WRITTEN QUESTION E-4005/00 by Carles-Alfred Gasòliba i Böhm (ELDR) to the Commission. Waste water treatment.
Date: 2000-12-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Castile-La Mancha, Community of Valencia, Region of Murcia, environmental standard, infringement procedure (EU), wastewater, water pollution, water treatment

C 235 E/44

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.8.2001

In the light of this, can the Commission:

(a) outline what knowledge it has of damage done to marine life by military activity undertaken by the

Member States?

(b) State whether it plans to introduce such a public consultation mechanism to protect mammals and

other wildlife in European waters?

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

(20 February 2001)

Certain marine habitats and species are given specific protection by the Habitats Directive (1), the principal
piece of European legislation protecting natural habitats and wild fauna and flora.

Article 17 of the Directive requires Member States to report on measures taken pursuant to the Directive.
As the Commission is due to receive the first such reports only in the next few months, it cannot yet
provide the information requested by the Honourable Member.

Article 6 of the Habitats Directive provides for mechanisms to ensure that sites belonging to the Natura
2000 network, including marine sites, are protected against any activity which could seriously compromise
their state of conversation. Provision is made here for the general public to be consulted where
appropriate.

(1) Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora

(OJ L 206, 22.7.1992).

(2001/C 235 E/048)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4005/00

by Carles-Alfred Gas(cid:242)liba i B(cid:246)hm (ELDR) to the Commission

(21 December 2000)

Subject: Waste water treatment

The Segura is a river whose course takes it through the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Castilla la
Mancha, Murcia and the Valencian Community. By the time it reaches the sea in the district of Vega Baja,
its waters are extremely polluted, with all that this means in terms of negative impact on the environment,
farming and quality of life in this district of the Alacant provincial region.

Since 1998 I have been bringing the worrying state of this river and the impact of the pollution of its
waters to the attention of the European authorities.

According to Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1) of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water, both the
Spanish authorities and the Valencian Autonomous Community itself are failing to meet Community
guidelines on waste water treatment in agglomerations of over 10 000 inhabitants in sensitive areas and
over 15 000 inhabitants in non-sensitive areas.

Does the Commission have figures for the current pollution levels in the River Segura?

What measures does it intend to take to ensure that the environmental standards set by Directive 91/271/
EEC are met within the deadline provided, mainly 31 December 1998 for agglomerations of over 15 000
inhabitants in non-sensitive areas and agglomerations of over 10 000 inhabitants in sensitive areas, and
31 December 2000 for agglomerations of over 10 000 inhabitants in non-sensitive areas?

(1) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40.

21.8.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 235 E/45

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

(14 March 2001)

The Commission is aware of the pollution of the River SØgura in Spain by industrial, agricultural and
urban effluents and has begun action intended to prompt compliance with Community regulations in
order to improve the situation. The Honourable Member might wish to refer to the answers to Written
Questions E-1906/98 (1) and E-0721/00 (2) by Mrs Sornosa Martinez and to Written Questions E-3860/
00 (3) and E-3861/00 (4) by Mrs Hautala concerning this problem of pollution of the River SØgura.

More specifically as regards discharges of urban wastewater, the Commission has recently examined the
situation as regards the treatment of those effluents in all of the Community(cid:146)s major cities and will very
soon publish the results of that survey. It emerges form this that two of the major towns discharging their
effluents into the catchment basin for the SØgura river, namely Molina de SØgura and Murcia, did not have
the secondary wastewater treatment (i.e. biological) facilities required by Council Directive 92/271/EEC of
21 May 1991 on the treatment of urban wastewater on 31 December 2000.

The Commission therefore intends to bring an infringement action against Spain, more specifically because
of inadequate treatment of urban wastewater in a certain number of conurbations, including Molina de
SØgura and Murcia.

(1) OJ C 13, 20.1.1999.
(2) OJ C 26 E, 26.1.2001, p. 96.
(3) OJ C 187 E, 3.7.2001, p. 69.
(4) OJ C 187 E, 3.7.2001, p. 70.

(2001/C 235 E/049)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-4011/00

by Georg Jarzembowski (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 December 2000)

Subject: Implementation in the rail transport sector of the provisions of Title VI of the EC Treaty

Within the evolving rail transport sector competition is beginning to develop between various companies
with regard to not only cross-border but also national, regional and urban services. In a number of
Member States this is leading to structural changes affecting what were previously national rail transport
companies, involving hiving off for the provision of regional transport services, for example. This is giving
rise to suspicions that when operations are being transferred, the valuation of assets, in particular movable
goods, is carried out with the deliberate intention of giving subsidiaries of what were previously state-run
undertakings unjustified advantages over new competitors.

Is the Commission aware of these developments and what measures will it take to put an end to

1.
further distortions of competition or inadmissible direct or indirect state aids?

In this connection,

2.
companies in order to obviate such dangers?

is the Commission examining the annual accounts of national rail transport

(a)

If so, what have been its provisional or definitive findings?

(b)

If not, why not and what other measures will it take to prevent distortions of competition or abuse of
a dominant position within the common market or in a substantial part of it?