WRITTEN QUESTION No. 374/99 by Antoni GUTIÉRREZ DÍAZ Construction of the C-37 road from Torelló to Valle de En Bas (Catalonia, Spain)
Date: 1999-02-17
Institutions: European Parliament, GUTIERREZ DIAZ
Subjects: Catalonia, environmental impact, protection of animal life, protection of plant life, road building, trans-European network, transport network













EUR-Lex - 91999E0374 - EN






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91999E0374

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 374/99 by Antoni GUTIÉRREZ DÍAZ Construction of the C-37 road from Torelló to Valle de En Bas (Catalonia, Spain)  


Official Journal C 341 , 29/11/1999 P. 0102 





WRITTEN QUESTION P-0374/99by Antoni Gutiérrez Díaz (GUE/NGL) to the Commission(17 February 1999)Subject: Construction of the C-37 road from Torelló to Valle de En Bas (Catalonia, Spain)Over the last few years the plan to build a road linking the towns of Vic and Olot in Catalonia has been vehemently rejected by environmental organisations and many social and political bodies active in the area.According to the environmental impact assessment which has been carried out, the plan which includes the construction of a tunnel at Bracons on the section of the road between Torelló and Valle de En Bas, would have a devastating effect on the area.However, despite increasing opposition to any attempt to proceed with the plan, the Catalonia regional government's planning policy and public works department has decided to initiative the administrative procedure for putting it into effect and has asked the Spanish Government to include it in the EU's trans-European transport network.Can the Commission say whether or not the Spanish Government has submitted a request for the road in question to be included in the trans-European transport network? If so, is the project to be financed from the Cohesion Fund?Is the Commission aware of the environmental impact assessment, which has been carried out as a statutory requirement and what does it think of it? Does the Commission consider the damaging of areas of special natural interest (which, as the environmental impact assessment makes plain, would occur as a result of the plan) to contravene the relevant Community rules?Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission(22 March 1999)Spain has made no request to include the C-37 road from Torello to Valle da En Bas in Catalonia in the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). The Cohesion Fund and the TEN budget contain no finance for this section. It may be noted that the Cohesion Fund has financed two other sections of the highway known as the "Eje de Cataluña": the section between Rajadell and Artés(1) and the section between Artés and Sta. Maria de Oló(2).The Commission is not aware of the results of the environmental impact study carried out by Spain.The information provided by the Honourable Member suggests that the road will cross an area which Spain proposed for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network (Sistema Transversal Catalá, code ES51110005). The Commission will ask the Spanish authorities for information on the steps taken to ensure compliance with Article 6(3) and (4) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora(3).(1) Commission Decision C(95) 3068 of 11 December 1995, as amended by Decision C(96) 3776 of 12 December 1996.(2) Commission Decision C(96) 2626 of 23 September 1996.(3) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.