WRITTEN QUESTION E-3374/01 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission. The inclusion of disabled people in poverty-reduction work.
Date: 2001-12-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, developing countries, development aid, humanitarian aid, integration of people with disabilities

4.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 160 E/105

(2002/C 160 E/136)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3371/01

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: CaseNo2000/2007 opened by the Commission

(6 December 2001)

In its reply to my written question E-804/00 (1) the Commission undertook to take the necessary steps to
ensure that Community law would be upheld if the quay and the fuel and chemical storage tanks were to
be built in the port of Vilagarcía de Arousa (Galicia, Spain). It subsequently opened a file under reference
number 2000/2007 on the basis of that and other parliamentary questions. Can the Commission provide
any information regarding the current state of that file?

Can the Commission also provide information regarding the amount of any ERDF aid and subsidy which
may have been received by the Spanish Development Ministry for the purpose of building the quay at
Vilagarcía de Arousa? And how much (if any) ERDF aid and subsidy has been received by the FINSA,
Foresa, Granorsa, P & J and Carrasco S.L. companies?

(1) OJ C 374 E, 28.12.2000, p. 154.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(31 January 2002)

The Commission has received a number of parliamentary questions on the environmental impact of port
construction work and work on fuel and chemicals storage facilities in the port of Vilagarcía de Arousa in
Pontevedra province in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain.

In response to these questions, the Commission opened a ‘case detected by its own investigations’. It has
also received a complaint on the same matter. In the course of the Commission’s inquiries an exchange of
information took place between the Commission and the Spanish authorities, and the Commission is
currently looking into the Spanish authorities’ response. The complainant recently sent additional
information, which is now being examined.

According to the information received from the Spanish authorities there are no plans to construct a new
quay for fuel and chemicals storage in the port of Vilagarcía de Arousa.

Construction of the quay in the Arousa estuary was completed in 1997. Three concessionary firms are
two of them engaged in timber storage and the third in the storage of
currently operating there,
hydrocarbon derivatives. This quay received € 3 957 723 in cofinancing under the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) and the total cost came to more than € 6 million.

As regards any ERDF cofinancing granted to the Finsa, Foresa, Granorsa, P & J and Carrasco SL companies,
the Commission has asked the Spanish authorities for information, which it will pass on to the
Honourable Member.

(2002/C 160 E/137)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3374/01

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(7 December 2001)

Subject: The inclusion of disabled people in poverty-reduction work

It is recognised that the European Commission is the biggest provider of humanitarian assistance in the
world, dedicated to the international development target of halving world poverty by 2015. There is also
clear evidence that disabled people, who are among the most severely marginalised, make up a
disproportionate number of those living in extreme poverty.

C 160 E/106

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.7.2002

What commitment has the Commission made, therefore,
reduction work?

to include disabled people in its poverty-

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(24 January 2002)

Disability is, as poverty and gender mainstreaming, an important crosscutting development issue. There are
different measures to be taken to mainstream the disability perspective into the formulation of
development policy and legislation and to harness policies and programmes that could help people with
disabilities to participate effectively in the economic and social processes in developing countries. The
Commission in particular welcomes the inclusion of indicators related to disability in national poverty
reduction strategies; the promotion of increased developing funding and of the 20/20 and debt-relief
initiatives;
the joint
collaboration effort with other agencies.

for capacity building and institutional development;

the different elements

The Commission strongly supports a number of social policy areas which will contribute significantly to
pursuing the poverty reduction, human rights, gender, disability and other cross cutting strategy’s
objectives in developing countries.

During 2002 the Commission intends to work on a communication (i.e. a policy memorandum) on social
policy in Community development co-operation and will include the disability perspective.

Mainstreaming is the basic work method in this field. But the Commission is funding a number of specific
projects focussing on different categories of disabled people (like the Kamla Mehta. Blind Girls School in
Bombay, India) in order to stimulate awareness and as pilote activities.

(2002/C 160 E/138)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3381/01

by John McCartin (PPE-DE) to the Council

(7 December 2001)

Subject: Lomé Convention and EU cooperation aid

Can the Council provide a list of the countries which are in receipt of aid either under the Lomé
Convention or from European Development Cooperation and where the standard of civil rights accorded
to women is inferior to that of men?

Reply

(25/26 March 2002)

The Council has repeatedly stressed the necessity of ensuring equality between women and men in
developed or developing countries.

Indeed, Article 20 of the Cotonou Partnership agreement lays down that one of its objectives is to promote
‘human and social development helping to ensure that the fruits of growth are widely and equitably shared
and promoting gender equality’ and further ensure that systematic account shall be taken in mainstreaming
gender issues into all areas of cooperation. Concerning the specific question posed by the Honourable
Parliamentarian on a list of countries which are in receipt of aid and where the standard of civil rights
accorded to women is inferior to that of men, the Council does not have such a list.