WRITTEN QUESTION E-0575/01 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Radioactive waste.
Date: 2001-02-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Albania, Germany, export of waste, public health, radioactive waste, storage of waste

18.9.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 261 E/149

from spam (unsolicited e-mails) towards marketing techniques based on the prior consent of e-mail
addressees ((cid:145)permission-based marketing(cid:146)).

The Commission proposes to tackle this issue through its proposal for a Directive of the Parliament and of
the Council on the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic commu-
nications sector (2), intended to modify and replace the existing 97/66/EC Directive of the Parliament and
of the Council of 15 December 1997 (3) in view of technological developments.

In particular, Article 13 of the proposal subjects the sending of e-mails to the prior consent of the
subscriber. This so-called (cid:145)opt-in(cid:146) regime will bring e-mails under the same regime as the one applicable to
faxes and automated calling machines. It will also harmonise existing approaches within the Community
where some Member States have already implemented an opt-in system, while others have an opt-out
approach.

(1) The report is available at the following URL address:

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/media/dataprot/studies/spam.htm.

(2) OJ C 365 E, 19.12.2000.
(3) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998.

(2001/C 261 E/173)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0575/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 February 2001)

Subject: Radioactive waste

According to reports published on 12 February 2001 in the Athenian newspaper Kathimerini, Albania has
allocated former mines as a storage facility for radioactive waste from Germany.

1. What information does the Commission have on the storage of radioactive waste in former mines in
Albania?

Does it consider that the method of storing radioactive waste in former mines, as practised in

2.
Albania, is safe? If not, what effects could it have on public health?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(3 May 2001)

The Commission has no information about the storage of radioactive waste from any source in Albania.

Under Council Directive 92/3/Euratom of 3 February 1992 on the supervision and control of shipments of
radioactive waste between Member States and into and out of the Community (1), a Member State cannot
authorise the shipment of such waste to a third country if that country (cid:145)does not have the technical, legal
or administrative resources to manage the radioactive waste safely(cid:146).

In general, the practice of storing and disposing of radioactive waste in disused mines has been studied by
a number of countries. However, the costs and benefits of such storage must be examined on a case by
case basis. As the Commission has no information about such a use for mines in Albania, it cannot give
any view as to their possible suitability for storage of radioactive waste.

C 261 E/150

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.9.2001

It is not possible to predict any potential impact on public health of storing radioactive waste in Albanian
mines without information about the mines, the quantities and nature of any waste involved and the
technologies being used to ensure its safe management.

(1) OJ L 35, 12.2.1992.

(2001/C 261 E/174)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0579/01

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Water which is unfit to drink in Andalusia

(1 March 2001)

The regional government of Andalusia (Spain) has itself admitted that the water supplied to more than two
hundred thousand people is either constantly or sporadically unfit to drink. A total of 166 communities,
most of them in the provinces of Almer(cid:237)a and Granada, suffered problems of this nature in 1999.

This surprising and alarming admission on the part of the Andalusian Government highlights the stark
reality that even today the Community can be faced with situations such as this, in which a large number
of people find themselves without access to drinking water.

Will the Commission say how, given the Community provisions in this regard, a situation can possibly
arise in which a large number of people find themselves without access to drinking water? What urgent
measures would it be prepared to endorse with a view to ridding the Community of this vestige of
underdevelopment as soon as possible?

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

(25 April 2001)

The Commission was not aware of the situation described by the Honourable Member.

The piece of Community environment legislation which might be applicable in this case is Council
Directive 80/778/EEC of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of water intended for human consump-
tion. (1)

It should be pointed out that Directive 80/778/EEC is to be replaced by Council Directive 98/83/EC of
3 November 1998, (2) the deadline for the transposition of which expired on 25 December 2000. The
Member States must apply the provisions of the new Directive by 25 December 2003 at the latest.

The two Directives referred to above lay down requirements regarding the quality of water intended for
human consumption, and require the Member States to take steps to ensure they are met.

The information provided by the Honourable Member does not enable the Commission to deliver an
opinion as to whether Community law is being complied with. The Commission is willing to receive
in order to
additional information on the matter, such as the names of the municipalities concerned,
determine whether the Community environment law applicable in this case is being fully complied with.

(1) OJ L 229, 30.8.1980.
(2) OJ L 330, 5.12.1998.