WRITTEN QUESTION E-0511/01 by Karla Peijs (PPE-DE) to the Council. TEN's and the development of the inland waterways.
Date: 2001-02-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: combined transport, inland waterway, international aid, network of navigable waterways, trans-European network

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/41

(2001/C 340 E/046)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0511/01

by Karla Peijs (PPE-DE) to the Council

(23 February 2001)

Subject: TEN(cid:146)s and the development of the inland waterways

A report on bottlenecks in waterways has been submitted to the European Commission (Lille,
23 November 2000). The report reviews the status of the trans-European transport network of waterways
five years after the European TEN framework decisions were put in place. The report reviews the history of
the TEN policies, starting with the White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment (1992). The
initial list of projects has been evaluated and defined in further detail by the Christophersen Group and has
been shaped by the principles established at the Essen Council in 1994, which resulted in a list of 14
priority projects which does not contain any projects related to inland waterways. It is regrettable that
waterways development finds itself at the bottom of the priority list.

The waterways net work urgently needs investment in its infrastructure in order to facilitate intermodal
transport (sea-river, river-rail, river-road), to remove a number of existing bottlenecks and to construct
a number of missing links that will enhance the network function.

In view of the further development of intermodal transport, what actions have the Ministers of Transport
of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands taken to realise an integrated trans-European
waterways network?

Are the Ministers aware of
necessitates a minimum height of bridges over TEN waterways of 7,10 million (3-layer containers).

that an optimised network for transport by container vessels

the fact

There will be a meeting of European Transport Ministers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on 5 and
6 September 2001 on Inland Shipping at which they will announce a (cid:145)Declaration of Rotterdam(cid:146). Do the
Ministers intend to include in their declaration the list of Priority projects for waterways development, their
budgets and the time-schedules linked to such projects?

Are the Ministers prepared to take more measures that maximise the shift in freight transport from road to
water, in order to reduce traffic density (and its consequences such as noise and air pollution) on certain
motorways?

In view of the enlargement of the European Union, what actions have the Ministers in mind to realise
optimal
inland waterway transport on the Danube towards the Black Sea? (e.g. obstructions between
Straubing and Vilshofen)?

Reply

(10 July 2001)

The question put by the Honourable Member contains many points that the Council can only take note of.
It is not for the Council to comment on individual or joint activities by certain Member States or on the
projects of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, which comprises 30 European States.
Certain specific aspects raised by the Honourable Member are within the remit of the national, regional or
even local authorities.

It should nevertheless be noted that one of the key strands of the European Union(cid:146)s transport policy aims
at encouraging the expansion of inter-modal transport with a view to striking a better balance between the
various modes of transport, giving preference to the safest and most environmentally-friendly ones.

The development of inland navigation plays a major role in this context. The Council recognises the
importance of the Rhine-Main-Danube route which was identified as a priority corridor across Europe by
the European Conference of Ministers of Transport in Crete in 1994 and in Helsinki in 1997. With the
prospect of enlargement the Danube is playing an increasingly vital role as a communication channel
linking the territory of the European Union with the candidate countries in the region, as well as with the
Black Sea.

C 340 E/42

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

Moreover, it is frequently emphasised in the enlargement process, at the level of the Europe Agreement
bodies that are developing and monitoring the pre-accession strategy, that what is sought is a multi-modal
approach to developing the transport network. In this context, issues relating to navigation on the Danube
are also broached, with regard to both managing the river in the candidate countries and to restoring
navigation on the river after the Kosovo war.

In this connection the Council has supported the activities of the International Commission for the
Protection of the Danube River with a view to rendering the river navigable again; in July 2000 the Council
approved the Community contribution to the International Fund for Clearance of the Fairway of the
Danube, representing 85 % of the estimated total cost of the project.

(2001/C 340 E/047)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0513/01

by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Council

(23 February 2001)

Subject: Declaration of state of emergency and serious situation in Ecuador

The economic austerity policy pursued by the Ecuadorian Government in an attempt to resolve the grave
economic crisis that has been affecting the country for more than three years has been accompanied by
serious social unrest. In addition to the emigration of a large section of the working population prompted
by poverty, there has also been increasing mobilisation and protest on the part of the section of the
population most severely affected by the crisis, mainly the Indian population.

Apart from a crackdown by the forces of order, the Ecuadorian authorities have responded to this social
unrest by declaring a state of emergency.

Given the ethnic character of the protest, which has so far remained essentially peaceful, is the Council not
afraid that the current economic crisis might jeopardise the plurinational and democratic State enshrined
in the country(cid:146)s new constitution?

Has the Council expressed its opposition to the state of emergency that has been declared, or does it
intend to do so?

Will the Council call on the Ecuadorian Government to guarantee the civil and political freedoms of the
the situation from
population during the protests, provided they are peaceful,
deteriorating?

in order to prevent

Given the conditions of real poverty faced by around 70 % of the population at a time of political
instability, does the Council not think that the international community should tackle the problem of
Ecuador(cid:146)s external debt and the need to rebuild its economy in the context of the Paris Club and on the
basis of criteria that seek to avoid an aid-based approach and focus on large-scale national and
international investment?

What other initiatives will the Council take to help Ecuador overcome this difficult situation?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

The Council is aware of the difficult economic situation experienced by Ecuador and the hardship endured
(cid:145)dollarisation(cid:146) and economic
the population in the current context of
by the poorest sections of
adjustments undertaken by the Government at the behest of the IMF.

In January and February the Council monitored very closely the events to which the Honourable Member
refers in his question. The Council believes that there can be no solution to these problems outside the
framework of a democratic system.