WRITTEN QUESTION E-2312/99 by Esko Seppänen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Environmental disaster in the Kymijoki river.
Date: 1999-12-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Finland, dangerous substance, inland waterway, pollution of waterways, transport policy

1.8.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 219 E/145

Is it true that not a single competition-distorting tax arrangement was identified in Germany, France, Italy
or Britain (i.e. in the large Member States)? Is this not curious, and on what grounds was this conclusion
reached?

What is the Commission(cid:146)s opinion of the officials(cid:146) report, and when will the Commission issue its own
political assessment?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(20 December 1999)

The code of conduct group (business taxation) was established by the Ecofin Council on 9 March 1998. By
common accord, Mrs Dawn Primarolo, British Treasury minister, was appointed to chair the group for a
two-year period.

The group(cid:146)s main task has been to assess the tax measures that may fall within the code of conduct for
business taxation that was adopted by the Council and representatives of the governments of Member
States on 1 December 1997. This code concerns those tax measures which affect, or may affect, in a
significant way the location of business activity within the Community, and all Member States have been
free to discuss and comment on tax measures of other Member States that may fall within the scope of the
code.

All Member States and the Commission are represented at a high level in this group which presented its
final report to the Ecofin Council on 29 November 1999.

The Council agreed that the work of the group should be confidential and it would not be appropriate for
the Commission to comment on the detail of the report or on particular aspects of the work of this
Council group.

(2000/C 219 E/182)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2312/99

by Esko Sepp(cid:228)nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(13 December 1999)

Subject: Environmental disaster in the Kymijoki river

Investigations by the Finnish Environment Centre have shown that there are between 16 and 21 kg of
dioxines and furanes at the bottom of Finland(cid:146)s fourth largest river, the Kymijoki. The levels of PCDF
compounds are at least ten times greater than the accepted limit values. Dioxines and furanes are
carcinogens and represent a particular risk if they enter the food chain. Dioxines and furanes have an
effect, inter alia, on the cell nucleus in which they cause changes to the genome.

Preparations are under way in Finland for the canalisation of the Kymijoki. The dredging which the
canalisation requires, and the propellor turbulence caused by possible future shipping traffic, will stir up
the bottom sediments so that dioxines and furanes will be carried into the Gulf of Finland, possibly
threatening the ecology of the whole Baltic Sea. Is the Commission aware of this problem, and if so what
can it do under the founding Treaties of the EU to prevent an environmental disaster?

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

(13 January 2000)

The Commission is aware that sediments in the Baltic sea contain comparatively high amounts of dioxins.
Therefore it is unsurprising that sediments in the rivers feeding the Baltic sea contain higher than average
amounts of dioxins as well. The particular situation of the Kymijoki River and the level of dioxins in the
sediments of that river is not known to the Commission.

C 219 E/146

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

1.8.2000

In order to be able to compare the detected levels in the Kymijoki with the situation in other rivers, the
Commission would need more information on the way results have been calculated.
It would be
particularly helpful to have information on the concentrations of the different congeners, the depth at
which measurements were performed, and whether results have been calculated according to the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization/Centre for Coastal and Mar(cid:237)ne Sciences (NATO/CCMS) approach.

At this stage, without the benefit of more detailed information, it is difficult to judge the situation. The
Commission would therefore be grateful if the Honourable Member could provide the Commission with
more details.

In principle,
legislation. Therefore the possibilities to react at a Community level are limited.

this event, as described in the question,

is not covered by environmental Community

(2000/C 219 E/183)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2316/99

by Niall Andrews (UEN) to the Commission

(29 November 1999)

Subject: Failure of Malian company to pay outstanding funds, as contracted, to an Irish firm, Cormer

Machinery International

An Irish company, Cormer Machinery International Ltd. Entered into contract with Itema, a government-
backed Malian company, to supply and install second-hand textile machinery. The contract price was
USD 2,5 million, and an initial deposit of USD 850 000 was approved by the Malian Minister for Finance
and received by the Irish company in 1996. An amount of USD 1,65 million has not been forwarded by
Itema to Cormer Machinery International and is, therefore, still outstanding. Many discussions have taken
place regarding this issue between the Irish company involved and the Development Directorate of the
European Commission, as well as informally under the auspices of the ACP/EU Joint Assembly.

Will the European Commissioner for Development, Mr Nielson, request an urgent meeting with the Malian
representative to the European Union for an explanation as to why this Malian company has still not paid
to Cormer Machinery International Ltd. The monies which it agreed to pay to this Irish firm, and will the
Commissioner, as a matter of course, keep me informed about all developments regarding this issue until
such time as the serious problems detailed above have been satisfactorily and fully resolved?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(21 December 1999)

The Directorate general for development in Brussels and the delegation of the Commission in Bamako are
aware of the dispute between Cormer Machinery International Ltd and Itema.
the head of
delegation in Bamako has informally raised the matter with the Malian authorities including, in particular,
the Minister for finance. However, it is clear that the Commission has no competence in this matter which
is a commercial dispute between two companies for which international arbitrage arrangements are the
appropriate settlement channel.

Indeed,

(2000/C 219 E/184)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2325/99

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Preservation of the shipbuilding heritage (ca(cid:239)ques)

(13 December 1999)

In reply to my Written Question (E-3436/95) (1) concerning the preservation of the industrial heritage,
including fishing vessels from the eastern Mediterranean, the Commission referred to the then pending
Raphael programme and gave its assurance that (cid:145)should any initiatives linked with the (cid:133) specific fields of
interest meet the eligibility criteria (cid:133) then the Commission will gladly take them into consideration(cid:146). In