WRITTEN QUESTION E-3739/97 by Gianni Tamino (V) to the Commission (21 November 1997)

Subject: Albania

The health and hygiene situation in Albania has now reached alarming proportions, having further deteriorated after the recent uprising and the resulting power vacuum. The water supply and sewage system is inadequate, antiquated or non-existent, and causes 53% of gastric and intestinal disorders among the population, with 120 000 severe cases of diarrhoea per year, and a serious threat of epidemics of cholera and hepatitis. There are no controls over food and animal production. Water reserves in the cities are totally inadequate because of the pollution of artesian wells, and the problems of reclaiming contaminated land and the storage of toxic and harmful substances in abandoned factories remain. At Fier, for example, 800 cubic metres of arsenic salts are allegedly lying in a fertilizer factory stored in a highly corrosive storage silo, which may have disastrous results for the whole southern Mediterranean.

What kind of and how much aid has been granted to Albania in the environmental field up to the present (in terms of both quantity and percentage of the total)?

Does the Commission consider environmental issues to be a priority for its present and future financing?

What steps does it intend to take to tackle the above-mentioned emergencies?

Were environmental emergencies on the agenda of the recent meeting of the Conference of Donors for Albania and what decisions were taken on the subject?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-3536/97, E-3739/97 and E-3776/97 given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (5 January 1998)

The principles of sustainable development guide the Community support to Albania in the field of environment. It is in particular based on the environment policy of the Albanian government as set out in the national environmental action plan approved in 1993. The Commission has explicitly supported the identified priorities and developed the following initiatives:

- between 1993 and 1999, a total of 28.7 MECU (out of an overall amount of 474 MECU) have been earmarked for environment related projects within the Phare programme (institutional strengthening, policy advice, wetland management, strategies for water and waste management, water and wastewater infrastructures, pesticides disposal). In addition, funding is under consideration for wastewater treatment projects under the cross-border programmes with Italy and Greece. This is complemented by small scale initiatives funded through the Albanian development plan which have a direct impact on the environment;

- the LIFE programme funds 2.1 MECU to support waste projects as a follow-up of the Phare initiatives and coastal zone management.

The Commission 'concept paper' prepared for the donor conferences retains environment related activities as a priority for future funding. At the conferences, strong statements were made both by the local authorities and the international community to support the principles of sustainable development.

Albania has inherited from its past centralised economy considerable quantities of pesticides and other hazardous wastes either supplied by third countries or produced within the country. Unwanted stocks have appeared in different locations presenting high risks for human health and the environment. This is the case of the tank located in Fier and containing arsenic to which the Honourable Members draw the attention of the Commission.

It should be underlined that the prime responsibility for the safe disposal of the unwanted materials lies with the companies responsible (polluter pays principle) and in last resort with the Albanian authorities. However, the Commission has undertaken initiatives to support the efforts of the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of health and environment in their policy of improving proper disposal.

The first initiative was to commission in 1993 an expert to examine the overall situation and to make recommendations for the disposal of the stocks. On the basis of his report, the local authorities developed a programme to reduce the quantities to a minimum by using old stock for its original purposes where still possible, by using certain products as chemical feedstock in industrial factories, by landfilling some low-strength non hazardous materials and by burning specific low-strength powders and dusts in a solid-fuel-powered cement factory.

In support of the Albanian initiatives, an allocation of 1.7 MECU within the Phare programme was agreed in 1996 for a comprehensive disposal programme comprising (i) disposal of 220 tons of pesticides which are totally unusable, (ii) disposal of 200 tons of toxic by-product from the manufacture of the organochlorine insecticide Lindane (now discontinued in Albania) stored at the Durres pesticide factory and (iii) repackaging and long term storage in Albania of two tons of mercurial products and 9.1 tons of arsenical products (including the products stored in Fier). Phare technical and financial assistance will develop the necessary detailed plans for disposal of these unwanted quantities of pesticides in a safe and environmentally sound way and in line with existing Community regulations. The programme also contains training notably in ecologically sound and organic farming.

The Commission is currently reviewing the situation in order to assess what exactly can be done in the short term considering in particular the lack of security in certain areas. It is envisaged to implement the programme in mid-1998.