WRITTEN QUESTION E-0219/00 by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission. EU aid to France for the Route Forestière du Port des Moines in Morvan, Burgundy.
Date: 2000-02-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Burgundy, EAGGF Guidance Section, EU environmental policy, France, afforestation, deforestation, drought, road building

C 374 E/38

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.12.2000

(b) The Director General wanted to ensure that all possible solutions had been considered. Therefore he
took his decision only after the three selection boards had finished their work concerning the
admission of candidates, after consultation with various services in the Directorate General concerned,
and after a meeting with the members of the three Selection Boards, which took place on 1 December
1999. Thereafter, the information was communicated to candidates as quickly as possible.

On 2 December 1999 an e-mail was sent to all staff and each delegation was informed by fax. On
6 and 7 December 1999, representatives of the recruitment unit were present in the three exam
centres (Brussels, Luxembourg and Ispra), in case candidates who had not received the information in
time, arrived to take the test. Only four candidates (out of a total of 538) did so and the Commission
therefore considers that the measures taken to inform the candidates of the decision were, in the
circumstances, adequate.

(c) The message to all staff of 2 December 1999 clearly stated that candidates who had already been
admitted to the three competitions would not need to reapply. Candidates who had been admitted
before 2 December 1999 and whose contract has expired in the meantime, still have the right to take
part in the competition.

The written tests of the internal competitions took place in mid-March 2000, as announced in a
message to all staff of 12 January 1999. The specific date subsequently notified to all was 15 March
for COM/TA/99 and COM/TC/99 and 15 March for COM/TB/99.

(d) As mentioned above, the decision was taken by the Director General in his capacity as appointing
authority, and in conformity with the Staff Regulations. The Commission consequently considers that
no rules have been breached.

During a meeting with the Joint Committee (Commission Paritaire) on 17 December 1999 the
2.
Director General
for Personnel and Administration agreed to re-examine the number of successful
candidates for each competition in the light of the number of additional candidates who would now be
eligible for the competition, following the reopening of the deadline, in order not to disadvantage those
candidates who had been accepted initially, despite the admission of further candidates. All staff were
informed of this in a message of the Director General for Personnel and Administration of 12 January
2000.

(2000/C 374 E/044)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0219/00

by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission

(4 February 2000)

Subject: EU aid to France for the (cid:145)Route ForestiŁre du Port des Moines(cid:146) in Morvan, Burgundy

to the
On 18 November 1998, Maartje van Putten, MEP,
Commission. In its reply of 2 February 1999, the Commission said that it needed more information
before it could answer the question. The required supplementary information was subsequently supplied to
the relevant directorate of the Commission. However, the Commission has still not answered the question.

tabled Written Question E-3743/98 (1)

The text of the written question (including the supplementary information requested by the Commission)
was as follows:

1.

Is the Commission aware of the deforestation taking place in various parts of the (cid:145)Route ForestiŁre du
in the
Port des Moines(cid:146) regional natural park and particularly the (cid:145)forŒt domanial de Saint Prix(cid:146)
commune of Saint Prix, which forms part of the Morvan natural park, and that any reforestation
which is taking place is being carried out using tree species (conifers) which damage water resources
in the area, with the result that natural assets in the area are being impaired and a drought is
occurring?

2. What are the Commission(cid:146)s views of the impact on natural assets in the regional natural park in the
light of the fact that the region received European financing via the Structural Funds for the period
1994-1999 (SPD Burgundy, Objective 5b regions, EAGGF money)?

(1) OJ C 207, 21.7.1999, p. 121.

28.12.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/39

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(15 March 2000)

Following the clarifications that Mrs Van Putten provided by telephone to the Commission, supplementary
information to the answer given to her Written Question E-3743/98 was sent to her on 9 June 1999.

In its letter, the Commission stated that it had contacted the French authorities concerning the deforesta-
tion to which she referred. The French authorities had replied that the Saint-Prix national forest where the
is located formed part of the state(cid:146)s private property and was
(cid:145)Route ForestiŁre du Port des Moines(cid:146)
managed by the national forestry office according to a plan approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, which
ensured its on-going management. More specifically, the stands located on each side of the forest road are
mature softwoods (spruces) which are at the stage of natural regeneration. There is therefore neither
deforestation nor reafforestation involving softwoods. In any case, this is one of the highest points in
Burgundy (903 metres) with an annual rainfall of at least 1 000 to 1 200 mm, which excludes any risk of
drought.

(2000/C 374 E/045)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0230/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(4 February 2000)

Subject: Publication of answers to questions to the Commission

Will the Commission detail the steps it currently takes to enable all MEPs and the public to read the
answers it has provided to parliamentary questions tabled by all MEPs?

In the interests of transparency, and in common with the practice of governments in many Member States,
will the Commission arrange for answers to parliamentary questions to be published in the language
originally used on the internet or intranet immediately after responses have been sent to the MEPs who
tabled them?

And if not, why not?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(18 April 2000)

Written questions and answers are published by the Parliament in 11 languages in the Official journal of
the European Communities in line with Parliament(cid:146)s rules of procedure. As from OJ C 27 this year the
Official journal is published electronically, see e.g. http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex.

The Parliament also makes written questions and answers of the last two legislatures available on http://
www.europarl.eu.int/questions/fr/default.htm which offers various search possibilities.

In addition the written questions and answers are published in Celex which offers advanced search
features. The management board of the Publications office, of which all institutions are members, recently
requested that Celex, EUDOR and EUR-Lex be integrated into a coherent on-line service for accessing all
the Community official documents.

Finally the Commission understands that the Parliament makes available to Honourable Members the
answers to written questions on an internal Parliament website immediately after receiving them from the
Commission in one or two languages.