WRITTEN QUESTION E-1169/01 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Pollution of the Mediterranean.
Date: 2001-04-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, Mediterranean Sea, oil pollution, pollution control measures, pollution from ships

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/185

(2001/C 340 E/213)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1167/01

by Geoffrey Van Orden (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 April 2001)

Subject: Zimbabwe Resolution

What action has been taken against
the
European Parliament (R5-0156/2001)? What steps have been taken to identify overseas assets held by
President Mugabe and his supporters? Has development cooperation assistance (for which the Commission
is responsible) managed by the Zimbabwean Government and its agencies been suspended?

the Zimbabwean Government

following the resolution of

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 2001)

Identification of the overseas assets of President Mugabe and his supporters would be an early step in
direction of preventive sanctions. However, taking this step would require a common position of the
Union under the common foreign and security policy (CFSP).

Discussions in the CFSP fora indicate a consensus in favour of Political Dialogue under Article 8 of the
Cotonou Agreement, and against any form of sanctions at this stage. President Mugabe has welcomed this
initiative and the Troika Heads of Mission in Harare have been instructed to carry out the Dialogue. The
Union(cid:146)s policy of Dialogue will be reviewed at the General Affairs Council in June 2001.

At present, the Commission shares the publicly expressed views of the leader of the Movement of
Democratic Change (MDC) opposition, Mr Tsvangirai, that sanctions should be applied in response to
a severe deterioration: suspension of the Constitution or cancellation of Presidential Elections.

Development co-operation assistance managed by the Commission has been re-oriented to the social
sectors. The Commission believes that a collapse of basic social services would have extremely high costs
in terms of human suffering and ulterior rehabilitation.

The Commission has therefore maintained its programmes in the areas of primary health and education.
This assistance, agreed with the Government of Zimbabwe, is directed towards the most vulnerable groups
of the population. The projects are designed to ensure that the funds reach the poorest, in the knowledge
that without Community support those children would not attend school and the sick would not be
treated.

Given the nature of this type of assistance, it is likely that even if the Union decided to apply sanctions
against Zimbabwe, these humanitarian/social oriented programmes to alleviate poverty would still be
maintained.

(2001/C 340 E/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1169/01

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(19 April 2001)

Subject: Pollution of the Mediterranean

Oil emissions caused by discharges of tankers(cid:146) washing water have brought the Mediterranean to the brink
of disaster.

Worrying data comes in the form of
the 1600 satellite photographs compiled by the European
Commission(cid:146)s Research Centre (cid:129) the only reliable evidence of oil pollution in the Mediterranean. 70 % of
the oil released into the Mediterranean by ships results from traditional practices, since discharging into the
sea is quicker and cheaper.

C 340 E/186

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

At the bottom of the Mediterranean, the concentration of tar is currently 38 milligrammes per cubic
metre.

The slow discharge of oil into the Mediterranean is causing irreparable environmental damage which is
much more serious than that seen recently in the Galapagos islands.

In view of the above, and in view of the environmental programmes which the European Community has
set up in the past to protect the sea from oil pollution,

Can the Commission answer the following questions:

1.

Is it aware of the above data on pollution?

2. Has it already tackled the emergency in the Mediterranean, and if so, with what measures?

3. What initiatives does it intend to take to solve the problem?

4. Does it plan to set up a supervisory body to put a stop to this illegal and highly environmentally

damaging practice?

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

(21 June 2001)

The Commission is greatly concerned by pollution caused by operational discharges from ships in
Community waters. This represents a great share of the total marine oil pollution.

Indeed, the data recently compiled by the Joint Research Centre on the basis of satellite images, gives, for
the first time, a more precise idea of the extent of this type of pollution in the Mediterranean.

A great deal of operational pollution coming from all types of ships in Community waters results from the
inability of some ports to provide adequate waste reception facilities and of course, from the reluctance of
ships to use them for various reasons. The recently adopted Parliament and Council Directive 2000/59/EC
of 27 November 2000 (1) on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues, addresses
these issues and introduces a number of requirements on both ports and ships to ensure that adequate
facilities are available in all Community ports and that they are used by ships.

Regarding the control of such illegal discharges in the Mediterranean, under International Maritime Law
this is a question that falls primarily under the responsibility of the concerned riparian States. However, the
Commission would like to draw the attention of the Honourable Member to Decision 2850/2000/EC of
20 December 2000 of the Parliament and of the Council setting up a Community framework for co-
operation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution (1). This framework will in particular
allow the development of joint initiatives such as workshops or training courses in order to improve the
techniques for identifying contravening vessels. It will also improve the exchange of information on the
efficiency of the prosecution systems applied in the different Member States. This will create synergies at
Community level and should ultimately permit the implementation of dissuasive sanctions against the
parties responsible for such criminal acts.

The prosecution of deliberate discharges by environmental criminal
liability would constitute a major
advance in fighting this source of pollution. This is why it has been included in the scope of the recent
proposal from the Commission for a Directive concerning the protection of environment by criminal
law (2).

Moreover, the Commission closely follows and fully supports the work done in this respect in the
framework of the Barcelona Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean.

(1) OJ L 332, 28.12.2000.
(2) COM(2001) 139 final.