WRITTEN QUESTION E-1032/02 by Elizabeth Lynne (ELDR) to the Commission. Destruction of valuable wildlife habitats across Eastern and Central Europe as a result of the development of transport infrastructure.
Date: 2002-04-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Central and Eastern Europe, EU financing, accession to the European Union, application of EU law, environmental impact, environmental law, protected area, protection of animal life, transport infrastructure

12.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 309 E/75

Tableau effectif A2 en place

Pays

En place au 1.5.2002
(fonct. et temp.)

Dont femmes

(Bruxelles, le 6 mai 2002)

Nombre de A2 avec ancienneté
dans même service

5 ans ou +

7 ans ou +

B

DK

D

GR

ES

F

IRL

I

L

NL

A

P

FIN

S

UK

1

3

(1) 4

0

4

5

1

5

1

1

1

1

0

1

5

Total

(1) 33

(1) Dont 2 agents temporaires.

0

0

1

0

0

1

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

6

1

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

1

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

2

5

In particular Council Decision of 20 October 1999.

(1)
(2) A procedure other that the competition procedure may be adopted by the Appointing Authority for the recruitment

of grade A1 or A2 officials.

(2002/C 309 E/086)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1032/02

by Elizabeth Lynne (ELDR) to the Commission

(15 April 2002)

Subject: Destruction of valuable wildlife habitats across Eastern and Central Europe as a result of the

development of transport infrastructure

Infrastructure Needs Assessment (TINA) report provides a blueprint

The EU provides financial aid for the development of transport infrastructure in Eastern and Central
for this
Europe. The Transport
international
development in the applicant countries. However,
importance for the conservation of birds, or Important Bird Areas (IBAs), will be destroyed as a result of
the work done on the TINA network. A recent study by Birdlife International found that at least 21 % of
IBAs are likely to face damage from developments under TINA. This is in conflict with EU environmental
legislation on nature conservation.

there is some concern that sites of

What reliable measures does the Commission have to protect IBAs and other sites of high conservation
value in the EU applicant countries which are potentially damaging transport infrastructure developments
under TINA? What plans does the Commission have to prepare a Strategic Environment Assessment of the
TINA network in the EU applicant countries?

C 309 E/76

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(6 June 2002)

Community environmental legislation will apply in the candidate countries only from accession onwards.
However, the Commission strongly encourages candidate countries to apply and implement the provisions
of the environmental acquis during the pre-accession period.

As long as candidate countries have not yet prepared their lists of sites of Community importance in order
to establish the Natura 2000 network, the following types of sites shall be regarded as environmentally
sensitive areas in the field of nature protection: sites listed in the latest inventory on Important Bird Areas
(IBA) for candidate countries and, if available, equivalent more detailed scientific inventories endorsed by
national authorities; wetlands of international
importance designated under the Ramsar Convention or
qualifying for such protection; areas to which the Bern Convention on the conservation of European
wildlife and natural habitats applies, in particular sites meeting the criteria of the Emerald network; areas
protected under national nature conservation legislation.

In cases where Community pre-accession funding for large infrastructure developments is concerned,
similar standards to those set by Community environmental legislation need to be applied before any
Community funding can be granted to the candidate countries. This involves, inter alia, the application of
Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private
projects on the environment (1). In addition, the candidate country will also have to investigate whether
environmentally sensitive areas are affected which might fall in future under the protection of Council
Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and
flaura (2) or Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (3).

If the project has a significant negative impact on the site, the Commission requests the candidate country
to provide evidence that alternatives have been studied, on the reasoning why the proposed project has
been maintained and on the means that will be taken to compensate the negative impact. Only if all
relevant information has been provided will a project be eligible for the Instrument for Structural Policy
for Pre-Accession (ISPA) funding and can be approved by the Commission.

The design of the TINA network has not yet incorporated the strategic environmental evaluation in as
much as no recommended and approved methodology is yet available. However, rules to respect areas
already identified as ecologically sensitive have been applied. Since then, methods of analysis to carry out
the strategic environmental evaluation of transport infrastructure plans have been developed and tested,
particularly as part of the fourth framework programme for research and development and through pilot
studies of transport corridors.

Furthermore, as part of the forthcoming revision of guidelines for the trans-European transport networks
(TENs-T) planned for 2004 and announced in the White Paper on European transport policy up to 2010,
the projects identified by the TINA report are presumed to be incorporated into those networks. It is in
preparation for that revision that the Commission is preparing methods for the strategic environmental
evaluation of the TENs-T.

(1) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.
(3) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.

(2002/C 309 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1045/02

by Raina Echerer (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(17 April 2002)

Subject: New Residence Act in Austria and the Schengen Agreement

The new draft Residence Act in Austria includes, inter alia, an integration aspect which provides that, after
a certain period of time has elapsed, foreigners of either sex may have their residence permits withdrawn
and may be deported unless they take advantage of an offer relating to their integration into society and,
within a certain period, successfully complete a German-language course.