WRITTEN QUESTION E-1556/01 by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Assessment of the PESCA Community initiative.
Date: 2001-05-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, EU initiative, Spain, fishing industry, implementation of the budget, redevelopment aid, region dependent on fishing

C 350 E/186

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.12.2001

(2001/C 350 E/201)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1553/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Rodr(cid:237)guez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: A thermal power plant to be built in Tordesillas, Spain

(28 May 2001)

The American multinational ENRON wants to build an 800 megawatt natural gas and diesel oil power
plant on the outskirts of Tordesillas which, according to data supplied by the company, will release
2 540 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (the main cause of climate change), 2 100 tonnes of nitrogen oxides,
191 tonnes of sulphur dioxide, 545 tonnes of carbon monoxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere
every year.

This project is being planned in an Autonomous Region which produces three times more electricity than
it consumes. It is therefore obviously already producing a surplus.

The plant would be located only 2 kilometres from Tordesillas, a town with 8 000 inhabitants, and 5 km
from the only protected natural area in the province of Valladolid (cid:129) the Riberas de Castronuno nature
reserve (cid:129) and only a few kilometres from the vineyards producing wine under the registered designation
of origin (cid:145)Rueda(cid:146).

The EU Renewable Energy White Paper sets a target of 12 % for renewable energy sources. In Spain it is
estimated that if this target is reached by 2010 all the expected increase in demand for electricity would
have to be covered by renewable energy.

If this is true, can the Commission say:

(cid:129) how it can ensure that the aim of replacing conventional energy sources with renewable energy is

achieved in the Member States?

(cid:129) whether there is any Community monitoring system to prevent the Member States from authorising
new power plants which would make it impossible to achieve the 12 % target for renewable energy by
the year 2010?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(16 July 2001)

In its proposal for a Directive on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources in the
internal electricity market (1) (2), the Commission proposes a 22 % contribution by renewable energy to the
total electricity consumption. Under Article 8 of the proposed Directive, the Commission would follow-up
and monitor the progress made by Member States to meet their renewable energy objectives. The Council
adopted its common position on the Directive on 23 March 2001. The text of the common position was
approved by the Parliament in second reading on the 4 of July 2001 (2).

(1) OJ C 311, 31.10.2000.
(2) OJ C 142, 15.5.2001.

(2001/C 350 E/202)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1556/01

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Assessment of the PESCA Community initiative

(28 May 2001)

The Community initiative PESCA (1994-1999), with a budget of nearly € 300 million, made it possible to
carry out a series of projects devoted to economic diversification in districts heavily dependent on fishing.
Although the level of implementation was only 53,29 % (€ 159,42 million out of the 299,13 million

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earmarked) it was greatly appreciated by the fisheries sector and the economic and social actors in these
districts. They were disappointed at its disappearance as a Community initiative, although the Commission
assures them that the measures in favour of economic diversification in these regions will continue, albeit
in the context of other programmes financed by the FIFG and supplemented by the ERDF and the ESF.

However, at a time like the present, when the negotiations for a new fisheries agreement with Morocco
have broken down, it is evident that despite this initiative the achievements in the sphere of economic
diversification are far from adequate and the economy of various districts such as Barbarte, Barbanza or
Morrazo depends totally on the existence of this agreement.

Has the Commission carried out an assessment of the positive achievements of the PESCA initiative (1994-
1999)?

What were the reasons for only 53 % of the budget being executed? Why was the level of execution in
Spain only 44 %? What were the total amounts allocated and actually forwarded to Spain via structural
measures and the Community(cid:146)s internal policies during the previous programming period for the fisheries
sector?

What measures is the Commission devising in the current programming period to promote economic
diversification in the regions heavily dependent on fishing?

What is the Commission(cid:146)s opinion of the fact that in the previous programming period these measures
were part of a specific Community initiative and now they are not? What differences does it see?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(3 July 2001)

The Commission intends to make an ex-post assessment of the fishery structural programmes for the
period 1994-1999 and of those of the PESCA Community initatitive. These programmes will not be
completely woulnd up until the end of the 2001 and the reports on their execution will not be available
until mid-2002.

There are a number of reasons for the relatively modest execution percentages for PESCA cited by the
Honourable Member. First, the execution date on which they are based is 31 December 1999. For these
programmes execution has not however been in direct proportion to elapsed time. After a relatively slow
start they have almost always recorded an acceleration at the end of the period. Second, the percentages
are for the payments made by the Commission and there is always a delay between actual project
execution on the ground and the corresponding payment.

On 31 December 2000 total payments made by the Commission for the PESCA programmes represented
just over 64 % of the total budget. Payment of a further 11 to 16 % is anticipated in 2001. The other 20 to
25 % cannot be spent before closure of the programmes in 2002.

On Spain in particular, on 31 December 2000 Community aid actually paid to final recipients amounted
to € 29 million (about 62 % of budget) under the PESCA programme and to € 1 051 million (about 92 % of
budget) under the Objectives 1 and 5(a) programmes of the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance.

In the new programming periods socioeconomic diversification in fishery-dependent zones can be
achieved through either specific fishery sector programmes (within the limits of eligibility for FIFG
financing) or integrated regional development programmes under Structural Fund Objectives 1 and 2 part-
financed from the European Regional Development and Social Funds.

Non-renewal of PESCA was one of
the very wide consensus in the Community
Institutions that the Structural Funds should be rationalised and in particular that after 1999 there should
be only four Community initiatives instead of 14.

the outcomes of