WRITTEN QUESTION E-0247/01 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Repeal of Regulation (EEC) 2158/92 on protection of the Community's forests against fire.
Date: 2001-02-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, European forestry policy, Greece, ecological balance, environmental risk prevention, fire protection, forest conservation, forestry development, rural development, sustainable development

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(2001/C 235 E/187)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0244/01

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(31 January 2001)

Subject: Tuberculosis treatment in Asia and Africa

Given that the EU currently funds anti-Tuberculosis programmes in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union, and that the Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse (DOTS) has been found by the World Bank
to be one of the most cost-effective medical interventions, will the Commission consider a proposal to
extend funding to programmes in Asia and Africa if necessary by setting up a budget line to finance DOTS
there?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(2 March 2001)

the directly observed treatment shortcourse (DOTS)
The Commission recognises the importance of
approach and shares the concern over the impact of tuberculosis (TB) in Africa and Asia. However the
scale of the problem caused by tuberculosis (and by malaria and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired
immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), the other major communicable diseases associated with poverty)
requires an extraordinary response from the international development community. The Commission has
developed options for a major new commitment as part of a co-ordinated international response rather
than through establishment of a specific tuberculosis (TB) budget line.

Recommendations are set out in the Communication on a Community programme for accellerated action
on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the context of poverty reduction. The Commission proposes
a comprehensive approach through action across three areas: increasing impact from existing effective
interventions including DOTS, action to increase the affordability of key pharmaceuticals and action to
accelerate the development of new generations of diagnostics and treatments, which are sorely needed for
tuberculosis.

The Commission provides extensive and increasing levels of support to the health sector in developing
countries with commitments of over € 700 million, or 8 % of the development budget, in 1998. Much of
this support is directed at improving the organisation, management and performance of national health
systems, including support to tuberculosis control programmes. Increasingly such support is provided as
sectoral or budget support rather than as project support for disease specific programmes. The Commis-
sion will however invite proposals for innovative work related to the link between TB and HIV under the
reproductive health budget line in 2001.

(2001/C 235 E/188)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0247/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(8 February 2001)

Subject: Repeal of Regulation (EEC) 2158/92 on protection of the Community(cid:146)s forests against fire

At the Standing Forestry Committee(cid:146)s meeting in Chambord, France, the Commission announced its
intention to repeal Regulation (EEC) 2158/92 (1) on protection of the Community(cid:146)s forests against fire and
to incorporate its measures into Regulation (EC) 1257/1999 (2), which deals with rural development.

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The protection of forests against fires is a major issue for Greece and the Mediterranean countries, since it
is directly linked not only with maintaining fundamental ecological equilibria but also with tackling the
desertification threatening these countries (30 % of Greece(cid:146)s territory is threatened with desertification).
Will the Commission therefore say:

1. What are the Commission(cid:146)s reasons for repealing Regulation (EEC) 2158/92? Does it believe that the

problem of forest fires is an agricultural issue, and not an environmental one?

2. Will measures such as information campaigns, research into the causes of fires etc., which are
currently funded under Regulation (EEC) 2158/92, be eligible if this regulation is incorporated into
Regulation (EC) 1257/1999?

3. How will projects for the improvement of infrastructure for forest fire prevention (such as firebreaks,

roads, water tanks etc.) be funded, and which appropriations will be used?

(1) OJ L 217, 31.7.1992, p. 3.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 March 2001)

The Commission is aware that forests play a vital role in safeguarding fundamental ecological equilibria, in
particular as regards the soil, water, the climate, flora and fauna, and biodiversity generally. Such ecological
equilibria are essential for the sustainable management of the countryside.

Fires are still one of the factors affecting the sustainable development of forests in fire-risk areas and thus
hinder the development of sustainable forestry and restrict forests(cid:146) contribution to the management of the
countryside.

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain
Regulations provides for support for certain fire-prevention measures, including investments in infrastruc-
ture, on the grounds that rural communities, and in particular foresters and farmers, the main trustees of
Europe(cid:146)s forest heritage, play a fundamental role in devising regional
fire-protection plans and by
practising preventive silviculture entailing basic maintenance measures.

Since Council Regulations (EEC) Nos 3528/86 of 17 November 1986 on the protection of the Commu-
nity(cid:146)s forests against atmospheric pollution (1) and 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on protection of
the
the Commission must soon take
Community(cid:146)s forests against
fire expire on 31 December 2001,
a decision on whether to continue with such measures, adapting them, where necessary,
to the
Commission(cid:146)s new policy on strategic planning, as it must with rural-development measures relating to
fire prevention under Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

At this point the question arises as to whether a clear separation should be made between measures that
can be financed under a specific forest-fire-prevention measure and rural development measures.

Precisely this issue came up at
3 October 2000.

the meeting of

the Standing Forestry Committee held on 2 and

Some of the many infrastructure projects to be part-financed from the Structural Funds in Greece in the
course of implementation of the Community Support Framework (CSF) for the current programming
period (2000-2006) will definitely be targeted directly or indirectly at protecting forests from fires and/or
stepping up the effectiveness of fire prevention. However, the selection of projects under the CSF will be

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the responsibility of the authorities managing the various operational programmes approved by the
Commission once the negotiations with the Greek authorities have been completed. It will in particular
be for the authorities managing the 13 regional programmes in the CSF for Greece to include projects on
fire prevention, in line with the requirements of each region.

(1) OJ L 326, 21.11.1986.

(2001/C 235 E/189)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0252/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(8 February 2001)

Subject: Electrabel and energy-market liberalisation in the Flemish Region

EU Member States were required to transpose Directive 96/92 EC (1) concerning common rules for the
internal market in electricity into national legislation by 19 February 1999.

The directive establishes a framework for progressively introducing competition into the electricity sector
and lays down common rules for electricity production, transmission and distribution:

(cid:129) general rules on the organisation and operation of the electricity sector;

(cid:129) two options for introducing competition in production;

(cid:129) two options for organising access to the network;

(cid:129) transmission-network operation;

(cid:129) distribution-network operation; and

(cid:129) separate accounts for each activity (production,

transmission, distribution), and transparency of

accounts.

The Electrabel energy supplier is making cosmetic changes to its management structure as a means of
retaining its hold on the electricity distribution network in the Flemish Region. Its approach serves only to
enable Electrabel to comply formally with its obligations under the directive. But nothing would change in
the situation on the ground, so that the objectives set by the directive would not be implemented in
practice.

Is the Commission familiar with the Electrabel plan to retain its hold on the electricity distribution network
in the Flemish Region by way of a new management structure that complies formally with its obligations
under the directive but will in practice change nothing in the situation on the ground? If so, how will the
Commission act
to ensure that electricity distribution in the Flemish Region will comply with the
obligations imposed by the directive? If not, will the Commission familiarise itself as quickly as possible
with the Electrabel plan so as to prevent implementation of Directive 96/92 EC concerning common rules
for the internal market in electricity from being made impossible from the outset in the Flemish Region?

(1) OJ L 27, 30.1.1997, p. 20.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(5 April 2001)

The Commission is responsible, under its general terms of reference, for the administration of Community
law and, in this particular case, for the transposal by the national authorities of Directive 96/92/EC of the
Parliament and of the Council concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (1).