WRITTEN QUESTION E-1657/01

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 June 2001)

Subject: Delay in building the Egnatia Highway under the second CSF and its completion under the third CSF

According to information published concerning the progress of work on the Egnatia Highway, in the period up to 1994, 18 % of the work was completed, and between 1994 and mid-2001 20 % was completed, i.e. a total of only 38 %. As regards Community funding, a total of GRD 1 100 billion will be provided under the second and third CSFs for construction of the New Egnatia Highway and GRD 300 billion for the construction of perpendicular roads, though that will not complete the project. Moreover, according to official figures from the contractor, Egnatia Odos A. E., GRD 521 billion, i.e. only 35 % of the total estimated cost of the project, has been used so far and, therefore, even if the annual take-up rate is as much as GRD 200 billion, it will take another five years to complete the project, without taking account of perpendicular roads and any problem areas.

Finally, according to the latest information bulletin from Egnatia A. E. (March 2001), the project is scheduled to run through to 2004, whereas the minister responsible stated that the Egnatia Highway was under development and would be operational much earlier than the end of 2003, i.e. several months before the opening of the Olympic Games.

Given that the work is proceeding at a snail's pace, despite the fact that its funding is guaranteed by Community appropriations, the take-up rate of which is not consistent with their investment in the construction of the Egnatia Highway, will the Commission say:

1. what the cause of the delay to the project is, the precise stage reached in implementing the project and when exactly completion is expected,

2. whether the amounts earmarked under the second CSF for completion of the project have been fully used up and, if so, whether the project has been included for funding under the third CSF, and

3. what the total cost of completion of the project is, and what precisely Community funding provided for that purpose has been spent on, given that only 20 % of that sum has been invested in the implementation of the project?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2001)

From the port of Igoumenitsa to Kipi, at the border of Greece with Turkey, the Egnatia motorway has a total length of 680 kilometres (km).

Already before the beginning of the 1994-1999 programming period, a two lane road of a total length of 120 km has been constructed and will be used provisionally as part of the new motorway.

Under the 1994-1999 and 2000-2006 Objective 1 programmes, the Greek authorities propose to construct 560 km of this motorway. Within this total, 455 km are already under construction with a completion schedule according to the Greek authorities, as follows: 155 km completed by April 2001; 69 km to be completed by end 2001; 78 km to be completed by end 2002; 153 km to be completed in the years 2003-2004. The remaining 105 km are under study and should be constructed either as public works or under concession schemes, also during the 2000-2006 programming period.

According to the Greek authorities, progress has been affected by the fact that the motorway is a very large scale project, presenting difficulties mainly due to adverse geological conditions, especially in its western part, while there have been other challenges linked to the need to ensure the compatibility of the route with environmental protection and to avoid the destruction of the archaeological heritage.

Total public expenditure provided for this project under the 1994-1999 programme amounted to 691 million, of which 470 million from the ERDF. On the basis of information provided by the Greek authorities, the whole amount had been spent by the end of the year 2000. Public expenditure provided under the Greek CSF during the 2000-2006 programming period is estimated at 1 325 million, of which 663 million from the ERDF.

In addition, 283 million was granted from the Cohesion fund during the 1994-1999 programming period for a total public expenditure of 466 million. For the 2000-2006 programming period, the Cohesion fund is expected to contribute 411 million for a total public expenditure of 746 million.

The cost of completing the project (560 km of motorway) is estimated by the Greek authorities at some 2 billion, of which 691 million had been spent by the end of 2000.