WRITTEN QUESTION P-0676/02 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Cancellation of tendering procedure for the Thessaloniki underground.
Date: 2002-03-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Thessaly, public works, transport policy, underground railway

C 205 E/188

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

In line with the Commission’s strategy on alternative fuels (2), which seeks to evaluate the potential
contribution of each alternative fuel to the key political problems such as dependence on oil products,
security of supply, greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, the Commission recently started up some new
demonstration projects on electric buses powered by fuel cells, notably the Cute and Ectos projects, with a
budget of more than € 25 million. These projects will make it possible to study how transport companies
and local authorities can make use of this technology.

The Commission is contributing to the development of clean vehicles on the market both by laying down
increasingly stringent emission requirements and by supporting research and demonstration projects which
will allow vehicle technologies to gain the necessary maturity for promotion on an industrial scale.
According to the subsidiarity principle, on the other hand, incentive schemes to encourage the purchase of
such vehicles are a matter for the national, regional and local authorities.

(1) COM(2001) 370 final.
(2) Communication from the Commission to the Council,

the Economic and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions on alternative fuels for road transportation and on a set of measures
to promote the use of biofuels, COM(2001) 547 final.

the European Parliament,

(2002/C 205 E/201)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0676/02

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 March 2002)

Subject: Cancellation of tendering procedure for the Thessaloniki underground

Three years after the Greek Parliament approved under law 2717/99 the contract for the construction of
the Thessaloniki underground,
the project and to issue
invitations to tender for the construction of a tramline.

is now seeking to cancel

the Government

Is the Commission aware of the Government’s intentions?

What has caused the delays to date in the construction of the Thessaloniki underground?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(3 April 2002)

The Commission is unaware of
the intentions which the honourable Member claims the Greek
Government has. As a result, the Commission can neither confirm nor refute the information put forward
by the honourable Member to the effect that the Greek Government plans to cancel the project in question
and to opt for the construction of a tramline.

With regard to the honourable Member’s second question, the Commission emphasises that the actual
implementation of public works concession projects in the Member States is the responsibility of the
concessionnaire and of the State. As the Commission has told Parliament on several occasions, it would
appear that the financing plan for the project has not yet been finalised and that it is still being negotiated
by the Member State, the concessionnaire, the European Investment Bank and commercial banks.