WRITTEN QUESTION E-2652/00 by Monica Frassoni (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Water management and administration of the related Community funding in Sardinia.
Date: 2000-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community support framework, Italy, Sardinia, environmental impact, water management

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(2001/C 151 E/014)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2628/00

by Guido Viceconte (PPE-DE), Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE)
and Mario Mantovani (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 August 2000)

Subject: Community plan to halt the AIDS scourge in Africa

The 13th International Conference on AIDS, held in Durban, South Africa, has painted an alarming picture
of the future for many African countries. The experts listed a series of grim figures which suggest that the
population will fall substantially in the next decade (by 0,1 % to 0,3 %; without AIDS it would rise by 1 %
to 3 %) and life expectancy slump from 60 to 30 years.

Europe must bring its energies to bear to attempt to halt this scourge, since prevention and anti-viral
treatments are now known to work. Political will is urgently needed in order to undertake a range of
measures to save the people of Africa.

Could the Commission, as a matter of urgency, draw up a Community plan to be implemented
immediately, in collaboration with the drug companies, so that economic aid can be earmarked to launch
an information campaign on AIDS in the African countries and at the same time used to carry out
preventive measures, based for example on vaccination, and operations to promote universally accessible
health care?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(11 October 2000)

The Commission shares the concerns of the Honourable Members about the health crisis in developing
countries, badly aggravated by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), particularly in Africa.

The Commission has recently adopted a new communication on accelerated action targeted at major
communicable diseases within the context of poverty reduction (1). It sets out the policy framework, which
the Commission will use to improve its response to the increasing spread and growing impact of Human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world. The commu-
nication proposes a single coherent set of development, trade and research policies to combat these
diseases.

On this basis during the coming months, a plan of action will be prepared following the different lines of
proposed interventions.

To consult on these orientations, the Commission hosted a very successful and well attended high level
international round table on 28 September to discuss the Community(cid:146)s policy and to steer the develop-
ment of a programme of action for the implementation of the communication.

(1) COM(2000) 585 final.

(2001/C 151 E/015)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2652/00

by Monica Frassoni (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Water management and administration of the related Community funding in Sardinia

At present, Sardinia, which has a population of 1 631 000, has as many as 31 large and medium-sized
reservoirs with a maximum capacity of 1 589 million m3. Final filling permission has been granted up to a
volume of 1 486 million m3, and filling trials have begun at the new dam on the river Tirso, which will
further increase the maximum capacity by approximately 300 million m3. That notwithstanding, Sardinia
has been hit by its second serious water emergency within the space of the last ten years. The bad water
management is plain for all to see. The 42 different managing bodies do not coordinate their operations.

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Large quantities of drinking-water are used in industry. On average, 30 % of the water carried by the urban
distribution networks is lost, and the wastage rate can peak as high as 200 %. There is no water saving
policy. Under the 1995 government order, the chairman of Sardinia Regional Council was appointed
government commissioner responsible for the water emergency. The 73 operations carried out under the
programme to tackle the emergency, funded by a budget of ITL 1 486 billion, have not proved very
effective, given that Sardinia is now in the grip of an even worse emergency. Out of the above-mentioned
73 operations, 26 have been financed by the (cid:145)water resources(cid:146) operational programme forming part of the
1994-1999 Community support framework, funded by over ITL 562 billion, and have focused almost
exclusively on new dams and similar works.

Has the Commission considered the outcome of

1.
the operational programme in the light of
the requisite ex ante assessment of operations under the 1994-1999 Community support framework
(Article 42 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 (1))?

Has the Commission ascertained that

2.
impact assessment was
observed where the above operations were concerned? Will it take steps if the EIA procedure applied to
the works is shown to have been flawed?

the legislation on environmental

3.
How will the Commission deal with the proposals for Community funding submitted by the
Sardinian regional authorities for the new Structural Funds programming period 2000-2006, especially as
regards policies to promote water saving and sustainable use of water resources, and assessment of the
environmental costs of water management policies? Will funding be provided for operations to reduce
network leakage and recycle water for industrial uses?

