WRITTEN QUESTION E-0862/02 by Karl-Heinz Florenz (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Transposition of Article 7 of Directive 91/271/EEC — banning the discharge of domestic sewage into slurry and liquid manure tanks for agricultural use.
Date: 2002-04-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: agricultural holding, application of EU law, national implementing measure, organic fertiliser, pollution control measures, wastewater

C 229 E/152

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

26.9.2002

2. More specifically with regard to the Objective 1 programme for Galicia, the contribution from the
Structural Funds for the period in question amounts to EUR 3 430 million. The Programme covers 11
priority areas and technical assistance measures.

With particular reference to priority 2 of the Galician programme, which is entirely dedicated to a
knowledge-based society (innovation, R & D, information society), aid will be granted for the development
of scientific research activities and the promotion of transfers of technology to the manufacturing sector as
well as aid for investment in human capital. Public research centres and other centres of technology will be
set up or modernised; research, innovation and technological development projects will receive subsidies
and scientific and technological equipment will be financed. Aid will also be made available to support the
spread of the information society, notably to facilitate cross-border cooperation with the North of Portugal.
The total cost of priority 2 of the Galician programme is EUR 171 573. More detailed information on this
Programme is available on the Commission’s ‘europa’ Internet site.

3. With reference to the Community’s research policy, the sixth framework programme for research
(2002-2006) provides for measures to boost the research activities in Objective 1 regions. As the
Honourable Member knows, the Council is currently negotiating with the European Parliament the content
of the sixth framework programme, due to be adopted under the co-decision procedure this summer.

(2002/C 229 E/175)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0860/02

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

(3 April 2002)

Subject: Reform of the common fisheries policy and need for a political agreement in the Council to put an

end to the privileges and discrimination which currently characterise the CFP

What initiatives is the Spanish EU Presidency taking to secure a fresh political agreement making it
possible to include in the CFP reform measures aimed at ending the privileges and discriminations which
characterise that policy, and in particular abolishing the unfair ‘principle of relative stability’?

What initiatives has the Spanish Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Miguel Arias Cañete, launched since
he appeared before the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries?

Reply

(27 June 2002)

The Council would refer the Honourable Member to the reply it has already given to Question E-0067/02
which he put on the same subject.

(2002/C 229 E/176)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0862/02

by Karl-Heinz Florenz (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 April 2002)

Subject: Transposition of Article 7 of Directive 91/271/EEC A banning the discharge of domestic sewage

into slurry and liquid manure tanks for agricultural use

The Federal Land of North-Rhine Westphalia is banning the discharge of domestic sewage into slurry and
liquid manure tanks for agricultural use from 31 December 2005, referring in particular to Article 7 of
Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1). The present arrangement tolerates a proportion of 10 % domestic waste
water in the mixture of slurry or manure and sewage from retired farmers’ homes.

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As transposition to comply with this ban will involve considerable investment by local authorities as well
as private investment, it would seem appropriate to review the European law on which it is based. The
decree explaining the ban does not include any assessment of possible health risks from the slurry of large
animal units.

Can the Commission confirm that the decree banning the discharge of domestic sewage from agricultural
holdings into slurry and liquid manure tanks for agricultural use from 31 December 2005, is correct in
referring to Article 7 of Council Directive 91/271/EEC? If so, does this action by the Federal Land of North-
Rhine Westphalia, as part of its required transposition of the Directive, reflect the intention of Article 7?
Can the Commission also confirm that the tolerance limit of 10 % domestic sewage in the slurry and
manure mixture, which has since been abolished, already adequately transposed the requirements of
Article 7 of Directive 91/271/EEC?

Does the Commission have information on the state of progress in transposing this directive in the other
Member States? Can it confirm that the directive, with the high costs involved in its transposition, will
continue to apply in future?

(1) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40.

Answer by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2002)

Article 7 of Directive 91/271/EEC (1) refers exclusively to the treatment of waste water from areas of less
than 2 000 p.e. and 10 000 p.e. respectively (p.e. = population equivalent) that is discharged into a
collecting system and subsequently into a water body (fresh waters, estuaries and/or coastal waters). It thus
cannot be inferred from Article 7 of Directive 91/271/EEC that the collection from farms of domestic
waste in liquid manure and slurry tanks for subsequent agricultural use is prohibited in principle.

Furthermore, Article 7 of the Directive does not lay down any requirements regarding the addition of
domestic waste to mixtures of slurry or liquid manure, but simply requires ‘appropriate treatment’ of waste
water that is subject to the abovementioned conditions. Consequently, national requirements/tolerance
limits governing the addition of domestic waste to liquid manure or slurry should not be regarded as
constituting transposition of Article 7 of the Directive.

Information on the transposition of Directive 91/271/EEC in the Member States was published in the 1998
Commission report: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/water/water-urbanwaste/index_en.html.

The next Commission report on the transposition of the Directive is due to be published in Spring 2002.

Lastly, it can be confirmed that Directive 91/271/EC will continue to apply in the future. While the Water
Policy Framework Directive (2) does indeed incorporate urban waste water treatment in the overall context
of river basin management, it in no way encroaches on the Urban Waste Water Directive (91/271/EEC)
itself, or its emission-oriented targets and time-limits.

(1) Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste water treatment, as amended by Commission Directive 98/

15/EC of 27. February 1998 (OJ L 67, 3.7.1998).

(2) Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework

for Community action in the field of water policy (OJ L 327, 22.12.2000).

(2002/C 229 E/177)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0879/02

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Council

(3 April 2002)

Subject: Ill-treatment of minors in Albanian Prisons

According to Amnesty International, the ill-treatment of children in detention in Albania is a widespread
and very common practice. The case of eleven-year-old Ergest Sele who was tortured while in detention to