WRITTEN QUESTION P-1814/01 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Water shortage on the Aegean islands.
Date: 2001-06-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Aegean Islands, Community support framework, drought, hydraulic works, water management, water requirements

20.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 364 E/211

Under the health promotion programme the Commission has initiated the establishment of different
3.
European networks which involve the key players in the field. Following the last call for proposals a project
of a consortium of 4 different networks had received a positive evaluation for funding, to carry out a pan
European project on the development of coping and prevention strategies in relation to depression. One
major target group will be elderly people. Although this project has not yet started the Commission can
already confirm that there is an infrastructure in place that comprises all Member States and World health
organisation (WHO) to tackle this issue.

4.
The EC Treaty underlines that the organisation and delivery of health services and of medical care are
the sole responsibility of the Member States. In practice, this means that it is up to the individual Member
States to take the appropriate measures in order to anssure that a range of suitable diagnostic procedures
and types of therapy are available for patients, and to decide on the conditions under which these services
are accessible. For this reason, the Community is not in a position to comment on the treatment of
depression of elderly in old-ages homes in the Member States.

(2001/C 364 E/231)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1809/01

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(19 June 2001)

Subject: Olympic boxing arena

The plan to site the Olympic boxing arena on public sports facilities in Palaio Faliro has provoked a storm
of protest in Greece. The Coordinating Committee of the campaign to save the coastline of the Saronic
Gulf claims that the new arena will cover an area of 1,5-2 hectares. Locating the boxing arena on the site
of the existing sports facilities will also deprive 3 000 children of the chance to pursue sporting activities,
while all the indications are that the arena, which was originally presented as being temporary, will be
permanent.

In the light of the above complaints, will the Commission say to what extent environmental feasibility
studies have been drawn up for this project?

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

(24 July 2001)

The Commission has no information regarding the project to build the Olympic boxing arena in Palaio
Faliro, as reported by the Honourable Member. However, in order that it might examine the dossier, the
Commission would ask the Honourable Member to provide it with more specific information on the
project in question, including a description of the project as approved, or in the course of being approved,
and of any adverse effect it might have on the environment.

(2001/C 364 E/232)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1814/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Water shortage on the Aegean islands

(13 June 2001)

The Aegean islands, particularly the Cyclades, are suffering from a severe shortage of water. According to
scientific studies, the Cyclades require 12 million cubic metres of drinking water a year, only 60-65 % of
which is supplied, while demand is expected to double by 2030. The problem is particularly acute during
the summer owing to the complete lack of rainfall and the several-fold increase in the population through
tourism. At the same time, the proliferation of deep boreholes for drawing water has resulted in dangerous
salinization of the groundwater.

C 364 E/212

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.12.2001

Given that many observers (the local press, the Institute of Geological and Mineral Research, etc.) have
noted serious deficiencies in water storage projects, what are the Commission(cid:146)s views on those projects,
which have been funded under the 1st and 2nd Community Support frameworks, and what action has it
taken?

What steps have been taken to focus on the water shortage problem as a matter of priority under the 3rd
CSF? What measures have been taken on which islands and what schedules have been drawn up?

The European Union is funding a management study for the development of water resources on the
Aegean islands which is due for completion in the autumn of 2001. Will the findings of that study be used
in the 3rd CSF, particularly to develop various methods of dealing with the water shortage (dams/
reservoirs, limits and techniques for boreholes, traditional tanks for collecting rainwater on a small scale,
desalination, conveyance of water, etc.)?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2001)

The Commission is aware of the importance of the problem of water for the islands of the Aegean Sea.
It therefore part-financed a series of works to collect surface water under the Community support
frameworks (CSFs) for 1989-1993 and 1994-1999.

The Commission was informed that some of these projects were subject to technical delays and/or
problems and therefore carried out a study on 26 projects of this type (small dams and small artificial lakes
or (cid:145)hill catchments(cid:146)). It sent the conclusions of this study to the regional authorities of the Southern and
Northern Aegean on 12 November 1998, asking them to take the measures required to complete the
projects and use the water so collected. The Commission also informed these authorities that, if some of
these projects were not completed and brought
it would recover the Community
contribution to their construction. The Commission recently sent a reminder letter to these authorities and
to the Greek national Ministry for Economic Affairs.

into operation,

The Commission considers that the problem of water in Greece stems mainly from the way this resource is
managed. This is why, when negotiating the current CSF (2000-06), it insisted to the Greek authorities that
water management should have an important place, although, of course, the choice of projects is a matter
for them.

According to the information sent to the Commission, a study has been launched on the management of
water resources on the Cyclades (not all
the Interreg IIC
Community Initiative (cid:145)Drought(cid:146) includes provision for this and other studies. Responsibility for completion
of these studies and the use made of the results is a matter for the Member State.

the islands). Programming for Greece of

(2001/C 364 E/233)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1818/01

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Commission Ispra Joint Research Centre (Italy)

(21 June 2001)

For some time the Commission has been pursuing a rather ambiguous policy towards the Ispra research
centre and quietly shifting some of its activities and hence personnel to other Union research sites not due
to be expanded in the near future (for example the Petten centre).