WRITTEN QUESTION E-2163/00 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Alarming decline in water resources in Greece.
Date: 2000-06-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community support framework, Greece, desertification, operational programme, water management, water resources

C 113 E/68

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

not Union nationals (3,41 %). The non-statutory staff consisted of 190 grant holders 4 of whom were not
Union nationals (2,10 %); 27 national detached experts of whom 2 were not Union nationals (7,4 %); 123
trainees of whom 4 were not Union nationals (3,25 %); and 11 visiting scientists of whom 2 were not
Union nationals (18,18 %).

(2001/C 113 E/066)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2163/00

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Alarming decline in water resources in Greece

(30 June 2000)

Owing to the steady decline in water resources and the phenomenon of soil erosion, Greece is facing a
very real danger of desertification. Over 30 % of the total arable land in Greece has been lost to agricultural
production (cid:129) in the Attica basin alone some 60 000 hectares can no longer be cultivated. A further
consequence is internal emigration and the abandonment of agricultural occupations by the rural
population, owing to the lack of suitable water for irrigation (semi-brackish, brackish or saline) or the
absence of any type of water. Prospects are particularly bleak for entire regions of Greece, beginning with
Thessaly, since its water table is falling at between half a metre and two metres annually. Similar problems
are facing other regions such as Attica, Boeotia, Fthiotida, Corinthia, Argolida, Trizinia, Magnisia, Lakonia,
Evvia, Chalkidiki and many Aegean and Ionian islands. At the same time, however, Greece has no
integrated water resources management system either at local/regional or at national level.

1. Will the Commission say what information does it have about the dangers posed by the decline in
water resources in Greece?

Are any funds still available under the second CSF for the management of water resources and, if so,

2.
why have they not been used for this purpose?

In the third regional development plan submitted by the Greek Government is any provision made to

3.
establish an integrated water management system for the entire country?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(9 October 2000)

Existing Community legislation on water covers qualitative matters only, hence the Commission receives
no systematic information from Member States on quantative aspects. This will probably change in the
future after adoption of the new framework Directive on water.

The European Environment Agency has nonetheless published, using available information and data
voluntarily supplied by the Member States, a series of reports on the quality and quantity of underground
water in Europe. The latest dates from 1999. These confirm the general trend of continuous reduction of
underground resources in Greece to which the Honourable Member refers.

Further, the findings of research projects financed under the fourth Community framework programme for
research and the fifth, now in progress, appear to confirm the diminution of water resources and the
extreme susceptibility of soils and ecosystems to desertification. They also call attention to the negative
impact of present water resource management in Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean and offer
concrete examples and recommendations for an integrated approach to resources. These findings can be
used by national and regional authorities in managing their territories.

18.4.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/69

Structural Fund resources allocated for the Community support framework for Greece for the 1994-1999
programming period have been entirely committed. Authorised payments for projects in progress will have
to be made before the end of 2001.

The operational programmes for the 2000-2006 period have not yet been formally adopted but the plans
presently being negotiated include action on water resource management, in priority in the most seriously
affected regions.

The agri-environmental measures part-financed by the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural
Guidance and Guarantee Fund under the 2000-2006 rural development plan include water management in
connection with pollution from nitrates of agricultural origin in Thessaly and conservation of Natura 2000
wet biotopes in Macedonia and Thrace.

(2001/C 113 E/067)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2165/00

by Ioannis Souladakis (PSE) to the Council

(30 June 2000)

Subject: Funding of the Turkish armed forces by the European Union

According to recent press reports, a Turkish general recently proposed that the new plan for the Turkish
armed forces deployed in south-eastern Turkey should be funded from EU aid to Turkey. However, the aid
granted to Turkey by the EU is intended to develop the country to make it a viable candidate for future
membership of the EU and not to help tackle Turkey(cid:146)s long-term security problems in its south-eastern
provinces caused by its refusal to resolve the Kurdish problem.

How confident is the Council that the appropriations allocated to Turkey with a view to promoting its bid
for accession to the European Union will not end up in the budgets of the Turkish armed forces to be used
to strengthen Turkey(cid:146)s military machine in violation of all the relevant EU legislation?

What means and procedures is the Council employing to ensure and monitor the proper use of EU funds
in Turkey and to frustrate the wishes of the Turkish military?

Reply

(20 November 2000)

All projects funded out of the Community budget are decided on the basis of legislative acts of the Council
and, very often, of the European Parliament. In the case of Turkey, those acts currently include the MEDA
programme (1) and the Council Regulation regarding the implementation of measures to intensify the
EC-Turkey customs union (2). In addition, the Council has recently forwarded to the European Parliament
its common position with a view to the adoption of a Regulation regarding the implementation of
measures to promote economic and social development in Turkey (3).

These three Regulations contain specific and well-defined criteria concerning the areas in which a
cooperation project or measure may implemented and also lay down the objectives and principles which
govern those measures. The area referred to by the Honourable Member clearly falls outside the scope of
the Regulations. The Council is certain that the Commission, which implements the financial regulations
with the assistance of the MED Committee, shares this view and takes all necessary steps to ensure that
funds granted by the European Community are not improperly used.