WRITTEN QUESTION E-2076/99 by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Public health hazard in Greece posed by high concentrations of arsenic in drinking water ‐ breach of Community legislation.
Date: 1999-11-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, drinking water, health policy, semi-metal, water pollution

1.8.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 219 E/85

cartels as a serious breach of competition law, it should be noted that government mandated restrictions
do not normally fall within the scope of such competition law disciplines. Of course, any such government
mandated restriction has to be in conformity with the existing framework of WTO rules.

3.
In order to be compatible with WTO rules, state trading enterprises (STEs), such as those operated by
New Zealand, Australia and Canada for certain agricultural commodities, have to respect the provisions
laid down in General agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT) Article XVII. In defining its approach to the
new round in relation to agriculture, the Community has indicated that the operation of STEs should be
examined, and in particular when the various forms of export support are addressed.

4.
The rules for export credits (cid:145)Arrangement on guidelines for officially supported export credits(cid:146) have
been fixed in a forum which has almost all Organisation for economic cooperation and development
(OECD) countries as members (e.g. Turkey and Mexico are not members). The point of view has always
been that those most interested in a strong discipline in this field, are probably those countries that give
export credits and export credit guarantees on insurance rather than those that primarily receive the
credits. The rules cover sales of capital goods on credit terms of two years or more. In September 1994 it
was, however, agreed that negotiations on credit terms for agricultural products would start as soon as the
Uruguay round was in place.

Article 10§2 of the Uruguay round agreement on agriculture foresaw the development of internationally
agreed disciplines to govern the provision of export credits, export credit guarantees or insurance
programmes, as part of the Marrakech deal on export competition commitments. Despite this provision,
it has proved impossible to reach, during the implementation period of the Uruguay round, an agreement
on such disciplines for agricultural products at the OECD, due to resistance from the United States.
Therefore, the Community has indicated in its mandate for Seattle that the issue of export credits to
agriculture also needs to be taken up in the framework of WTO as an example of non-implementation,
when addressing export competition measures for agricultural products.

As far as internal transport subsidies are concerned, to the extent that these relate to agriculture, they
would need to respect, and be notified under the relevant provisions of the agreement on agriculture.
However, it should be recalled that one of the more important schemes in this respect, the so-called (cid:145)Crow
Rate(cid:146) operated by Canada, which was a form of export subsidy, has now been withdrawn.

(2000/C 219 E/102)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2076/99

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 November 1999)

Subject: Public health hazard in Greece posed by high concentrations of arsenic in drinking water (cid:129) breach

of Community legislation

Recent measurements of drinking water quality carried out in the Chalastra area of Thessaloniki by the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki have revealed extremely high concentrations of arsenic, 64 micro-
grammes per litre (µgr/l), which represents a direct risk to public health. Such a concentration is far
beyond the maximum acceptable EU limit of 50 µgr/l laid down by Directive 80/778/EEC (1) on water
quality, while the risk to public health is even greater if the new 1998 directive is taken into account
(Directive 98/83/EC (2) on the quality of water intended for human consumption, replacing the previous
directive) which lays down the maximum parametric value for arsenic at 10 µgr/l.

C 219 E/86

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

1.8.2000

1. What
Community directives on water intended for human consumption in Greece?

immediate measures will

the Commission take to safeguard public health and enforce

2. What information does the Commission have concerning this matter and what corrective or other
measures has Greece taken to ensure that public health is protected and that healthy, clean water is
available for consumption in the area concerned?

3. What is the position regarding the effective implementation of Directive 80/778/EEC in Greece and
what information does the Commission have regarding the obligation to carry out regular checks on the
quality of drinking water in Greece in accordance with Article 8 of the Directive concerned?

4. What stage has been reached in incorporating Directive 98/83/EC into Greek national law?

(1) OJ L 229, 30.8.1980, p. 11.
(2) OJ L 330, 5.12.1998, p. 32.

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

(13 December 1999)

The Commission is grateful to the Honourable Member for bringing to its attention the specific incidence
of high arsenic concentration in drinking water in the area of Halastra, Thessaloniki.

The Commission has contacted, informally, the Greek authorities to seek their comments on the situation.
If no satisfactory reply is received, ensuring that there is no danger for human health, the Commission will
not hesitate to initiate the procedure provided in Article 226 (ex Article 169) EC Treaty. Should the
Honourable Member already have in his possession additional information on this case, he would be very
welcome to submit this to the Commission.

The Greek authorities have submitted a report on drinking water quality in line with Council Directive
91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991 standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of
certain Directives relating to the environment (1).

The Commission has requested private consultants to undertake a study on the implementation of the
drinking water directive Council Directive 80/778/EEC of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of water
intended for human consumption (2)
in Greece. The report on this study has been submitted to the
Commission, which is assessing the information in order to decide on the appropriate action to be taken.
At this stage, as the assessment has not been completed, the Commission would reserve its position.

Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 (3),
the new drinking water directive, should be
implemented in national legislation by 25 December 2000. To the Commission(cid:146)s knowledge no Member
State has implemented the Directive until now.

(1) OJ L 377, 31.12.1991.
(2) OJ L 229, 30.8.1980.
(3) OJ L 330, 5.12.1998.

(2000/C 219 E/103)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2083/99

by Roberta Angelilli (NI) to the Commission

(12 November 1999)

Subject: Protection of the (cid:145)Mulino Luiselli(cid:146) in Cisterna di Latina

The building known as (cid:145)Mulino Luiselli(cid:146), former convent of St Anthony the Abbot (S. Antonio Abate),
being of historical, symbolic and religious significance and a fine example of industrial archaeology
containing several frescoes, is a listed building under Law 1089/37. Despite this, the building has been
included in the so-called (cid:145)territorial plans(cid:146) by virtue of act no 8 of 10.2.1997 of the municipal council, for
the purpose of building a shopping centre.