WRITTEN QUESTION E-2944/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(18 October 2002)

Subject: Shrinkage and disappearance of lakes on Macedonia's southern border due to abstraction of water for use in farming on the Greek side of the border

1. Is the Commission aware that the water level in the Dojransko Ezero lake in the Gevgelija district (opsjtina) in the south-east of the Republic of Macedonia on the border with the Kilkis district (nomos) in the region of Kentriki Makedonia, Greece, which used to cover an area of 42 km2, has fallen by seven metres since 1988, as a result of which the remaining water is turning into a pool of mud with a high concentration of the toxic algae Microcystis and Anabaena?

2. Can the Commission confirm that this fall in the water level, which has destroyed both fishing and tourism/recreation, is largely due to the fact that, since the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, 9 000 000 m3 of water per annum has been pumped out of the lake on the Greek side of the border for use in agricultural irrigation?

3. Is a similar fall in water level taking place in the Prespansko Ezero lake on Macedonia's south-western border with Greece due to water abstraction by Greece, which could ultimately likewise result in a fall in water level in the Ohridsko Ezero lake, a well-known destination for tourists by the town of Ohrid, as these lakes are connected underground?

4. Is it true that the infrastructure built by Macedonia to solve the problems of the Dojransko Ezero lake, which involved tapping into an underground lake on the western side near Bogdanci and conveying the water over a distance of 20 km, so that, by discharging 1 000 litres of water per second, it will be possible to restore the previous water level in 8 years, cost EUR 13 million and that Greece did not make any contribution to this?

5. How long will the water in the underground lake near Bogdanci last? What impact will it have on the surrounding area and the nearby river Vardar (Axiós) if the underground lake is ultimately exhausted?

6. Is it acceptable for an EU Member State to cause serious damage to a neighbouring state by means of cross-border activities, not to pay adequate compensation and now moreover to derive benefit from the measures which a small impoverished neighbouring state has taken to limit the damage within its own borders?

7. What long-term solutions are necessary to prevent any recurrence within the present and future territory of the EU of a disaster such as that which occurred previously when the Aral Sea on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the former Soviet Union dried up? Who will implement the requisite measures?

Source: Rotterdams Dagblad, 5 October 2002.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(28 November 2002)

The Commission is aware of the drop in the water levels of Lake Dojran due to extraction of water for irrigation but according to information at its disposal the situation in Lake Prespa is not comparable as no water is extracted on the Greek side. The Commission has been informed by the authorities of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) that the water transfer project is exclusively financed from their own resources. The Commission financed a pre-feasibility study under its PHARE Cross-Border Programme Small Project Facility. The objective was to set up a strategy for a future detailed feasibility study for revitalisation of Dojran Lake as a regional ecological entity. The Commission has no technical information that enables it to comment on the likelihood of the underground lake near Bogdanci becoming exhausted nor on its potential consequences although FYROM has stated that there is no risk as the wells are located in the adjoining alluvium of the Vardar (Axios) River and the respective groundwater is continuously recharged by river water. A long-term solution would be the establishment of a joint lake watershed management plan and management committee in line with the provisions of the EU Water Framework Directive(1).

Should the FYROM government define water management measures in the lake as one of their priorities for assistance then the Commission would be prepared to consider to what extent the existing financial instruments could be used to help.

Regardless of any eventual Community assistance, the responsibility for implementing any remedial measures would remain with the two governments concerned. In this respect the Commission is encouraged by the declaration for salvation of the Dojran lake as well as for sustainable management and development of Axios River and the surrounding areas made in Athens on 5 July 2002. This is an encouraging sign that the two parties are prepared to work together to solve this issue in common.

(1) Parliament and Council Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.