WRITTEN QUESTION E-3440/01 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. The communal woodlands of Galicia and rural development.
Date: 2001-12-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, Structural Funds, aid system, autonomous community, common land, local legislation, rural development

4.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 160 E/111

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(8 February 2002)

The Berlaymont ‘protocole d’accord’ signed by the Belgian Government and the European Commission on
8 July 1997 included an estimate for the costs of renovating the building (assuming reoccupation on
30 June 2000) of BEF 13,1 billion (€ 324 million).

The latest cost estimate made by Berlaymont 2000 SA in its Annual Report for the year 2000 (published
11 June 2001) was that
the renovation cost would be BEF 20,2 billion (€ 500 million), assuming
reoccupation by 31 December 2003. This should not be interpreted as a price that the Commission would
be prepared to pay. As the protocole made clear, works must be performed in accordance with best
practice. The Commission has repeatedly emphasised to the Government, the company responsible for
management of the works, and all other parties that it will not cover any renovation costs resulting from
management errors and consequent delays.

The difference between the 1997 estimate and the 2001 estimate is said to arise from the delay in the date
for completion, which, in turn, is attributed to difficulties experienced by Berlaymont 2000 in managing
the project, and to the time that has been given to litigation resulting from disputes between contractors
involved in the works.

The cost of moving out of the Berlaymont in 1991 amounted to 51 million ECU’s (around BEF 2 billion).
It related to direct removal costs and to the costs of modifying and furnishing the substitution buildings.

It is difficult now, in January 2002, to make a precise and dependable estimate of the costs of moving
3 000 officials back into the Berlaymont building in 2004, especially since there is not yet any real
certainty that reoccupation can take place on the revised date of 31 December 2003. The Honourable
Member may be assisted by the knowledge that the 2001 estimated average cost of moving an official
between offices that are used in Brussels was € 120. The cost of furniture, telephones, computers and other
technical installations must be added to that sum.

The renovation of the Berlaymont is currently financed by a short-term loan in the sole name of the
Berlaymont 2000 SA, a company that was specifically and solely established to manage the renovation of
the Berlaymont and is 70 % owned by the Belgian State and 30 % owned by two banks.

the costs of
The ‘protocole d’accord’ of 1997 stipulated that
decontamination (which proved to be BEF 5 billion, € 124 million).
It also made provision for the
Commission, subject to certain conditions that require the work to be brought to ‘une bonne fin’ (a
satisfactory conclusion), to meet renovation costs.

the Belgian government would meet

As previously announced to Parliament and public, the Commission and the Belgian Government are
continuing discussions which they jointly intend to conclude with a mutually acceptable contract.

(2002/C 160 E/144)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3440/01

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

(21 December 2001)

Subject: The ‘communal woodlands’ of Galicia and rural development

In the Spanish region of Galicia, there is a Germanic form of land ownership involving ‘communal
woodlands’, the distinguishing characteristic of which is that the land belongs to the inhabitants because
they live in a particular community. There are 2 800 woodland communities of this kind, covering an
average area of 243 hectares and accounting altogether for one third of the rural land in Galicia. The
number of
inhabitants in the villages with ‘communal woodlands’ totals as many as 250 000. The
communally owned land was recovered after being to a great extent appropriated during the Franco

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.