WRITTEN QUESTION E-1043/00 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Infringements in connection with Project 97/11/561/047 (Sogama project) financed under the Cohesion Fund.
Date: 2000-04-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, application of EU law, domestic waste, town planning, waste management

20.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 53 E/61

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(25 May 2000)

the
As regards the actual usefulness of customs stamps to which the Honourable Member refers,
Commission considers that the customs authorities of the third countries are the party best placed to
certify the completion of the customs import formalities into that country, to which,
in the case of
differentiation of the rate of the refund by destination, the payment of the refund is subject.

The Commission plans to raise the question of drawing up a world-wide catalogue of current customs
stamps at a forthcoming meeting of the World Customs Organisation.

(2001/C 53 E/071)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1043/00

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

(4 April 2000)

Subject: Infringements in connection with Project 97/11/561/047 (Sogama project) financed under the

Cohesion Fund

In his answer on behalf of the Commission to my Written Question E-1737/99 (1) on the solid waste
management project in Galicia (Sogama), Mr Barnier did not reply to the specific points made in my
question in relation to the project(cid:146)s design, which criticised the fact that the project was basically geared to
incineration with energy recovery, to which most of the investment had been allocated, rather than to
minimising, re-using and recycling waste. Consequently, attention still needs to be drawn to a number of
aspects in addition to demanding that the conditions laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 (2)
establishing a Cohesion Fund are met and hoping that the condition mentioned by Mr Barnier in his
answer, i.e. that payments will be made subject to the presentation by those responsible for the project of
periodical reports on overall progress, will indeed be put into practice.

The following should be taken into consideration:

(cid:129) the Sogama project clearly fails to comply with Community legislation, in particular Council Directive
75/442/EEC (3) of 15 July 1975 on waste, Article 3(1) of which commits the Member States to
encouraging the prevention, recycling and processing of waste and mentions the production of energy,
which is nevertheless at the centre of the Sogama project, only in second place and as a possibility.
Indeed, that project (Project 97/11/561/047) does not comply with its own description as contained in
the decision granting financial support under the Cohesion Fund.

(cid:129) finally, the project runs counter to the new Spanish legislation and specifically the National Plan on
Solid Urban Waste, which accepts the objectives of the above Council Directive and places the
emphasis on the principles of recovering, reducing and recycling organic waste by means of
processing. The Galician regional government is manifestly failing to meet those objectives, given
that the Sogama project is chiefly geared to incineration and the volume of waste incinerated in
Galicia is set to reach 300 000 tonnes in 2001 and 500 000 in 2005.

Is the Commission aware that the Sogama project involves the incineration rather than the recycling of
organic waste? Can it confirm the project(cid:146)s evident failure to comply with basic Community legislation on
environmental protection in connection with waste? What are the Commission(cid:146)s plans as regards the
requirement that periodical progress reports be submitted as announced in the Commissioner(cid:146)s reply?

(1) OJ C 170 E, 20.6.2000, p. 86.
(2) OJ L 130, 25.4.1994, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975, p. 39.

C 53 E/62

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(22 May 2000)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to Written Questions E-0784/00 and
E-0818/00 by Mrs MiguØlez Ramos (1).

(1) OJ C 46 E, 13.2.2001, p. 42.

(2001/C 53 E/072)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1044/00

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

(4 April 2000)

Subject: Chechen refugees

Recent press reports have highlighted the existence of 277 100 Chechen refugees, chiefly in Ingushetiya
but also in other neighbouring republics such as North Osetiya and Dagestan, in addition to the 42 000
people housed in provisional camps in Chechnya itself, at Asinovskaia and Sernovodsk west of Grozny.
What practical economic and political measures is the European Union taking as part of urgent and
effective action to remedy this tragic situation?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(12 May 2000)

Since the early stages of the present crisis, the Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO),
has been providing emergency assistance to the civilians displaced by the hostilities. While implementing
the programme in co-operation with the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
the Commission faced considerable operational constraints (important security problems for aid workers,
etc.). Nevertheless, the Commission managed to provide aid in a broad range of humanitarian fields (such
as food, shelter, public health, water and sanitation, essential relief items).

Currently the total financial allocation stands at € 7,4 million. So far, the programme has mainly focused
on Ingushetia, but it has also covered Daguestan and Georgia. At present, the main operational priority is
the resumption of operations in Chechnya itself, where activities had to be suspended in November 1999
due to security constraints. The Commission, in close co-ordination with other members of the interna-
tional community, continues to advocate the role of humanitarian actors in this emergency in its
negotiations with the Russian authorities.

(2001/C 53 E/073)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1045/00

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(4 April 2000)

Subject: Construction of a metro system in the metropolitan area of Oporto

Work is about to start on the construction of a metro system in the metropolitan area of Oporto in line
with a project agreed with the Commission.

Proposals have since been made for the addition of new stretches of track and changes to those originally
planned in response to transport problems in and around the city.