(1) OJ L 161, 22.6.1999, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(6 November 2000)

The Commission is aware of Sardinia(cid:146)s underdevelopment as regards managing water resources.

The Commission does not yet have an ex post evaluation of the results and impact of the water resources
programme for 1994-1999, since the deadline for the closure of payments is 31 December 2001. Under
the regulations in force, the evaluation report must be submitted to the Commission by 30 June 2002.

The Commission has ensured that the projects proposed for part-financing from the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) comply with the Directives in terms of environmental impact assessment. Inter
alia within the Monitoring Committees,
the Italian authorities have given assurances that such an
assessment has been carried out whenever applicable. It should be borne in mind that environment
ministry representatives also attend the technical committee responsible for project selection.

For the 2000-2006 programming period, the Community support framework (CSF) for the Italian regions
infrastructure
eligible under Objective 1 has set priorities for the sector which cover two aspects:
improvement and management system administration. As regards the first, assistance will have to be
concentrated on converting water conveyancing and purification facilities, adapting supply and distribution
monitoring systems, and building new facilities for reusing purified water. As regards the second, effective
management systems will have to be developed in order to make a clearer distinction between controlling
and managing resources and to bridge the gap between assistance planning and financial responsibility.

The regional operational programme (ROP) for Sardinia lists these points under measure 1.1 of the natural
resources priority. The detailed criteria set by the CSF will apply in order to ensure that the projects
selected are consistent with the sectoral law in force in Italy (Legge Galli).

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The water framework Directive (1) which Parliament and the Council recently adopted strongly promotes
integrated planning and management of surface waters and groundwater as regards both quality and
quantity, based on six-year management plans covering the whole of each river basin. The plans must be
put into operation by 2009. The water framework Directive requires Member States, in the course of
preparing their river basin management plans, to analyse (cid:129) for each river basin (cid:129) its geological,
hydrological, ecological and other characteristics, the impact of human activity on water status, and the
economics of water use. The analyses must be completed by 2004, and an operational monitoring
programme for water status must be established by 2006. The latter two deadlines fall during the period
of the ROP and will provide a basis for implementing it in accordance with Community legislation.

(1) PRES/2000/283.

(2001/C 151 E/016)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2675/00

by Ioannis Souladakis (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 2000)

Subject: Protection of European firms in Kosovo

The answer given by Commissioner Patten to Written Question E-1032/2000, despite the rather
(cid:145)embarassing(cid:146) nature of its content, shows that the role played by parliamentary control is a cornerstone
of democracy, not only for the Member States but also for the European Union itself. With regard to the
matter in hand, the Commission(cid:146)s undertaking (cid:129) contained in the abovementioned answer (cid:129) to bring the
concerns raised to the attention of UNMIK opens up a clear channel of communication between myself as
a Member of the European Parliament, the Commission in its capacity as the EU authority responsible, and
UNMIK, which is overseeing the crisis situation in Kosovo.

When and by what means does the Commission plan to make the necessary representations to UNMIK, as
promised in the abovementioned answer, and to what extent will it keep me informed of these measures?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(6 October 2000)

In line with its statement (Written Question E-1032/00 (1)) that it would draw United Nations (UN) Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK) attention to the issues raised by the Honourable Member, but it is for UNMIK to
respond directly to the Honourable Member, the Commission has already sent the Honourable Member a
copy of the letter which it has sent to UNMIK. The Commission has also provided the Honourable
Member with the contact details of the relevant official in UNMIK.

The Commission has thus put (cid:145)a clear channel of communication(cid:146)
Member and UNMIK,
administration of Kosovo.

in place between the Honourable
the competent authority for all questions relating to the international civil

(1) OJ C 81 E, 13.3.2001, p. 15.