WRITTEN QUESTION E-1685/00 by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Clean-up following tourism scandal.
Date: 2000-05-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European official, administrative sanction, fraud, legal action, tourism

18.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/37

Are the Habitats Directive and the Netherlands environmental laws derived from it subordinate to the
international treaties referred to in E-2381/99, in view of the fact that (a) one of the contracting parties to
the Belgium-Netherlands Arbitration Treaty is the non-member State Russia, and (b) the Treaty of Vienna
expressly states that international law takes precedence over national law? If not, what are the Commis-
sion(cid:146)s grounds for arguing that the Habitats Directive and Netherlands environmental laws take precedence
over international law?

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.
(2) OJ C 26 E, 26.1.2001, p. 58.
(3) OJ C 280 E, 3.10.2000, p. 35.

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

(20 July 2000)

In reply to Written question E-2381/99 from Mr Staes (1) the Commission has already stated that it is not
for it to judge the effects of the Treaties to which the Honourable Member refers. It also said that it is for
the Member States concerned to assess and determine the future use of the Iron Rhine railway line.

The Commission has to ensure that the provisions of the EC Treaty and the measures taken by the
institutions pursuant thereto are applied. If the Commission considers that a Member State has failed to
fulfil an obligation under the EC Treaty it may take measures pursuant to Article 226 (ex Article 169)
thereof. The Commission does not have such a role concerning other treaties to which Member States are
party.

As a result of Written question P-1875/99 from Mr de Roo (2) the Commission has asked the Netherlands
for information about the application, with respect to the re-opening of the Iron Rhine, of Council
Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (3) and of Council Directive 92/
43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild flora and fauna (4). The
Netherlands has not yet replied.

Should the Netherlands(cid:146) answer reveal any grounds of non-compliance with Community law,
the
Commission will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to ensure the full respect of Community law.

(1) OJ C 280 E, 3.10.2000, p. 35.
(2) OJ C 170 E, 20.6.2000, p. 113.
(3) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.
(4) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.

(2001/C 113 E/032)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1685/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: Clean-up following (cid:145)tourism scandal(cid:146)

During the summer of 1994, a Greek national was dismissed from DG23 in strict secrecy because he had
been accused of taking bribes in connection with various tourist projects in France and Greece. The Greek
national was held in custody in Belgium for 13 months but was then released.

The most recent information in the case dates from May 1998; no legal proceedings had yet been initiated
at that point. Newspaper reports in Sweden claim that the senior officials with responsibility during the
tourism scandal in early 1999 have escaped prison sentences.

Has the new Commission examined this case and taken action to clean up its departments following these
(cid:145)tourism scandals(cid:146)? Has the official in question been convicted?

C 113 E/38

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(12 July 2000)

The case referred to by the Honourable Member has a disciplinary aspect and a judicial aspect.

The appointing authority took disciplinary measures against one Commission official and one member of
the temporary staff in 1995 (removal from post and termination of contract respectively). Subsequent
investigation by the Commission uncovered no facts such as to implicate any other officials or servants of
the institution or give rise to the opening of further disciplinary proceedings.

The Commission sent all the files concerning this case to the judicial authorities in Belgium, France,
Greece, Luxembourg and Spain. As for the facts coming under the jurisdiction of the French judicial
authorities, a court in Paris held a three-day hearing on 29 and 30 June and 6 July 2000 with a view to
delivering a judgment.

(2001/C 113 E/033)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1738/00

by Ioannis Souladakis (PSE) to the Commission

(31 May 2000)

Subject: Funding of European Union island regions

What action does the Commission intend to take in order to create the necessary legal basis for the
funding of European Union island regions from the EU budget set for 2001, in accordance with the
provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam and the guidelines for the 2001 budget that Parliament has already
voted on (paragraph 33)?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(24 July 2000)

The Commission has no plans at present for creation of a legal basis for funding the Community(cid:146)s island
regions. Under existing Community policies they already receive special attention.

Firstly, Sardinia, Sicily, all the Greek islands and the outermost regions are eligible under Objective 1 in the
Structural Fund 2000-2006 programming period. In addition, under the Commission(cid:146)s decisions for eleven
of the twelve Member States concerned, many islands are proposed by the national authorities will be
covered by Objective 2.

On 1 July 1999 the Commission approved guidelines for Structural Fund programmes in the period 2000-
2006. These set out the Community priorities for the new programming period. Some of these bear very
directly on the problems confronting island regions: need to improve regional accessibility; utilisation of
renewable energy sources (with particular reference to the White Paper on a Community strategy and
action plan for renewable energy sources (1); promotion of new services using new communication
technologies; efficient water management; support for a sustainable high quality tourism within the
carrying capacity of sites.

Secondly, the guidelines for the Interreg Initiative, approved by the Commission on 28 April 2000 (2),
explicitly state that integration of island regions is a priority field for transnational cooperation. This means
giving these regions a suitable financial allocation. Further, particular attention is to be paid to participa-
tion by island regions in interregional cooperation.

Finally, to enable the smaller islands of the Aegean Sea to cope more effectively with their specific natural
handicaps Council Regulation (EEC) No 2019/93 of 19 July 1993 (3) introduced specific measures covering
a range of agricultural products.