WRITTEN QUESTION P-2816/99 by Roy Perry (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Interreg and maritime border regions.
Date: 2000-01-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU initiative, EU regional policy, coastal region, cross-border cooperation, eligibility criteria, eligible region, frontier region, regional cooperation

21.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 330 E/55

(2000/C 330 E/059)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2814/99

by Theodorus Bouwman (Verts/ALE)
and Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(18 January 2000)

Subject: Ijzeren Rijn line trains through the middle of Dutch nature conservancy areas?

Is the Commission aware that the Netherlands Minister of Transport, Tineke Netelenbos, intends to allow
goods trains to use the Ijzeren Rijn route? They would permanently be allowed to pass through the
Weerterbergen and Budelerbergen habitat areas near Weert and Budel, and could also temporarily transit
another habitat area, de Meinweg, near Roermond. Statements to this effect were quoted by the
Eindhovens Dagblad and De Limburger on 11 December 1999.

Will the Commission call the Netherlands Government to account for its plan to violate European nature
conservancy legislation, namely the Habitats Directive, in the Weerterbergen, Budelerbergen and Meinweg
areas? If so, when and how?

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

(14 February 2000)

The Commission is not aware of any decision taken by the Dutch authorities to allow the re-opening of
the existing route of the Iron Rhine railway line through the Weerterbergen, Budelerbergen and Meinweg
area. The Commission has not seen the articles in the newspapers that are mentioned by the Honourable
Members. According to the information that the Commission received so far (cid:129) i.e. statements of the
Dutch prime minister (cid:129) the Dutch authorities will make an environmental impact assessment as well as an
assessment in line with Article 6(3) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation
of natural habitats and of wild flora and fauna (1) before the decision about the re-opening of the Iron
Rhine railway line will be taken. Furthermore, a trilateral working group has been created, with Belgian
and German government representatives,
the route. The
Commission understands that this working group is now considering commissioning further technical
studies of the route, which may be supported by Community funds under the Trans-European networks
(TENs) framework. The project to redevelop the Iron-Rhine route has already been allocated € 1 million in
TENs funding.

to consider the possible redevelopment of

The Commission would also refer the Honourable Members to its answer to written question P-1875/99 (2)
by Mr de Roo, in which it said that it would ask the Dutch authorities for more information about the re-
opening of the Iron Rhine railway line and its implications under the relevant directives, and that it would
take no other steps for the present, since it had no indication so far that there had been an infringement of
any directive. Subsequent contacts between the Commission and the Dutch authorities indicate no reason
for the Commission to change the position that it has taken.

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.
(2) OJ C 170 E, 26.6.2000, p. 113.

(2000/C 330 E/060)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2816/99

by Roy Perry (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 January 2000)

Subject: Interreg and maritime border regions

By including certain maritime border regions in the Annex to the Interreg Guidelines, the Commission
accepted that there is value in assisting maritime border regions to work closely under strand A. The
Commission does not, however, recognise that other maritime border regions can demonstrate solid
grounds for inclusion in Interreg IIIA as the list of eligible regions is presently restricted to regions which
benefited from Interreg A funds during the last programming period.

C 330 E/56

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.11.2000

New maritime borders can show that they are able to develop the close partnerships envisaged under
Interreg IIIA as well as produce specific concrete outputs.

They have:

(cid:129) long-standing and developed links across the maritime border, including ferry and commercial links;

(cid:129) support and commitment to cross-border cooperation from multisectoral local partnerships.

Would the Commission consider introducing the necessary flexibility into the Interreg Guidelines so that
these additional maritime border regions can benefit from this funding programme?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(10 February 2000)

Under the draft communication from the Commission to the Member States laying down guidelines for a
Community Initiative (Interreg) for the 2000-06 programming period, approved by the Commission on
13 October 1999 (1), cooperation between maritime regions will be developed under the three strands
provided for in the Initiative: cross-border cooperation (strand A), transnational cooperation (strand B) and
interregional cooperation (strand C).

The primary aim of strand A is to promote cross-border cooperation between neighbouring local and
regional development authorities, i.e. between areas with land borders. As in the past, some maritime
regions will be eligible also, as an exception, for this form of cooperation. The indicative list of priorities
and measures eligible under strand A indicates clearly that the majority could be applied in border regions
separated by a sea or a maritime route only with considerable difficulty.

By contrast, all maritime regions will be eligible under the other two strands. In the case of transnational
cooperation, each maritime region will be able to take part in one or two programmes covering a
cooperation region such as the North Sea or the Atlantic Area. The list of priorities and measures planned
for this strand is exhaustive but includes major possibilities for developing and strengthening cooperation
between maritime regions, such as promoting intermodality of more environmentally compatible means of
transport, in particular maritime transport, inland waterway transport and rail transport.

In order to meet the requests from the regions concerned, the Commission is planning to introduce greater
flexibility in the measures eligible for cooperation between maritime regions into the final guidelines. The
Interreg programme will thus cover the various types of cooperation, and in particular offer those regions
the possibility of a specific priority within the future Interreg III B programmes.

(1) COM(1999) 479 final.

(2000/C 330 E/061)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2820/99

by Helle Thorning-Schmidt (PSE) to the Commission

(18 January 2000)

Subject: Asbestos ban

What action has the Commission taken and what action does it intend to take to introduce a ban on the
use of asbestos in the EU?