WRITTEN QUESTION E-0492/01 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Commission. Specific measures for transport for the Ultra-peripheral Regions.
Date: 2001-02-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: common transport policy, economic and social cohesion, harbour installation, peripheral region, trans-European network, transport network

18.9.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 261 E/125

A 25 % correction was made to expenditure under budget heading 1052 (ESP 3 283 310 250),
ESP 820 827 563.

i.e.

A 5 % correction was made to expenditure declared under the arable crops scheme in Andalusia (1996 and
1997 harvests) in respect of the following budget headings:

(cid:129) 1040, 1041, 1042, 1043, 1044, 1050, 1051, 1052, 1053, 1054, 1055 and 1060:

i.e.

ESP 585 106 511 (1996) and ESP 2 668 866 704 (1997).

The failure to meet deadlines for payment relates to the following budget headings:

(cid:129) 1053-004, 1210-063, 1210-064, 1210-074, 1858-001, 2540-001, 3100-054, 3100-114, i.e. a total

of ESP 718 317 392.

These corrections are given in detail in Summary Report AGRI-24491-2000 of 16 October 2000, which
was forwarded to Parliament on 19 February 2001.

(2001/C 261 E/133)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0487/01

by Eurig Wyn (Verts/ALE) and Gorka Kn(cid:246)rr Borr(cid:224)s (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Minority languages and freedom of expression in Greece

(22 February 2001)

Mr Sotiris Bletsas, a member of the Society for Aromanian (Vlach) Culture, was sentenced on 2 February
2000 to fifteen months in prison and a GRD 500 000 fine for dissemination of false information (under
Article 191 of the Penal Code). The charges were based on the fact that, in July 1995, he had distributed at
the Aromanian Festival a publication of the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages which referred to
languages in Greece.

Does the Commission consider this attitude compatible with the European values of freedom of expression
and opinion and cultural and linguistic diversity? Has it asked the Greek authorities for any formal or
informal information on this issue?

Could the Commission(cid:146)s Legal Services review Article 191 of the Greek penal code for compatibility with
the spirit of the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and
the rule of law recognised by the Treaties?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(4 May 2001)

The Commission takes a keen interest in this case and has been following it closely. However, on the basis
of the information currently available to it, the Commission cannot give a full answer to this question. It
has therefore asked the Greek government to communicate a copy of the judgement as soon as it becomes
available, together with any other relevant information on the case.

(2001/C 261 E/134)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0492/01

by Isidoro SÆnchez Garc(cid:237)a (ELDR) to the Commission

(22 February 2001)

Subject: Specific measures for transport for the Ultra-peripheral Regions

Given that the Community guidelines for implementing the Trans-European Transport Networks need to
be revised, in order adequately to integrate the ports and airports of the ultra-peripheral regions into these

C 261 E/126

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.9.2001

networks, according to the undertaking given by the Commission in its report on implementing Article
299(2), which concerns the ultra-peripheral regions and other issues relating to transport,

When does the Commission intend to draw up a proposal adopting specific measures in favour of these
regions as regards the implementation of the Common Transport Policy?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(20 April 2001)

As the Commission indicated in its report of 14 March 2000 on the application of paragraph 2 of
Article 299 (ex Article 227) of the EC Treaty, it is taking account of the problem of the outermost regions,
where such is not already the case, in its various common transport policy and trans-European network
initiatives.

Thus it is that the Commission has made an active effort to take greater account of the outermost regions
in amending Decision 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on
Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network (1)
in respect of
maritime and inland ports and Project No 8 of Annex III. As the Commission indicated in its answer to
Written Question No 297/01 by the Honourable Member, Parliament and the Council are about to adopt
this amendment.

According to the joint text adopted by the Conciliation Committee on 28 February 2001, ports located in
the insular, remote and outermost regions and which allow maritime connections between these regions or
connect them with the Community(cid:146)s central regions may thus be considered to belong to the network. The
adoption of this amendment will thus provide a new opportunity for the insular and outermost regions of
the Union to boost their economic development.

Moreover, as the abovementioned report indicates, the review of the guidelines for the development of the
trans-European network will be a further opportunity for the Commission to implement the policy priority
it gives to projects for these regions when they reach a satisfactory stage of maturity. In its examination of
the economic and technological developments which are necessitating changes to the guidelines, the
Commission is thus taking account of the question of the outermost regions.

(1) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996.

(2001/C 261 E/135)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0497/01

by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Commission

(22 February 2001)

Subject: Efficient management of the radio spectrum

Article 82f of the Netherlands media law prohibits commercial radio broadcasters from participating at the
same time in more than one commercial frequency package. This ban recently attracted a great deal of
publicity, as in principle it means that two associated radio stations cannot both be eligible to be assigned
a frequency in the auction of terrestrial frequencies to be held in the Netherlands in the summer of 2001.
There was consequently a danger that the popular commercial broadcaster Classic FM, which has around
one and a half million listeners, would disappear from the Dutch airwaves, as it belongs to Sky Radio,
which is also to take part in the auction of terrestrial frequencies. As the imposition of such a ban was not
in accordance with the opinion of the Netherlands Competition Authority or of a majority in the Lower
House, which saw no objection to participation by the two stations, the government decided to allow both
Classic FM and Sky Radio to take part.