WRITTEN QUESTION E-0811/01 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission. Golf courses and water management in the European Union.
Date: 2001-03-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, application of EU law, conservation of resources, environmental impact, environmental law, environmental monitoring, environmental protection, sports facilities, water protection, water resources

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/99

President Bush also said:
a vision would encourage our NATO allies and friends to bolster their defence budgets, perhaps.(cid:146)

(cid:145)I was very hopeful when we discussed the Prime Minister(cid:146)s vision that such

Does the Council believe that there is any evidence for this?

Reply

(16 July 2001)

The Honourable Member is kindly invited to refer to the reply to the Written Question No E-0796/01 on
the workings of the Rapid Reaction Force.

(2001/C 340 E/114)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0811/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Sornosa Mart(cid:237)nez (PSE) to the Commission

(19 March 2001)

Subject: Golf courses and water management in the European Union

In the autonomous community of Catalonia (Spain), a total of 41 of the 55 existing golf courses have been
reprimanded for infringing restrictions on the use of water (450 m3 of water per hectare per month is
deemed more than sufficient for maintaining the course) and for illegally using water from sites for which
they lacked the necessary authorisation. Furthermore, in the autonomous community of Valencia, it is
calculated that if the water use of the recently-built theme part Terra M(cid:237)tica continues at its present rate,
by next year it will double the deficit in water of a region that is seriously affected by drought. In addition,
the park plans to build several golf courses in the surrounding area, and more courses are planned in other
areas of the region, including Peæ(cid:237)scola, Benidorm and Finestrat. In areas with little water and low rainfall,
the water used by an average golf course is equivalent to the domestic consumption of a town of 15 000
inhabitants. In order to satisfy such a high demand in this area which is lacking in water resources (cid:129) for
golf courses and similar facilities (cid:129) the Spanish Government has just adopted a National Hydrological
Plan, which will divert 1050 hm3 of water to these areas. The cases of Valencia and Catalonia are just
examples of the situation in the Community as a whole, where golf is growing at a rate of 15 % per year.
Golf courses have a high environmental impact, since in order to maintain the greens and fairways large
quantities of fertilisers, weed-killers and other chemical substances are necessary which, when filtered into
the subsoil, pose a pollution risk to aquifers and a considerable threat to flora and fauna.

The new framework directive on water, Directive 2000/60/EC (1) lays down the following key objectives
for Community water policy:

(cid:129) promoting sustainable water use based on long-term protection of available water resources;

(cid:129) the progressive reduction of pollution of groundwater

(cid:129) the need to take into account the characteristics of river basin districts, the environmental impact of

human activity and economic analysis of water use.

What initiatives does the Commission intend to take to ensure compliance with the above provisions of
Directive 2000/60/EC with regard to golf courses, particularly in those areas with low rainfall and
problems of drought or desertification?

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1.

C 340 E/100

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

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

(6 June 2001)

Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework
for Community action in the field of water policy (1), hereafter Water Framework Directive, entered into
force on the 22 of December 2000. The Directive has a timetable for the implementation of the different
requirements. For example, an analysis of the conditions in the river basin and the pressures on the waters
within the river basin should be performed within four years after the entering into force of the Directive;
a monitoring programme according to the Directive should be followed within six years; and, a programme
of measures, that will make it possible to reach the objectives of the Directive, should be adopted within
nine years. The full implementation of all the requirements of the Directive will therefore take several
years. In areas where necessary, the use of water, fertilisers and other chemical substances on golf courses
has to be taken into account when the different requirements according to the Directive are performed. It
is a challenge to implement the requirements, however they are essential in order to achieve a good status
in all waters of the Community.

It is every Member States(cid:146) obligation to properly implement the different steps of the Directive. The
Commission will follow the implementation process in the Member States in order to achieve an efficient
and streamlined implementation of the Directive in the whole of the Community. The Commission will
follow the timetable of
the Directive when examining the Member States(cid:146) compliance with the
requirements of the Water Framework Directive.

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.

(2001/C 340 E/115)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0812/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Sornosa Mart(cid:237)nez (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Black market in domestic animals in the EU

(19 March 2001)

The black market in domestic animals in and between Community states is unregulated and does not
provide any health guarantees for animals or buyers. In the autonomous community of Valencia, the
association of domestic animal breeders and traders (Grecoacom) reported recently that 70 % of sales of
domestic animals are carried out illegally in the face of inaction by the Generalitat, the competent
Valencian authority.

The majority of the animals sold on the black market are subject neither to health controls nor to the
compulsory delousing procedures, and are reared in premises that are unsuited to their physical needs.

Clearly, there is a gap in legislation in this area at European Union level. While existing Community
legislation regulates the transport of domestic animals between countries, their use in cosmetic testing and
the trade in exotic animals, there are no legal provisions that could be used to eliminate the black market
in the domestic animals sector, such as exists in Valencia.

Does the Commission intend to draw up a directive on the conditions of sale and health controls for
domestic animals in the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(11 June 2001)

Intra-Community trade in domestic animals falls within the scope of different veterinary legislation as
defined in Annex A to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and
zootechnical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view
to the completion of the internal market (1).