WRITTEN QUESTION E-3641/00

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: Building of a motorway in the Braga district

Inhabitants of the Moreiras, Trandeiras and Celeirós areas in the Braga district (Portugal) have sent to the European Commission, through the ad hoc committees' spokesman, José Mendes Rodrigues, a statement complaining about the planned route for the Braga Sul/Celeirós-Trandeiras/Moreiras section of the A11 motorway, which AENOR is currently seeking to build and which will have extremely harmful consequences and will be prejudicial to urban communities.

It is quite clear, from the statement submitted and also from my own experience of having visited the area on 2 November 2000, that the protest is perfectly justified.

1. What is the Commission's position on the statement submitted to it on behalf of the inhabitants of the Moreiras, Trandeiras and Celeirós areas in the Braga district?

2. Has any provision been made for Community funding of the Braga Sul/Celeirós-Trandeiras/Moreiras section of the A11 motorway, to be built by AENOR?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(18 January 2001)

The Commission must inform the Honourable Member that the complaint in question, recorded under No 2000/4982, has been carefully analysed in the light of the provisions of Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment(1), as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EEC of 3 March 1997(2).

In accordance with Article 4.1 and Annex I to said Directive, motorway projects shall be made subject to an assessment in accordance with Articles 5-10. Under Article 3 the environmental impact assessment will, in accordance with Article 4-10, identify, describe and assess in an appropriate manner, the direct and indirect effects of any project on various environmental factors, such as human beings, flora and fauna, soil, water, air, climate and the landscape. Under said Articles the Member States are required to provide a complete range of information on the project in order to enable its main effects on the environment to be identified and assessed. Finally, under Article 8, the information in question must be taken into consideration in the development consent.

The Commission is able to inform the Honourable Member that, in the light of the analysis referred to above, it judged it necessary to draw the attention of the Portuguese authorities to the course being followed by the impact assessment procedure being applied to the project in question, and to request explanations in this area, since the complaint revealed certain doubts as to compliance by said authorities with all of the conditions imposed by the Community provisions referred to above when authorising that same project;

The Commission is able to inform the Honourable Member with regard to any possible Community funding of the section of motorway A11 in question that, so far, the Portuguese authorities have not lodged any request for funding under the Cohesion Fund or under the European Regional Development Fund. Indeed, according to the information received the project will be funded by the company holding the franchise (AENOR S.A.).

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.

(2) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.