WRITTEN QUESTION E-0139/00 by Marie Isler Béguin (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. LIFE-Nature contract for wetlands conservation in Murcia (Spain).
Date: 2000-01-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Region of Murcia, countryside conservation, environmental impact, infringement of EU law, suspension of aid, town planning

24.10.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 303 E/147

(2000/C 303 E/159)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0139/00

by Marie Isler BØguin (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(27 January 2000)

Subject: LIFE-Nature contract for wetlands conservation in Murcia (Spain)

In 1993 the Commission signed a LIFE (1) (2) contract with the Spanish region of Murcia,
including
conservation measures for the (cid:145)Saladar de Lo Poyo(cid:146) protected area of natural beauty. Parliament(cid:146)s
Committee on Petitions is currently examining Petition 921/96 on (cid:145)Modification No 55 to the Cartagena
Territorial Plan(cid:146) (3), which proposes a large-scale housing development for over 20 000 people in the
immediate environs of the wetlands. In response, in July 1997 the relevant Commission services decreed
the provisional suspension of further payments under the contract, pending solid guarantees concerning
long-term conservation in the area. In June 1999 it was decided to lift the suspension, in return for two
the natural resource plan provided for under Regional Law
guarantees:
4/1992 (5); and secondly, forwarding of the supplementary documentation relating to the environmental
impact assessment for the development.

final adoption (4) of

firstly,

impact assessment; the natural resource plan and the appropriate integration of

Despite the above, the authorities concerned have approved the housing development (6), together with the
environmental
the
supplementary documents are still awaiting final approval. Meanwhile, neither (cid:145)Modification No 55(cid:146) nor
their environmental
the Action Programme has been submitted for an appropriate assessment of
consequences, as should have been done pursuant to Directives 85/337/EEC (7) and 97/11/EEC (8), even
though both more than obviously fall within the types of project and criteria set out in the annexes to
those Directives.

this area is recognised (9) as being of major importance for bird life, and has been
In addition,
designated (10) a RAMSAR site. It should, therefore, have been designated a special protected area under
Directive 79/409/EEC (11), as the regional authorities themselves have recognised (12); it should also have
been included on the list of potential sites under NATURA 2000, pursuant to Directive 92/43/EEC (13).

Does the Commission intend to adopt concrete measures, in the context of the LIFE contract, in relation to
the failure to act on the guarantees offered by the beneficiary? If so, what form would such measures take?
Does the Commission consider it desirable to take out legal or other action in respect of the beneficiary(cid:146)s
policy for Saladar de Lo Poyo and the surrounding area, in the context of the effective application of the
above-mentioned EC directives?

(1) Commission decision of 15 October 1993 (cid:129) COM(93) 2824.
(2) LIFE-Nature project B4-3200/93/775.
(3) Order of 2 August 1996 of the regional Ministry for Regional Planning and Public Works, ratified by agreement of

the Government of the Region of Murcia, 24 January 1997.

(4) This plan was initially adopted by an order of the regional Ministry for the Environment, Agriculture and Water of

28 December 1998.

(5) Regional Law 4/1992 (Regional Planning and Protection), Region of Murcia (30 July 1992).
(6) Order of 3 November 1999 of the regional Ministry for Regional Planning and Public Works approving the

Planning Action Programme for the Lo Poyo area.

Important areas for bird life in Spain, Spanish Ornithological Society (cid:129) Bird Life International, 1998.

(7) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.
(8) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997, p. 5.
(9)
(10) Resolution of 4 November 1994 on the Council of Ministers agreement of 15 July 1994.
(11) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1.
(12) Agreement of the Regional Advisory Council of October 1996, on a proposal from the regional Ministry for the

Environment, Agriculture and Water.

(13) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

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

(8 March 2000)

The Commission is jointly financing a wetland conservation project in that area entitled LifeB4-3200/93/
775 (cid:145)Conservaci(cid:243)n y Gesti(cid:243)n de Humedales y otros ecosistemas caracter(cid:237)sticos de zonas Æridas de la regi(cid:243)n
de Murcia(cid:146) in pursuance of Council Regulation (EC) No 1404/96 of 15 July 1996 amending Regulation
(EEC) No 1973/92 establishing a financial instrument for the environment (LIFE) (1).

C 303 E/148

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

24.10.2000

The Commission has sent several requests for information to the recipient under the Life-Nature Project
i.e. the administration of the Murcia Region. The Commission reminded the Life-Nature Project(cid:146)s recipient
in its two most recent letters requesting information that several items of mail had still not been answered,
and requested it to do so without delay.

While awaiting the precise response to those requests i.e. the final site plan and supplementary study, the
Commission has temporarily frozen the payments under the contract in order to have the time needed in
order to take decision. So far no answer has been received.

Since the Commission has so far not received any guarantees from the Spanish regional authorities that are
likely to give proper protection to the area in question, the Commission will take any action that it
considers necessary,
including that provided for in the contract referred to above, with regard to
suspending, or possibly recovering, the payments made.

(1) OJ L 181, 20.7.1996.

(2000/C 303 E/160)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0140/00

by Theresa Zabell (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 January 2000)

Subject: Diplomas relating to water sports and insurance

In view of the great Europe-wide interest on the part of the public in water sports and recreation generally,
especially in the case of users of vessels dedicated to sporting purposes, and given the absence of physical
maritime boundaries,

The Commission:

1. Can it state whether it intends to work towards common rules for the standardisation of diplomas

throughout the EU?

2. Can it provide information on the existing requirements in the Member States for the handling of

vessels used for sporting or recreational purposes?

3. Can it provide information on the various diplomas existing in the Member States (characteristics,

subjects examined and examination fees)?

4. Can it provide information on the various provisions concerning compulsory civil liability insurance?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(24 March 2000)

1.
The Commission only steps in to harmonise qualifications and draft specific directives when three
conditions are met: a high level of consensus among the representative professional associations, support
from a large majority of Member State authorities and certainty that such an initiative will significantly add
value, in terms of the free movement of self-employed and employed workers, to the existing recognition
system (the general system for the recognition of diplomas established by the directives listed below (1) (2)).
In the present circumstances, the Commission is not aware of any problems of free movement in the area
of water sports. It therefore does not intend to draw up rules to standardise diplomas in this area of
activity.

The Commission has no information on this matter. This information can, however, be obtained

2.
from Member State authorities.

3.
The Commission has no information on this matter. This information can, however, be obtained
from the national contact points for the directives on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
The Commission is sending the list of these contact points to the Honourable Member and to the
Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.