation from the competition rules, in accordance with Article 92 (future Article 87) (3)(c) of the EC Treaty;

3. Calls in any case on the Commission not to consider as State aid the tax concessions offered by the Italian Government to businesses operating in Venice and the lagoon area, in view of the fact that businesses there cannot compete on an equal footing with those on the mainland and in other European cities;

4. Calls on the Italian Government, together with the local and regional authorities, to adopt timely decisions and find effective solutions which comply with European rules on public contracts and concessions and take into account new technologies, with a view to improving urban transport and finding the best possible solution to the problem of high water, based inter alia on an integrated project for the environmental rehabilitation of the lagoon and flood plain, the strengthening of the city's foundations and the cleaning of the canals;

5. Considers that the Italian Government must now, as a matter of urgency, take constructive and conclusive action on the MOSE project, the first sketch of which was presented in 1970, and, in so doing, take account of the impact on the environmental balance, of the vital importance of ensuring water exchange, and of movements at the commercial and industrial port;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Veneto regional authorities and the Venice City Council.