WRITTEN QUESTION E-3646/00 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Biological sewage works on Levkada.
Date: 2000-11-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Greece, island, marine pollution, protected area, quality of the environment, wastewater, water treatment

18.9.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 261 E/3

In reply to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s questions the following information can be given:

1. According to the information available to the Commision, RINA issued the relevant safety certificates,
on behalf of the Italian State, necessary to fulfil the requirements for seaworthiness as laid down by
International conventions.

2.

Following the recent Transport Council there is broad consensus among the Member States on the
proposal (1) to amend Council Directive 94/57/EC of 22 November 1994 on common rules and
standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime
administrations (2).

3. and 4. The Commission shares the concern expressed by the Honourable Member and has introduced
proposals to strengthen the existing Directive in respect of surveillance and monitoring of safety and
pollution prevention performance of recognised organisations. A good performance record becomes
an unconditional criterion in order to receive and/or maintain recognition under the Directive.
Furthermore, should the performance of a recognised organisation start to deteriorate, amendments
have been introduce to give the Commission the power to warn, suspend for one year, or withdraw
recognition.

The Commission also suggests introducing the (cid:145)Transfer of Class rules(cid:146) in the proposal for amending
Council Directive 94/57/EC (3) which is aimed at preventing a shipowner from changing classification
society for safety reasons.

All these proposed amendments have been introduced in order to strengthen the surveillance of
recognised organisations and to force them to compete on quality in service to the highest possible
standards.

5. Yes. The Commission proposed the creation of a European Maritime Safety Agency, which will be a
technical body to, among other tasks, assist the Commission in the surveillance of classification
societies. As regards denied access, the Commission agrees with the objective of banning of vessels
which are manifestly substandard and has proposed measures for such banning in Article 7(a) in the
amended proposal (4) for Council Directive 95/21/EC of 19 June 1995 concerning the enforcement, in
respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the
Member States, of international standards for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living
and working conditions (port State control) (5).

(1) OJ C 212 E, 25.7.2000.
(2) OJ L 319, 12.12.1994.
(3) OJ L 48, 3.3.1995.
(4) COM(2000) 850 final.
(5) OJ L 157, 7.7.1995.

(2001/C 261 E/004)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3646/00

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(23 November 2000)

Subject: Biological sewage works on Levkada

There is a sewage works operating in Levkada which is located within a biotope. The effluent is released in
the Diaulos area. The communities in the north-east of the island are directly affected and for five years the
sea area north-east of the island has suffered irreparable pollution.

In the original studies for the town sewage system, the effluent was to be discharged into the Ionian Sea.
Once local leaders became aware of the problem, the Ministry of the Environment, Public Works and
Regional Planning and the Ministry of Internal Affairs by joint ministerial decree of 19 December 1995

C 261 E/4

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.9.2001

to the Ionian Sea, with construction to be completed by
decided to move the outlet
21 December 1998. Nothing has yet happened, with the result that Community water quality legislation
is being infringed. As the biological sewage plant for Levkada was funded by the Community, will the
Commission intervene to correct this error?

for effluent

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

(31 January 2001)

By ministerial order of 2 August 1999, the Greek authorities identified the straits of Levkada as a sensitive
area under Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment (1).
Therefore Levkada town, which discharges its waste water into these straits, should have been provided
with a collecting system and facilities for the stringent treatment of waste water by 31 December 1998.
Such treatment must include secondary treatment, i.e. biological treatment, followed by tertiary treatment
to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in the waste water.

In 1999 the Commission began checking the situation in all the agglomerations in the Community which
discharge their waste water into sensitive areas as defined in the Directive. A consolidated report will be
published at the beginning of 2001. The information forwarded by the Greek authorities in 1999 and
2000 indicates that almost none of the 40 agglomerations in Greece which discharge their waste water
into sensitive areas and should therefore have been provided with appropriate collecting and treatment
systems by 31 December 1998 had, by that date, met the requirements of the Directive. In 1999 the
processing capacity of Levkada(cid:146)s waste water treatment plant was still insufficient and the authorities said
that major work had to be done to complete it. This tallies with the information provided by the
Honourable Member. The work funded by the Community was necessary but additional investment is
needed for the plant to meet the requirements of the Directive.

In these circumstances, the Commission intends to initiate infringement proceedings against Greece in
respect of all the agglomerations which do not meet the requirements of the Directive, including Levkada,
and it will ask Greece to take the necessary measures to ensure that its collecting and treatment systems
conform to the provisions thereof.

The authorities concerned have not presented any request for cofinancing of the work on the plant. If they
do, it will be examined in accordance with the project assessment and selection procedures laid down in
national and Community legislation.

(1) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.

(2001/C 261 E/005)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3683/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 November 2000)

Subject: Amounts allotted under and implementation of the Cohesion Fund

Can the Commission say what aggregate amounts were allotted to each Member State under the Cohesion
Fund during the 1994-1999 programming period and what was the out-turn in each country?

Can it say what aggregate amounts have been allotted to each Member State under the Cohesion Fund in
2000 and what has been the out-turn to date in each country?