WRITTEN QUESTION E-0994/01 by Caroline Jackson (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Application of the Landfill Directive.
Date: 2001-03-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC Directive, EU environmental policy, national implementing measure, storage of waste, waste management

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/173

programme since 1999 and under the Instrument for structural policies for pre-accession (ISPA) and the
Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD) programmes since their
inception in 2000.

There is a well-established system of monitoring and evaluation in place to assess the impact of ongoing
and completed projects supported by Community funds. Reports prepared by independent evaluators are
used to address and remedy weaknesses in project implementation and draw general lessons that can then
be applied when programming new assistance. Judging by these reports, the effectiveness with which
Bulgaria uses Community assistance is uneven. This often reflects weaknesses in the project implemen-
tation capacity of Bulgarian institutions. The Commission has responded to these weaknesses by more
carefully designing, and attaching stricter conditions to, newly programmed assistance.

When assessing the effectiveness of Community assistance to Bulgaria(cid:146)s pre-accession preparations, it is
difficult to distinguish between the contribution of Community-supported initiatives and those sponsored
by the complementary programmes provided by the international
institutions and bilateral
agencies.

financial

However, the Commission is encouraged by the broad direction of reform in Bulgaria. The authorities have
succeeded in stabilising the macroeconomic situation, adopting much of the Community acquis and
starting to address sensitive social
issues. Bulgaria has so far made good progress in the accession
negotiations. On the other hand, Bulgaria does not yet have a functioning market economy, the quality of
public administration (particularly the judiciary) and implementation of
the acquis is uneven, and
corruption remains a problem. These are the key issues on which Community assistance will focus in the
immediate future.

(2001/C 318 E/187)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0994/01

by Caroline Jackson (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Application of the Landfill Directive

Does the Commission believe that it is realistic to expect Member States to comply with the Landfill
Directive (1999/31/EC (1)) when landfill acceptance criteria will not be adopted until April 2001?

(1) OJ L 182, 16.7.1999, p. 1.

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

(29 May 2001)

Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste, must be transposed into national
law by Member States by 16 July 2001.

The Commission and the Member States are working on a uniform waste classification and acceptance
procedure.

The Directive takes into account that the uniform waste classification and acceptance procedure will not
enter into force on 16 July 2001 and provides general principles and a preliminary acceptance procedure
in its Annex II to be applied in the meantime.

For these reasons the Commission does not consider the difference in these dates as a possible problem for
the implementation of the Landfill Directive.