WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3285/97 by Marie-Paule KESTELIJN- SIERENS to the Commission. Telecommunications
Date: 1997-10-20
Institutions: European Parliament, KESTELIJN-SIERENS
Subjects: communications systems, competition, liberalisation of the market, quasi-fiscal charge, single market, systems interconnection, tax system, telecommunications, telephone charges, transmission network

C 158/78

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 5. 98

(98/C 158/99)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3284/97

by Leonie van Bladel (UPE) to the Council

(21 October 1997)

Subject: Threat to the Okavango delta in Botswana

Is the Council aware of Namibia(cid:146)s intention, given the serious drought, to pump water out of the Okavango

1.
river in Botswana?

Is the Council aware that this is being carried out with financial aid from China, in exchange for which

2.
Namibia is granting China fishing rights off the Namibian coast?

3.
Given the unspoilt nature of the flora and fauna peculiar to the Okavango delta,is the Council prepared to
consult the governments of Namibia and Botswana on ways of using financial aid from the European Union to
find an alterative to Namibia(cid:146)s water shortage?

Is  the  Council  prepared  to  use  specialist  knowledge  on  water  supplies  in  Europe,  and  in  particular  the

4.
British Wetlands Institute, which has offices in the Netherlands, to find a solution to this problem?

Answer

(16 February 1998)

The Council has no information on Namibia(cid:146)s alleged intention to pump water out of the Okavango river in
Botswana. Moreover, it has no direct jurisdiction to intervene in this matter.

This type of problem could be raised in the context of management of the Lome· Convention, which is primarily
the responsibility of the Commission.

(98/C 158/100)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3285/97

by Marie-Paule Kestelijn-Sierens (ELDR) to the Commission

(20 October 1997)

Subject: Telecommunications

We are aware that liberalization of the telecommunications market is to take place on 1 January 1998, and that
this will encourage competition.

Is the Commission empowered to take other initiatives to ensure that the tariffs charged by telecommunications
companies in the European Internal Market are not influenced by internal borders?

Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 1997)

The Commission has taken and will continue to take all initiatives within its powers to tackle the cross-border
effect  in  the  tariffs  of  the  telecommunications  organisations.  The  main  reasons  why  cross  border  tariffs  are
higher than domestic long distance tariffs are, firstly, that the former are still not cost-oriented, secondly, that the
current networks have been designed on a national basis and, thirdly, that high interconnection or settlement rates
are applied to terminate cross border calls.

Under Directive 96/19/EC of 13 March 1996 amending Directive 90/388/EEC with regard to the implementation
of full competition in telecommunications markets (1) Member States have to allow their telecom organisations
to re-balance their tariffs before 1 January 1998 and, where such rebalancing cannot be completed before that
date,  to  provide  the  Commission  with  a  detailed  time-table  for  the  future  phasing  out  of  the  remaining
imbalances.