WRITTEN QUESTION E-2657/98

by Gianni Tamino (V) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Plan to extend the airport of San Giuseppe in Treviso

The "San Giuseppe" airport in the communes of Treviso and Quinto was built as a military aerodrome in the nineteen twenties in an area which was then far away from residential districts. After the Second World War both NATO (with the airport of Istrana) and the Ministry of Transport (with the airport of Venezia-Tessera, which is 20 kilometres from San Giuseppe) did not develop the "Treviso runway", which was gradually surrounded and hemmed in by the growth of buildings, industry and housing in Treviso. The urban centres of Treviso and Quinto di Treviso are under the flightpath for take-offs and landings and residential areas begin at either end of the runway. There is now a project worth Lit.12 billion, already financed by the Ministry of Transport, for an airport four times the size of the existing one, with parking space for thousands of cars. The only justification for this project offered by Aertre (the company which administers the San Giuseppe airport services) is of an economic nature, linked to the enormous (but hypothetical) development of traffic at Treviso airport, which is to be a source of new jobs and wealth for the local economy. At the same time the company is trying to persuade the local population that this is not a totally new project but only a modernization of the existing airport and that no increase in the number of flights per day is envisaged. All this is contrary to the wishes of the neighbouring local authorities, except the municipality of Treviso, which because it owes the company Aertre Lit. 7 billion, sees this project as the only way of recovering creditworthiness.

Quite apart from the risks run daily by the inhabitants of the area, because of the danger of an air crash, the airport is a source of noise and pollution because aircraft fly extremely low over residential areas, dump unspent fuel on people and houses, and make deafening noise and vibrations which harm people and buildings. In the first 300 metres after take-off every aeroplane disturbs and shakes as many as 50 000 inhabitants. Above all, the airport is near to the Parco del Sile, a nature reserve which contains various areas of European interest belonging to the Natura 2000 network set up under Directive 92/43/EEC(1). The project to extend the airport has not been subjected to an environmental impact assessment which might highlight its risks and contradictions, since it is considered as merely a modernization of the existing airport.

Does the Commission consider that the project for the airport of Treviso San Giuseppe is compatible with the environmental protection of the Parco del Sile, which constitutes part of the Natura 2000 network, set up to safeguard biodiversity by conserving natural habitats and wild flora and fauna in Europe? Does it also consider it correct that a project on this scale should be carried out without being first subjected to an environmental impact assessment? Finally, does it consider that the project is compatible with the directives on noise, not least in view of the statements contained in the European Union's Fifth Framework Programme on the environment, which specifies that nobody should be subjected to a level of noise which may endanger health and the quality of life?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(4 November 1998)

In the opinion of the Commission, based on the information given by the Honourable Member, the works to which he refers appear to be projects of the classes listed in Annex II of Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment(2). Such projects should be made subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) where Member States consider that their characteristics so require.

The Italian authorities, following a Commission request for information about the project, have communicated that the procedure, provided in Article 4(2) of Directive 85/337/EEC, is under way, and that the results will be notified to the Commission. In the light of the above, it can be concluded that no breach of Community law can be detected at present as regards the EIA aspect.

As for the sites "Sile Morto di Vallependola Alzaia (IT3240009)" and "Sile: sorgenti paludi di Morgano e S. Cristina (IT3240011)", proposed by Italy in the framework of the procedure under Directive 92/43/EC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora and possibly concerned by the project, since the list of proposed sites of Community importance has not yet been adopted by the Commission, it is the responsability of Member States to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee a favourable conservation status of the proposed sites.

However, given that these sites have been proposed by the Italian authorities for the Natura 2000 network, the Commission is of the opinion that the opportunity to apply the procedures of Article 6 of Directive 92/43/EC should be assessed. In any case, the Commission will take the appropriate steps in order to ensure the observance of Community law.

On the question of noise, the most recent Community legislation is Council Directive 92/14/EEC(3) as amended by Council Directive 98/20/EC of 30 March 1998 on the limitation of the operation of aeroplanes covered by Part II, Chapter 2, Volume 1 of Annex 16 to the Convention on Iternational Civil Aviation, second edition (1988)(4). This legislation provides for the gradual phasing out in the Community, between 1995 and 2002, of the most noisy aircraft as soon as they reach 25 years of age. This measure has a positive impact on the global noise load around an airport, without, however, imposing a maximum noise threshold.

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

(2) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.

(3) OJ L 76, 23.3.1992.

(4) OJ L 107, 7.4.1998.