WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2984/97 by Patricia McKENNA to the Council. Statoil operations in waters surrounding East Timor
Date: 1997-09-30
Institutions: European Parliament, MCKENNA
Subjects: East Timor, Norway, external competence (EU), human rights, oil industry, petroleum exploration

C 134/48

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30. 4. 98

(98/C 134/58)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2984/97

by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Council

(30 September 1997)

Subject: Statoil operations in waters surrounding East Timor

Statoil,  the  Norwegian  state-owned  oil  company,  is  currently  undertaking  exploratory  work  in  the  waters
surrounding Indonesian-occupied East Timor.

Norway(cid:146)s Energy Minister, Ranveig Froeiland, announced recently that no action would be taken against the
company in spite of the continuous abuse of human rights in East Timor and the fact that neither Norway nor the
UN has accepted a framework proposal for oil exploration in the area.

Given the Council(cid:146)s common position on East Timor and its efforts to end human rights abuses there, will it urge
the Norwegian authorities and Statoil to cease oil exploration in the area?

Answer

(15 January 1998)

This question refers to the sovereign decision-making process of a third country which is not a member of the
European Union. It does not therefore fall within the competence of the European Union.

(98/C 134/59)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2990/97

by Joan Vallve· (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 October 1997)

Subject: Sand extraction project in the south-eastern part of Majorca

The Directorate-General of the Spanish Environment Ministry has begun the administrative procedure to seek
approval for sand to be extracted in a new area off the coast of Majorca. In this instance there are plans to extract
8 million cubic metres of sediment in an area of between 72 and 170 hectares off the south-east coast of Majorca,
to be used for the (cid:145)regeneration(cid:146) of beaches.

The size of the project has caused alarm within the local fishing sector, which fears that its traditional fishing
grounds will be destroyed, as happened in Palma Bay in 1989 when 500 000 cubic metres were extracted. In the
current case, where sixteen times as much sand is to be removed, the economic and environmental impact could
be  disastrous,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  project  will  be  located  in  areas  populated  by  Posidonia
Oceanica which are specifically protected under Directive 92/43/EEC (1) on the conservation of natural habitats
and of wild fauna and flora. This question was referred to the EC two years ago, an event which caused much
rejoicing in Majorca.

Is the EC aware of the project in question and of the consequences which, pursuant to Directive 85/337/EEC (2)
on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, it will have for the
area(cid:146)s economy and ecosystem?

Does the Commission consider that, in an area such as the waters around the Balearic Islands in which fishing
grounds are becoming increasingly impoverished on account of illegal fishing, sand extraction and pollution, it is
sensible to allow such environmentally damaging activities to continue?

(1)  OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.
(2)  OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.