Inmyview,allthisgoestoprovethattheFrenchauthoritiesarepursuingapolicywhichseekstoprotect
the French domestic market against foreign competition and which actually results in its being soprotected.TheCompetitionDGisawareofthismatterandhasagreedtoinitiateaninquiryintothecompetitionlawaspectsthereof.TheconductoftheFrenchauthoritiesisalsohamperingtheliberalisationofexpressmailservicesontheinternalmarket.
IstheCommissionawareoftherecentinquiriesandcourtcasesthattheFrenchauthoritieshaveinitiated
againstTNTJetServicesandotherexpressmailundertakings?
WhatistheCommissionplanningtodotocombattheunequalapplicationofthelawinthepostalsector
inFrance?
WilltheCommissionensurethattheliberalisationofexpressmailservicesisapplieduniformlyinthe
internalmarket?
AnswergivenbyMrMontionbehalfoftheCommission
(14August2003)
TheCommissionisawareofthefactthatanumberofcourtcasesandinquiriesareunderwayinFrance
againstTNTJetServicesandotherexpressmailserviceprovidersforevadinglabourlawprovisionsbyusingsubcontractors.AcomplainthasbeenfiledwiththeCommissioninthatrespectwhichallegesadiscriminatoryapplicationbytheFrenchAuthoritiesofthenationalrules,notablylabourlawrules,ontheuseofsubcontractors.
TheCommissionisatpresentanalysingthiscomplaintinordertoverifywhetherthereiseffectivelya
problemofdiscriminationandwhetherthereisscopeforinterventioninapplicationoftheEuropeanlaw.
TheCommissionhasalreadysentalettertotheFrenchStatecommunicatingthatitislookingattheabove
mentionedcomplaintandaskingwhichisitspositionvis-a-visthecircumstancesmentionedinit.
OnthebasisofthepositionoftheFrenchStateandofthefurtherevidencesthatthecomplainantwillbe
abletoproduce,theCommissionwilldecidewhetherthereisscopeforitsinterventiononthematteratissue.
As finally regards your concerns about an uniform enforcement of the liberalisation of express mail
services, the recent record of Commission’s decisions and initiatives regarding the application ofcompetitionrulesinthepostalsectorconstitutesastrongevidenceofitscommitmentinthisrespect.
(2004/C58E/147) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2096/03
byJeanLambert(Verts/ALE)totheCommission
(25June2003)
Subject:ConstructionofhighvoltagepowerstationbytheGreekPPCintheArgyroupolis/dashIlioupolisarea
Theplanningandconstructionofahighvoltagepowerstation(HVPS)bytheGreekPPCwasapprovedin
accordancewithArticle24oftheGreeklawL.2516/1997inanareathatbelongstotheBprotectionzoneofmountImittos.ThestipulationsofthisarticlewerejudgednonvalidbytheHighAdministrativeCourt, due to infringement of the article24 of the Greek Constitution referring to protection of theenvironment.Objections(referringtotheconstructionlicenceandtheenvironmentalimpactassessmentstudy) were submitted by the mayor of the city of Argyroupolis and a few citizens to the HighAdministrativeCourtagainsttheconstructionoftheHVPS,butthetrialhasbeenpostponedthreetimes(1November2002,7February2003and9May2003).Threepublicschoolsaresituatedlessthan50metresfromtheareawheretheHVPSwillbeconstructed.
AlthoughtheconstructionoftheHVPSviolatestheGreekConstitution,theGovernmenthasadopteda
newlawL.2947/2002forOlympicworks,whichincludestheconstructionoftheHVPS.Referringtothislaw,theMinisterofPublicWorksissuedanotherconstructionlicence,No59365/25.7.2002.ThePPCandtheGovernmentneverexaminedalternativesolutions,contrarytotheprovisionsofGreekLaw.6.3.2004EN C58E/131 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Furthermore,theGovernmenthasrefusedtogiveaccesstointerestedpartiestothenewconstruction
plans,andpolicemenpresentintheneighbourhoodsincethebeginningofMay2003haverefusedaccesstothewiderareatothegeneralpublic.
DothepresentworksontheHVPSbythePPCinArgyroupolis-IlioupoliscomplywithDirective97/11/
EC(
1)ontheassessmentoftheeffectsofcertainpublicandprivateprojectsontheenvironment?
UnderwhichauthorisedplanningandconstructionlicencearetheworksontheHVPSbeingcontinued?
(1) OJL73,14.3.1997,p.5.
AnswergivenbyMrsWallströmonbehalfoftheCommission
(28July2003)
Acomplaintconcerningtheplantobuildapowerstationwithhigh-voltageoverheadtransmissionlinesin
theArgyroupolis-Ilioupolisareahasalreadybeenregisteredunderthereferencenumber2002/5430.
AletterhasbeensenttotheGreekauthoritiesrequestinginformationoncompliancewiththeprovisions
ofDirective85/337/EEC(1),asamendedbyDirective97/11/EC(2),andthemeasurestakentomeetthe
requirementsofDirective92/43/EEC(3).
Once it has received a formal reply from the Greek authorities, the Commission will examine the
informationprovidedtocheckforanyincompatibilitywiththeCommunityprovisionsinforce,andwill
thentakeappropriateaction.However,theCommissiondoesnothavethepowertogiveadecisionon
possiblebreachesofGreeklaw,suchasfailuretocomplywithArticle24oftheGreekConstitution.
(1) CouncilDirective85/337/EECof27June1985ontheassessmentofcertainpublicandprivateprojectsonthe
environment,OJL175,5.7.1985.
(2) CouncilDirective97/11/ECof3March1997amendingDirective85/337/EECof27June1985ontheassessment
ofcertainpublicandprivateprojectsontheenvironment,OJL73,14.3.1997.
(3) CouncilDirective92/43/EECof21May1992ontheconservationofnaturalhabitatsandofwildfaunaandflora,
OJL206,22.7.1992.
(2004/C58E/148) WRITTENQUESTIONP-2109/03
bySebastianoMusumeci(UEN)totheCommission
(19June2003)
Subject:Illegalimmigration
BoatloadsofillegalimmigrantsarecontinuingtolandonthesoutherncoastsofItaly.AlthoughtheItalian
government’seffortstotacklethisissuereducedthenumbersbymorethan15thousandlastyear,Italycannotsolvethiscomplexproblemalone.
DoestheCommissionnotconsiderthatitshouldapplytheprincipleoffinancialburden-sharingbetween
Member States and try to ensure that future cooperation agreements with States from which illegalimmigrantscomearenolongersignedbyindividualcountriesbutbytheEU,inlinewiththeproposalputforwardin1995?
AnswergivenbyMrVitorinoonbehalfoftheCommission
(30July2003)
The Commission, in its Communication adopted on 3June 2003(
1), pays particular attention to the
principleofburdensharingandtothemoreefficientmanagementoftheexternalbordersoftheUnion.The Commission proposes to make use of the margin available from 2004-2006 (heading 3 of thefinancialperspectives)tomakeavailableEUR80millionthatwouldrepresentafirsteffortofsolidarityinC58E/132 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion