WRITTEN QUESTION E-3444/01 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. The communal woodlands of Galicia and the Leader+ and Proder initiatives.
Date: 2001-12-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU initiative, Galicia, Structural Funds, autonomous community, common land

C 160 E/112

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.7.2002

dictatorship, and the use of the woodlands, which are indivisible and unalienable, is regulated by Regional
legislation. Within the limits inherent in their characteristics and the legislation, they can be used for
forestry, farming, environmental purposes, tourism, industry, mining, etc., whilst remaining in common
ownership. These tracts of land have extraordinary economic and social potential, which has so far hardly
been exploited. Can they be the subject of rural development initiatives under the second pillar of the
CAP?

(2002/C 160 E/145)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3441/01

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

(21 December 2001)

Subject: The ‘communal woodlands’ of Galicia and the Galician government’s agricultural initiatives

Has the Galician government submitted specific agricultural development plans for the ‘communal
woodlands’ of Galicia, to be granted European Union support for the period 2000-2006? Can these plans
be made public?

(2002/C 160 E/146)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3443/01

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

(21 December 2001)

Subject: The ‘communal woodlands’ of Galicia and Galician government initiatives for forestry

Has the Galician government submitted specific tree-planting programmes for the ‘communal woodlands’
of Galicia, to be granted European Union support for the period 2000-2006? Can these plans be made
public?

(2002/C 160 E/147)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3444/01

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

(21 December 2001)

Subject: The ‘communal woodlands’ of Galicia and the Leader+ and Proder initiatives

Does the Commission know whether the ‘communal woodlands’ of Galicia have been the subject of
specific projects under the Leader+ or Proder initiatives in force in Galicia? If so, what actual projects are
there?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3440/01, E-3441/01, E-3443/01 and E-3444/01
given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(1 February 2002)

The Commission contributes through the Structural Funds to various regional development programmes in
Spain. Galicia has a number of agricultural and rural development programmes in receipt of Community
funding.

However, there is no specific programme for the common lands that the Honourable Member refers to.

4.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 160 E/113

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and amending and repealing certain Regulations (1)
lays down all the criteria under which Community funding can be granted.

That said, if these lands are deemed eligible under the Regulation, then the Structural Funds, including the
EAGGF Guidance Section, could finance measures.

The Commission invites the Honourable Member to contact the regional and/or national authorities for
further information on this matter.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 160 E/148)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3442/01

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

(21 December 2001)

Subject: The ‘communal woodlands’ of Galicia and the Galician Government’s environmental initiatives

Has the Galician government submitted specific environmental development plans for the ‘communal
woodlands’ of Galicia, to be granted European Union support for the period 2000-2006? Can these plans
be made public? Will the woodlands be included in the Natura 2000 network? If so, what actual projects
are there?

(2002/C 160 E/149)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3445/01

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

(21 December 2001)

Subject: The ‘communal woodlands’ of Galicia and their reclamation following the destruction caused by

stone quarrying

Has the Galician government submitted projects for the reclamation of the ‘communal woodlands’ of
Galicia following the destruction caused by stone quarrying (outstanding parts of the buildings of the
Council and the European Parliament in Brussels are made of white or pink Porrinho granite from Galicia),
to be granted European Union support for the period 2000-2006? Can these plans be made public?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3442/01 and E-3445/01
given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(12 February 2002)

In accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general
provisions on the Structural Funds (1), the selection of individual projects to be co-financed within each
programme under the Structural Funds is the exclusive preserve of Member States. The Commission
therefore contacted the Spanish authorities to obtain the information requested by the Honourable
Member.

In relation to the Natura 2000 network, it is the Member States who are competent for proposing sites to
be included in the network. On the basis of the criteria set out in Annex II to Council Directive
92/43/EEC (2) (hereafter ‘Habitats Directive’) and relevant scientific information, each Member State must
propose a list of sites indicating which natural habitat types in Annex I to the Habitats Directive and which
species in Annex II to the Habitats Directive are present in the site.