WRITTEN QUESTION E-3205/01 by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE), Chris Davies (ELDR),Karin Scheele (PSE), Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL)and Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (PSE) to the Commission. Price or irrigation water and Spanish National Hydrological Plan.
Date: 2001-11-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC Directive, Spain, application of EU law, fixing of prices, national implementing measure, water management, water management in agriculture

20.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 147 E/129

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 2002)

Only unemployed persons with whom a personal action plan has been agreed in accordance with the
procedures in place are eligible for recruitment under the ‘Integrated Interventions’ programme. Priority is
given to persons who have become unemployed due to mass redundancies or the restructuring of
companies; who are older than 45 years; who belong to vulnerable population groups (e.g. people with
special needs, repatriates, immigrants, refugees, single parents); who are long-term unemployed; who are in
subsidised employed; and to women.

Unemployed persons belonging to one of the first three categories mentioned above have an absolute
priority to be selected; those belonging to the other three categories are selected for promotion to the
programme on the basis of a points system in which the main criteria are: the length of the period of
unemployment, the income of the unemployed person, the passage from passive to active measures and
the gender of the person.

The above criteria and the relevant procedures are foreseen and described in a ministerial decree of the
Ministry of Labour. The Greek National Organisation for Employment,
their
implementation under the supervision of the Managing Authority of the ‘Employment and Vocational
Training’ operational programme, as provided for in the management system of the Community Support
Framework 2000-2006 for Greece.

responsible for

is

Currently,
it is foreseen that such integrated intervention programmes will be implemented in seven
prefectures, namely those of Fthiothida, Ioannina, Grevena, Larissa, Arta, Preveza and Thesprotia. However,
only the Ioannina prefecture programme will be co-financed by the European Social Fund in the
framework of the ‘Employment and Vocational Training’ operational programme. The remaining six will
be implemented with national resources.

(2002/C 147 E/135)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3205/01

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE), Chris Davies (ELDR),
Karin Scheele (PSE), Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL)
and Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (PSE) to the Commission

(22 November 2001)

Subject: Price or irrigation water and Spanish National Hydrological Plan

The Spanish National Hydrological Plan has recently been approved by the Spanish Parliament (Law 10/
2001 of 5 July 2001). The Spanish Government wishes to apply for EU structural funding covering at least
1⁄3 (€ 7 683 million) of the global cost of the Plan, estimated at € 23 050 million.

Has the Commission examined whether this Law fulfils the requirements of the Water Framework
Directive 2000/60/EC (1), and in particular of its Article 9, which says that Member States shall take into
account a policy of recovery of the real water costs in order to ensure an efficient use of water resources?

Is not the Commission of the opinion that the implementation of the Spanish National Hydrological Plan
Law would imply a covert subvention of the water price for agriculture and tourism development purposes
in certain Spanish regions? Would not it represent a case of unfair competition against other European
regions?

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

C 147 E/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2002)

Spain has recently approved a national plan for water resources in law 10/2001 of 5 July 2001. The main
objectives of this national plan are to consolidate the existing river-basin approach and to reallocate
surface water resources within Spain to areas that are already facing, or that will face in the future, severe
water shortage.

The question from the Honourable Members refers to the compatibility of the Spanish plan with the Water
Framework Directive and in particular those parts of the Directive relating to pricing. First of all it must be
underlined that the Member States are not required to transpose the Directive until December 2003.
Secondly, the provisions of the Directive as they relate to the development of an equitable pricing policy
(see below) do not become binding until 2010. Therefore, given that the Spanish authorities have several
years in which to develop their approach it would be premature, at this stage, for the Commission to
comment on this issue. The Honourable Members should be assured that the Commission will work very
closely with all the Member States to promote a coherent and consistent approach to the implementation
of all aspects of the Directive, including the pricing question.

For the record, the Water Framework Directive includes specific provisions on water charging, incentive
pricing and cost-recovery. Its Article 9 specifies that: ‘Member States shall take account of the principle of
recovery of the costs of water services, including environmental and resource costs, having regards to the
economic analysis conducted according to Annex III, and in accordance in particular with the polluter pays
principle’.

The same article also put obligations on Member States to ensure by 2010 that water-pricing policies
provide adequate incentives to efficient water use and ensure a fair contribution of water uses
(desegregated into at least industry, households and agriculture) to the recovery of the costs of water
services. In deciding levels of cost recovery, social, economic and environmental effects of the recovery as
well as the geographic and climatic conditions of the region affected may be considered.

(2002/C 147 E/136)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3207/01

by Robert Goebbels (PSE) to the Commission

(22 November 2001)

Subject: Creation of a single European sky

In its recent Communication on creating a single European sky, the Commission puts forward proposals
designed to create a regulatory framework for the entire EU, whilst giving Eurocontrol responsibility for
operational matters and the provision of miscellaneous services.

This division of tasks, although justifiable in itself, may create a problem for the representatives of general
and light aviation who, on behalf of tens of thousands of private pilots, have always in the past had the
opportunity to discuss any proposed changes to the rules by means of a consultation mechanism within
Eurocontrol.

The Commission proposal also refers to ‘consultations’ with users of the single European sky. Would it not
be advisable to set up a formal consultation scheme involving representatives of general and light aviation?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(11 January 2002)

On 10 October 2001 the Commission presented a package of proposals on the creation of the Single
European Sky (1) intended to set up a decision-making and regulatory framework which was more in line
with the constraints of air traffic in Europe.