EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/721

(2004/C 88 E/0742)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1064/04

by André Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(6 April 2004)

Subject: Inconsistencies relating to the reconstruction of the road S 282 A in the Free State of Saxony

I would like to draw the Commission's attention to problems relating to the reconstruction of the Land-administered road S 282 A in the Free State of Saxony. These problems have been the subject of a petition to the European Parliament (364/2000), which was registered on 25 May 2000 and last discussed by the Committee on Petitions on 20 February 2003. The Committee is still awaiting the information requested from the relevant authorities in Germany.

Over the four years since the petition was submitted and during which the road S 282 A was completed, an increasing number of conflicting pieces of information have come to light.

Firstly, contradictory statements have been made with regard to the cost.

In a letter of 23 May 2003 to Mr Nino Gemelli (Chairman of the Committee on Petitions), the German ambassador Dr Schönfelder (Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU) confirmed that the extension of the road S 282 A would cost EUR 50 million, referring to information from German authorities.

In a letter of 19 May 2003 to Mr Iltgen, President of Saxony's state parliament, the total cost of constructing the road was estimated by Saxony's State Minister of Economic Affairs and Labour at EUR 4,63 million. Just a few weeks later (on 4 July 2003), in reply to the same question, the Minister informed Mr Iltgen that the cost would be only EUR 4,3 million.

In addition, it is suspected that the reconstruction of the road S 282 A was intentionally declared to be an ‘extension’ although this was not the case, as only one year after the road was completed it was downgraded from the original ‘supraregional’ category (classification II) to the ‘regional’ category (classification III).

Can the Commission state whether and to what extent it is aware of these conflicting facts and, if it is not aware of them, whether it intends to carry out on-the-spot investigations?

Supplementary answer given by Mr Barrot on behalf of the Commission

(28 June 2004)

According to the information which the Commission received from the management authority on 16 April 2004 in Saxony, the situation of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) investments in the project quoted by the Honourable Member is as follows.

The street, Staatsstraße 282 A, has been reconstructed with support from the ERDF. The planning envisaged a total cost of EUR 9,081 million. Up to now EUR 5,3 million has been spent with some EUR 0,705 million to follow. The ERDF is contributing 75 % of the total cost.

The Commission is informed that inconsistencies might have arisen in the presentation of the figures regarding this project because they were given at different points in time and relate therefore to the situation at different stages of implementation.

As regards the change in grade of the street, the programme management authority has informed the Commission that the street in question was upgraded from local level in 1997 to state level. It has not been downgraded.