WRITTEN QUESTION E-3657/00 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Derailment of a Greek Railways train in Kallipefki.
Date: 2000-11-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community support framework, Greece, rail transport, transport accident, transport infrastructure, transport safety

14.2.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 40 E/1

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(Information)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER

(2002/C 40 E/001)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3657/00

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Derailment of a Greek Railways train in Kallipefki

(27 November 2000)

There has been an alarming increase in Greek Railways train derailments recently, indeed there have been
some 140 such incidents since 1992. One of the principal reasons has been shown to be the age of the
railway network in Greece. However, on 9 November 2000 a train was derailed at the station of Kallipefki
on the Athens-Thessanloniki line on a part of the track that had been renovated a month earlier with
funds under the Second CSF. It is worth pointing out that before the renovation work the speed limit on
the track section in question had been 70 km/h, while after renovation it was lowered to 50 km/h.

1.

Does the Commission have any information about the reasons for the incident in question?

2. Was the accident caused by shoddy workmanship on the section of track in question?

3. What information does it have about shoddy workmanship during the construction of new railway
lines in Greece with funds from the Second CSF?

How much modernisation work was carried out on the Greek Railways network under the Second

4.
CSF compared to that carried out in 1994?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(13 September 2001)

Further to its answer of 15 December 2000 (1), the Commission can now provide further information:

(cid:129) The Greek authorities have stated that the derailment of a train on 9 November 2000 near Kalipefki
station did not occur on the new Athens-Thessaloniki line but on the old Tithorea-Domokos line,
which had been partially modernised using funds from the Community support framework (CSF) for
1994-1999. The accident was not the result of defects on the line but to the fact that the suspension
of the wagons did not comply with the small anomalies tolerated on any railway line. The Greek
authorities have confirmed that the quality controls carried out so far on public works in the rail
sector part-financed under the above CSF have not revealed any defects.

(cid:129) By the end of December 2000, the implementation rate for rail projects in Greece under the CSF for
1994-1999 was 87 %, € 544 million out of a total of € 627 209 million. The conclusions of this

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14.2.2002

programming period will soon be presented by Greece as part of the final report on implementation
of the (cid:145)Rail(cid:146) operational programme.

(1) OJ C 136 E, 8.5.2001.

(2002/C 40 E/002)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3941/00

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(13 December 2000)

Subject: Trade barriers for candidate countries

Will the Commission state what proportion of the total exports of each candidate country and what
proportion of the country(cid:146)s exports to the EU are currently subject to some form of trade restriction
(quotas, tariffs) on entry into the European Union?

Is the Commission of the view that non-tariff barriers in the EU may be a significant obstacle?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(22 March 2001)

Trade between the Community and the candidate countries is governed by the Europe Agreements (EAs) in
the case of the 10 Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), Association Agreements with Malta
and Cyprus and a Customs Union (CU) with Turkey.

Trade liberalisation between the candidate countries and the Community has taken place progressively and
in an asymmetric manner, with the Community liberalising trade towards the candidates immediately after
the signature of the agreements and with the candidates opening their markets to the Community
progressively.

With regard to the first question, the Honourable Member is reminded that tariffs should not automatically
be equated to trade restrictions, as long as they are not set at prohibitive levels, and are applied in a
manner which is transparent and consistent with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and obligations.
Insofar as tariff quotas are concerned, the quotas applied to Community imports from the candidate
countries are far from being quantitative restrictions. On the contrary, they are preferential quotas, at tariff
rates which are reduced or even zero, and are designed specifically to foster exports from the beneficiary
countries.

For the countries which concluded the first EAs in the early 1990s, free trade in industrial goods has been
established. By 1 January 2002 all trade in industrial goods between the Community and the EA countries
will be fully liberalised, with no tariffs and no quotas applicable between the partners. Overall,
approximately 94 % of all candidates(cid:146) exports to the Community will be fully liberalised by this date.

As regards agricultural products, liberalisation of trade has taken place in a more progressive manner. In
addition to the initial provisions of the Europe Agreements, under which agricultural imports took place at
a reduced tariff rate within tariff quotas initially based on traditional trade flows, but were increased
annually since the entry into force of these Agreements, agreements were concluded with the candidates in
the course of 2000, aiming at further liberalisation of trade in agricultural products. As a result of these
agreements approximately 80 % of agricultural products from the CEECs enter the Community free of
import duties. At the same time, negotiations aiming at the full liberalisation of fish and fisheries products
are currently underway.

Furthermore, negotiations on the liberalisation processed agricultural goods will increase the percentage of
duty free products entering the Community from the candidates duty free.