WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3237/97 by Mihail PAPAYANNAKIS to the Commission. Funding of environmental impact surveys
Date: 1997-10-20
Institutions: European Parliament, PAPAYANNAKIS
Subjects: EU financing, Greece, administrative powers, environmental impact, impact study, liability, principle of subsidiarity, project evaluation, public works

C 158/68

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 5. 98

Commission is represented on the management board of the agency, but is not involved in the administration,
functioning  or  operations  of  the  agency.  The  Commission,  therefore,  has  no  competence  in  the  area  of  staff
recruitment to the agency and is not in a position to provide the information requested.

The Honourable Member may wish to consult Mr Scoullos (University of Athens) and Mr Wynne (Lancaster
University), the two representatives of the Parliament on the agency(cid:146)s management board. Finally, it should also
be  recalled  that  the  Parliament  has  the  opportunity  to  comment  on  budgetary  and  staffing  matters  in  the
framework of the annual procedures to approve the budget of the agency.

(98/C 158/86)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3237/97

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(20 October 1997)

Subject: Funding of environmental impact surveys

According  to  reports  appearing  in  authoritative  Greek  newspapers,  from  1990  onwards,  thousands  of
environmental  impact  surveys  required  under  Directive  85/337/EEC (1)  have  been  assigned  to  third  parties
having no particular knowledge of the subject matter. This has produced dubious results regarding the quality of
the  surveys  and  many  of  the  public  works  concerned  have  been  blocked  or,  alternatively,  carried  out  with
irreversible consequences.

1.  Can  the  Commission  say  what  environmental  impact  surveys  it  has  funded  in  Greece  for  the  period

1990-1997?

2.  What was the total amount of funding for the studies?

3.  Who carried out the surveys and to what extent were the results in accordance with the desired objectives?

4.  Will an investigation be carried out into the use of funds earmarked for environmental impact surveys in

Greece to establish whether or not they were properly used?

5. 

If irregularities are revealed, will the Commission request reimbursement of sums unduly paid?

(1)  OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(10 December 1997)

The execution and funding of environmental impact surveys as part of the assessment of the effects of certain
public  and  private  projects  on  the  environment  pursuant  to  Directive  85/337/EEC  is  the  responsibility  of  the
developer, while it is for the authorities to verify that this procedure has been properly carried out. With regard to
the transposition of the Directive in Greece, this is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment and
Public Works. In the case of projects not funded by the Community, the Commission does not intervene in this
procedure  either  to  monitor  or  assess  the  studies,  but  it  does  demand  compliance  with  the  abovementioned
Directive and takes action if it is not properly applied.

With regard to private or public projects which are co-funded under existing Community programmes, the cost of
an environmental survey, which is the first step in the environmental assessment procedure, is also eligible for
co-funding and is part of the total cost of the project. This means it is impossible for the Commission to have
figures on either the number or total cost of or the persons responsible for surveys carried out between 1990 and
1997.

In  accordance  with  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  however,  responsibility  for  carrying  out  the  environmental
assessment procedure and for carrying out the project is the responsibility of the authorities concerned.