WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1599/96 by Honório NOVO to the Commission. Procedure for deciding on the location of landfill sites in Portugal and the financing thereof
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, NOVO
Subjects: European Commission, Portugal, application of EU law, co-financing, domestic waste, environmental impact, fund (EU), invitation to tender, project evaluation, storage of waste













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91996E1599

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1599/96 by Honório NOVO to the Commission. Procedure for deciding on the location of landfill sites in Portugal and the financing thereof  


Official Journal C 356 , 25/11/1996 P. 0065 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1599/96 by Honório Novo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Procedure for deciding on the location of landfill sites in Portugal and the financing thereofIn Portugal, various procedures are currently under way with a view to deciding on the location of, preparing public competitions for, and subsequently constructing, landfill sites for the disposal of household and industrial waste.This is the case with, inter alia, the landfill sites in Vale do Minho, Vale do Lima, Vila Nova de Gaia e Santa Maria da Feira, Coimbra and Beira Interior.Decisions regarding the location of such sites are the responsibility of the local councils of the areas within which the locations earmarked for the construction of such sites are situated (respectively Valenca, Viano do Castelo, Vila Nova de Gaia, Coimbra and Covilhã). Such decisions have been hotly disputed by the local people, who are accusing their respective councils of taking decisions on the basis of technically ill-founded and/or incomplete studies without having carried out environmental impact studies and, in certain cases, of taking decisions without having made any kind of study public.Since these sites are infrastructure items for which there will be significant Community co-financing, would the Commission say which body is responsible for ratifying the methods used by the local councils in order to decide on the location of such sites and who is to take the final decision regarding the financing thereof - the Portuguese Government alone, the Commission, or both?Even if such decisions are the sole responsibility of the Portuguese Government, will the Commission consider reversing them, particularly in cases where it appears that environmental impact studies have not been carried out and Community environmental laws and directives have not been observed?Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (1 August 1996)The choice of method for treating urban waste and the selection of the sites concerned is the responsibility of the national authorities.The projects mentioned by the Honourable Member may be eligible for cofinancing from the Cohesion Fund. Should the Commission receive a request for cofinancing, it would ascertain whether the projects were in compliance with the relevant Community legislation, such compliance being an essential condition for the allocation of any cofinancing.Installations for the elimination of dangerous waste are required under Community law to undergo an environmental impact evaluation (not a study) before construction is authorized.Other installations should undergo an evaluation of this kind if the national authorities deem this necessary.The consultation of the local people is a mandatory requirement for such evaluations.