WRITTEN QUESTION P-0309/00 by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. De Zoom ‐ Kalmthoutse Heide border park development.
Date: 2000-02-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Belgium, Netherlands, biotope, bird, directive (EU), environmental protection, groundwater, protected area, protection of animal life, sensitive area, water supply

C 330 E/118

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.11.2000

Reply

(2 May 2000)

Recent parliamentary and presidential elections in Croatia, and the democratic way in which they were
conducted, have opened a new phase in Croatian politics. The European Union has been very encouraged
by this development, which has brought an end to a chapter in Croatian history and marks a beginning of
a new era for the country. The Union has reiterated its willingness to work very closely with the new
authorities in their quest for making Croatia a full fledged member of the (cid:145)Euro-Atlantic community(cid:146).

Against this background, the General Affairs Council decided already in January to rapidly put in place a
(cid:145)Joint EU-Croatia Taskforce(cid:146) within the framework of (cid:145)the Stabilisation and Association Process(cid:146) in order to
prepare the ground for future contractual relations. The Task Force was set up on 15 February at a
meeting in Brussels.

Furthermore, at its February meeting, the Council
feasibility of opening negotiations with Croatia on a (cid:145)Stabilisation and Association Agreement(cid:146).

invited the Commission to prepare a study on the

As the Honourable Parliamentarian is certainly aware, the Council
in the (cid:145)European Union(cid:146)s Regional
Approach to South East Europe of 29 April 1997(cid:146) set a number of criteria for the granting of preferential
trade measures, PHARE assistance and contractual relations. These criteria are reviewed on a regular basis.

On the occasion of the latest review in February 2000, no major changes were decided upon for any of
the countries covered by the EU(cid:146)s (cid:145)Stabilisation and Association Process(cid:146) and the (cid:145)Regional Approach(cid:146)
criteria, i.e. the situation as far as PHARE assistance to Croatia, remained unchanged for the time being.

However, the Commission has sent a fact finding mission to Croatia in February in order to study
possibilities to support the reform efforts, including the possibility of extending the PHARE programme to
Croatia.

(2000/C 330 E/132)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0309/00

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

Subject: De Zoom (cid:129) Kalmthoutse Heide border park development

(4 February 2000)

The Benelux Council has launched a project to develop the De Zoom (cid:129) Kalmthoutse Heide border park. A
management and organisation plan has been drawn up under which work can be carried out on the
conservation, management and development of the park(cid:146)s biological, ecological and cultural-historical
assets, taking the different resources that the area possesses into account.

As reported in the BN/de Stem newspaper (16 December 1999), the process of drawing water from within
the area is causing the land to dry out in the Groote Meer estate. Thousands of nesting sites for at least
25 different bird species have already disappeared. It is also feared that development of the border park
will result in a massive increase in visitors to the area.

1. What action will the Commission take to prevent further drying out of land in the area, and if
necessary to raise the water table?

Does the Commission agree that any increase in large-scale visitor activity in a bird habitat conflicts

2.
with the principles underlying the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) (1).

Does the Commission share my view that the most vulnerable areas should be closed to the public,

3.
except possibly for small-scale educational visits?

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1.

21.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 330 E/119

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

(2 March 2000)

The (cid:145)grenspark De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide(cid:146) is situated partially in Belgium and partially in the Nether-
lands.

The Belgian part of the site has been designated as a special protection area (SPA), called (cid:145)Kalmthoutse
Heide(cid:146), in accordance with Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild
birds. The Dutch part has been designated as a site of Community interest (SIC), called (cid:145)Ossendrecht(cid:146), in
accordance with Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild
flora and fauna (1). The Dutch authorities have announced that they will also designate the site as a SPA.

Pursuant to Article 7 of Directive 92/43/EEC, Articles 6(2), 6(3) and 6(4) of that directive apply to the site.

The activities that are mentioned in the question, water extraction and mass recreation, can not be
considered as a plan or project in the sense of Article 6(3). Therefore Articles 6(3) and 6(4) do not apply in
this case. Because the activities already exist, only Article 6(2) applies to the case in question. This
provision prescribes that Member States shall take appropriate steps to avoid the deterioration of natural
habitats and the habitats of species as well as disturbance of the species for which the areas in question
have been designated, in so far as such disturbance could be significant in relation to the objectives of the
directive.

In reply to the first question it should in particular be noted that it is up to the Member States to take
steps to comply with Article 6(2) of Directive 92/43/EEC, and not the Commission. The Commission lacks
specific information about (cid:145)De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide(cid:146), so it is not able to judge if measures have to be
taken to prevent further drying out of the site. For the same reason the Commission is not able to take a
position with respect to the issues that are raised in the second and third questions.

The Commission is taking the necessary steps to obtain further information about the application of
Article 6(2) of Directive 92/43/EEC with respect to (cid:145)De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heide(cid:146). If necessary it will take
further steps to ensure that the national authorities comply with this provision.

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.

(2000/C 330 E/133)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0312/00

by Marietta Giannakou-Koutsikou (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 February 2000)

Subject: Safeguarding citizens(cid:146) rights in view of the advent of new forms of telecommunications

The development of digital technology and the applications of this technology in modern forms of
communication are creating a new situation in all sectors of audiovisual data transmission. The
concomitant development of the Internet as a multi-purpose tool which is user-friendly,
i.e. easy and
cheap to access for ordinary consumers, means that it can also be used as a telephone system. Various
types of full duplex telephone services operating through the Internet are already available (the VDOPhone,
for instance). The consequences of this are twofold: the development of an Internet telephone system
outside any (cid:145)formal(cid:146) legislative framework and the absence in practice of legal safeguards protecting the
rights of citizens as regards the confidentiality of communications and personal data. There exists therefore
a procedural and operational (cid:145)legislative(cid:146) void which must be filled consistently and in good time in the
interests of ordinary citizens.

Will the Commission review the present situation and propose a framework to uphold existing legislative
safeguards for citizens(cid:146) rights in respect of both new forms of telecommunications and (cid:145)conventional(cid:146)
forms which are changing in response to new digital standards?