WRITTEN QUESTION E-0537/02 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Illegal buildings in Greece.
Date: 2002-02-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, degradation of the environment, environmental impact, environmental law, illegal building, urban construction

C 172 E/212

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2002

(2002/C 172 E/226)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0537/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 February 2002)

Subject: Illegal buildings in Greece

The Minister for the Aegean, Mr Sifounakis, recently visited the islands of the Cyclades where he made
speeches urging the inhabitants not to erect buildings without planning permission. 21 years have already
passed since his party came to power and it has remained in government continuously except for one
short break, a period marked by the erection of thousands of
illegal buildings which have caused
irreparable damage to the natural environment in Greece. The architectural monstrosities built during this
period are an insult to Greece’s cultural traditions.

Is the Commission aware of the unimaginable degradation and deterioration which the cultural and natural
environment in Greece have suffered in recent years? Does it have information on illegal building in the
other 14 Member States? Have other Member States encountered similar problems to Greece and managed
to resolve them, unlike the Greek Government which yields to short-term party political gain and damages
the environment and the architectural heritage?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(12 April 2002)

The illegal buildings referred to by the Honourable Member would appear to be private dwellings built
without planning permission. However, the failure of local authorities to properly apply Greek legislation
on urban building is outside the scope of Community environmental law.

Moreover, as the construction projects in question are not included among the projects listed in Annexes I
and II to Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public
and private projects on the
amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of
as
3 March 1997 (2), this Directive does not apply. A further point is that Directive 2001/42/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans
and programmes on the environment (3) will not apply until 21 July 2004 (deadline for incorporation into
national law).

environment (1),

Attention is also drawn to Article 151 of the EC Treaty, according to which the Community is not
responsible for ‘harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States’ in the field of culture,
which remains the exclusive competence of the Member States.

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(2) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(3) OJ L 197, 21.7.2001.

(2002/C 172 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0545/02

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 February 2002)

Subject: Thessaloniki underground: delays in completing the approval procedure for the project and

examining the charges concerning breach of Community law by the Commission

In his latest reply on the delay in completing the Thessaloniki underground project (P-3194/01 (1)),
to the
Commissioner Bolkestein stated that

‘the national authorities have yet

to submit a request