WRITTEN QUESTION E-0093/00 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Investment in Galicia's railways during the 2000-2006 period.
Date: 2000-01-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, Northern Portugal, high-speed transport, regional development, trans-European network, transport infrastructure

21.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 330 E/81

(2000/C 330 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0088/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(26 January 2000)

Subject: Inclusion of Galicia in the trans-European high-speed rail networks during the 2000-2006 period

Is it true that the Spanish Government has submitted to the Commission a proposal for Galicia to be
included in the trans-European high-speed rail networks as part of the reform which is due to take place in
the current year (2000) and which has been announced by the Commissioner responsible for relations
with the European Parliament, transport and tourism as being scheduled for the current month of January?

(2000/C 330 E/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0092/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: High-speed rail link between northern Portugal and Galicia

(26 January 2000)

There have been repeated reports in the Galician media that moves are under way to investigate the
possibility of setting up a high-speed railway, following the decision taken by the Northern Portuguese
Regional Coordinating Committee and the Galician Government. The Union is providing 50 % of the
funding to cover the cost of the necessary study. However, according to the answer given by the Spanish
Government in the Congress of Deputies to the BNG (Galician Nationalist Bloc) spokesman, the plans
appear to be modest, since the intention is merely to build lines capable of carrying traffic moving no
faster than 160 km/h. This information is consistent with other statements by Portuguese government
spokesmen to the effect that the latter Government is proposing to relegate the La Coruæa to Setœbal high-
speed line to a marginal role, focusing exclusively instead on the Oporto to Lisbon line, which links up to
Madrid.

Can the Commission confirm the above points and, should they be correct, say why traffic between Galicia
and Portugal is to be restricted to such a slow speed? How soon might the work be completed, and when
is the railway (cid:129) so vital for the development of both frontier regions (cid:129) likely to come into operation?

(2000/C 330 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0093/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Investment in Galicia(cid:146)s railways during the 2000-2006 period

(26 January 2000)

The Spanish Government Minister Mariano Rajoy and the Galician Government Economics Adviser XosØ
Ant(cid:243)n Orza have publicly stated that the Spanish Government is to invest 150 000 million pesetas
(901,4 million euros) in Galicia(cid:146)s railways during the 2000-2006 period. Can the Commission confirm this
figure and state categorically that, as a result of such investment, Galicia will definitely be linked to the
trans-European high-speed rail network and that its internal network will also be modernised?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0088/00, E-0092/00 and E-0093/00
given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2000)

At the current stage of the thought being given to the revision of the Community approach towards the
trans-European transport network (cid:129) Parliament and Council Decision No 1692/96/EC of 23 July 1996 (1),
the Commission has not been aware of any specific new high-speed projects in Spain. The amounts
mentioned by the Honourable Member have, in the main, been set aside for upgrading the conventional

C 330 E/82

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.11.2000

railway lines to Galicia in order to achieve speeds of roughly 200 kilometres per hour (km/h) between
Madrid and Monforte de Lemos, and upgrading the conventional lines to Orense and Santiago and towards
La Coruna, Vigo et Oporto (Portugal).

As regards the development study of the Vigo-Oporto Atlantic corridor referred to by the Honourable
Member, the Commission would confirm that 50 % of the total cost of that study was co-financed in 1999.
Its basic aim covered the following two areas: launching transport infrastructure projects in the areas being
examined (Galicia and Northern Portugal) while seeking practical joint public/private funding options, and
gradually helping to integrate the ground, sea and air transport infrastructure networks, thus guaranteeing
the lasting mobility of persons and goods. The results of the study are expected in 2001.

(1) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996.

(2000/C 330 E/090)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0091/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(26 January 2000)

Subject: Milk production surpluses and quotas allocated to the Member States

Does the Commission consider it reasonable and in accordance with what the European Union needs in
order to be able to develop evenly (particularly in view of the increasing openness of its markets to outside
economies) for there to be continued discrimination in the allocation of milk quotas to the Member States?
The quotas allocated bear no relation to domestic consumption, as demonstrated by the fact that, in recent
years, countries such as the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark have had surpluses for export of 6 746,
4 301 and 2 507 tonnes per year whilst Spain had a shortage of 1 004 tonnes, a quantity which it could
perfectly easily have produced itself, especially in regions with the appropriate skills and capacity and, in
particular, in Objective 1 regions such as Galicia.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(23 February 2000)

Milk quotas were allocated on the basis not of consumption in geographical zones but of each farmer(cid:146)s
production over a reference period. This was the only efficient way of acting. If the production quota in
each Member State had been restricted to its probable consumption the farmers concerned would have
been seriously wronged, it would have been impossible to allocate quotas fairly and a substantial section of
European agriculture would have been destroyed. In addition a full milk supply for the Community would
no longer have been certain.

It is likewise for reasons of efficiency that farmers(cid:146) individual quotas are established and administered at
Member State level. Community-level management would require a large staff and have numerous
drawbacks, with cumulated errors and delays in the Member States eventually paralysing the system.

Moreover, the free circulation of goods means that any regional
imbalance between production and
consumption can easily be remedied and is in line with the single market principle that ensures best
distribution of the factors of production.

In Spain in 1999 there were 1 150 tonnes of skimmed milk powder in intervention storage and
12 631 tonnes of butter were bought in by intervention. Thus even before entry into force of the Spanish
quota increase decided on under Agenda 2000 the Spanish market was in surplus for these products. By
comparison for the same period in Denmark, to which the Honourable Member refers, there were no
intervention stocks and no milk products were bought in.