WRITTEN QUESTION E-2038/99 by Gorka Knörr Borràs (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Work on the high-speed train (AVE) line in Calatayud.
Date: 1999-11-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cohesion Fund, degradation of the environment, environmental impact, groundwater, high-speed transport, rail network, trans-European network, water resources

C 219 E/72

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

1.8.2000

(2000/C 219 E/085)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2037/99

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(3 November 1999)

Subject: The European Commission and tourism

Could the Commission explain why the tourism portfolio does not figure explicitly in the responsibilities
of any of the members of the new Commission?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(20 December 1999)

Each Member of the new Commission has been given a simple, brief, generic title to cover his areas of
responsibility (e.g. Commissioner for the Internal Market, Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information
Society). As a result, the constituant parts of the portfolio are not made explicit in the title.

Mr Liikanen is the Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society. Tourism, handled by the
Enterprise Directorate General, is part of his portfolio.

(2000/C 219 E/086)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2038/99

by Gorka Kn(cid:246)rr Borr(cid:224)s (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Work on the high-speed train (AVE) line in Calatayud

(3 November 1999)

Recently the construction of a tunnel as part of work on the high-speed train line at Calatayud punctured
the Marivella aquifer, causing the water level to fall.

As a result, a large number of residents who were supplied by wells were left without drinking water. The
town council was forced to use tankers to deliver drinking water.

To date, the company in charge of the works has not repaired the damage caused to the aquifer and the
problem remains unresolved.

Given that work on the Madrid-Saragossa-Barcelona high-speed train line is being financed by the
European Union through the Cohesion Fund, and that the underground aquifers represent an important
source of income for the Calatayud region as a source of mineral water for bottling and for thermal spas
for medicinal and recreational purposes, would the Commission answer the following questions:

Is the Commission aware of this problem? Has the Commission tried to obtain further details on the
matter? If not, will it take steps to do so in order to avoid any repetition of such incidents, which have
serious consequences for the local economy?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(21 December 1999)

The Commission has not been officially informed of the problems caused by construction work for the
high-speed train (HST) line to which the Honourable Member refers. However, the information provided
by the Spanish authorities during the ex-ante evaluation of the project suggested that any difficulties in the
Miravella area should have no impact on the aquifers used by spas or on mineral water bottling plants,
most of which are located in Jaraba and Alhama de Arag(cid:243)n, at some distance from the Miravella area. The
Commission has, however, asked the Spanish authorities to provide further information on the situation.

1.8.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 219 E/73

As regards the aquifers near to Calatayud, the environmental impact statement for the preliminary draft of
the Calatayud-Ricla section identified a series of measures to minimise the impact of work to construct the
HST line including not locating heavy machinery in those areas, no tipping of materials or waste of any
type, considering ways of not significantly affecting the aquifers during the excavations required to lay the
rail-beds and planning and designing work to ensure that rainwater was not diverted from the area from
which the aquifers were restocked. The Spanish authorities undertook to take account of these recom-
mendations throughout the implementation phase of the projet.

(2000/C 219 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2039/99

by Monica Frassoni (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 November 1999)

Subject: Road tunnel at the port of Olbia, Sardinia

Expansion of the trading port of Olbia, considered to be of national importance because it handles over
three million tonnes of goods and two million passengers a year, is governed by the port master plan
drawn up in 1980 and endorsed by the Ministerial Decree of 26 June 1981. Under the plan, the north and
south viaducts and the Isola Bianca wharf were to be connected by an elevated road link. On 3 October
1991, departing from the plan, ANAS (the independent Italian highways authority) hired the Roman firm
Tor de Valle to build a tunnel instead of the elevated section, and work began in October 1998. The
assignment was awarded without any call for bids. The work on the tunnel and the necessary junctions,
which has not been the subject of any environmental impact assessment (EIA), has uncovered important
archaeological finds dating back 1 500 years, regarded as one of the most extraordinary archaeological
discoveries to have been made in Sardinia in recent years. The Art Treasures Service has partially halted
the work and is conducting a further examination. After the tunnel, other port facilities are to be
constructed, and, for example, the expanses of water between the old wharf, the Busazza, and via Genova
are to be silted up. These works too are contrary to the port master plan and not covered by any EIA.
After being alerted by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe, the Italian Ministry for the
Environment indicated that an environmental impact assessment was required both for the Port of Olbia
master plan and for each variant thereof (1). The Prime Minister(cid:146)s Office (2) and Sardinia Regional Council (3)
had previously expressed similar views. In spite of these clear statements and Directive 85/337/EEC, which
stipulates that an EIA must be carried out for trading ports handling ships with a tonnage over 1 350 t (4),
as is the case at the Port of Olbia, work is continuing even though no such assessment has been
undertaken.

What steps will the Commission take to ensure compliance with Directive 85/337/EEC and make the
works under construction at the Port of Olbia, in particular the tunnel and junctions referred to above,
subject to EIA? Does it not believe that the fact that the contract to build the tunnel was awarded without
an open invitation to tender constitutes a breach of European public procurement legislation (5)?

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)

See Circular 448/VIA/A.55.3 of 21.1.1999.
See Circular UCA/1.1.24488/1 of 14.11.1991.
See Sardinia Regional Council Decision No 14/53 of 15.4.1997.
See Annex 1 to Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27.6.1985, published in OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.
See Council Directives 92/50/EEC of 18.6.1992 (OJ L 209, 24.7.1992, p. 1), 93/36/EEC of 14.6.1993
(OJ L 199, 9.8.1993, p. 1), and 93/37/EEC of 14.6.1993 (OJ L 199, 9.8.1993, p. 54).

Answer given by Mme Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(21 December 1999)

The work to which the Honourable Member refers appears to be within the scope of Directive 85/337/EEC
the effects of certain public and private projects on the
of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of