WRITTEN QUESTION E-1229/02

by Luciano Caveri (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 April 2002)

Subject: Alpine Convention

The Commission insists on non-participation in the work of the Alpine Convention, although it is difficult to understand such an attitude to this instrument of international law.

Can the Commission state: the reasons for this non-participation; the date on which the EU's accession to the Convention was ratified; the Community's position on each of its various protocols and the time-scales for the past or future signing and future ratification of those protocols; and any obstacles which might impede their ratification?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-1148/02, E-1149/02 and E-1229/02given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(12 June 2002)

The Council adopted Decision 96/191/EC on the conclusion, on behalf of the Community, of the Convention on the Protection of the Alps on 26 February 1996(1). Three days later, the instrument of ratification was deposited. Subsequently, on 29 May 1996 the Community became a Party to the Alpine Convention.

The Community has signed, on 20 December 1994, the Protocols on town and country planning and sustainable development, the Protocol on mountain farming, and the protocol on conservation of nature and landscape.

As indicated in the reply to Oral Question H-0111/02 by Mrs Flemming during question time at Parliament's March 2002 session(2), the Commission wants to focus to the maximum its limited resources on those areas in which its policies can bring added value.

Therefore, the Commission does not intend to propose ratification of the above-mentioned Protocols. The Commission does, however, believe it would be important for the Community to become a Party to the Alpine Convention's Transport Protocol. To this end, the Commission adopted on 16 January 2001 a Proposal on the signature of the Transport Protocol(3), which is currently being considered by the Council.

As to the signature or ratification of the three other Protocols, the Commission does not intend to make further proposals, this should however not be seen as a lack of interest in the promotion of sustainable development in the Alpine region.

Indeed, the Commission stresses the interest it attaches to mountain regions. This interest is exemplified by the fact that the Commission, in its second Report on Cohesion, recognised that mountain regions are already at a disadvantage and have, as such, been included as one of ten priorities for the future of the Community's cohesion policy. Moreover, the Commission intends to launch a study on mountain areas. The objectives of this study are to define mountain areas (zoning), to set up a database including different kind of indicators, in particular those linked to environment and hazards, and finally, to analyse the situation of these regions in a sustainable development perspective. Other Community policies such as its rural development and environment policy are also contributing to the sustainable development of mountain regions including the Alpine region, and to the conservation of mountain eco-systems and biodiversity.

As far as the dorsale d'Allemagna is concerned, this road is not included in the list of trans-european transport network projects identified by Decision No 1692/96/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-european transport network(4). However, the fact that the dorsale d'Allemagna is not a trans-european transport project as such does not prevent the Italian authorities to build this road as long as this is done in compliance with the relevant Community legislation.

(1) OJ L 61, 12.3.1996.

(2) Written reply, 12.3.2002.

(3) COM(2001) 18 final.

(4) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996.