WRITTEN QUESTION P-1600/02 by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Imbalances in the province of Teruel (Spain).
Date: 2002-05-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Aragon, EU regional policy, economic and social cohesion, regional development, regional disparity, town and country planning, trans-European network, transport network

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establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy (5); to transfer
the varroasis control measure to veterinary legislation; to grant aid for promoting quality honey; to
increase the budget for, and the share of, Community part-financing; to adopt a harmonised and flexible
approach in implementing national programmes; and to grant aid for investment in restocking material.

In February 2002 the Council noted majority Member State support for a number of the measures
proposed by the Parliament resolution and called on the Commission to expand its activities in this sector.

The budget heading allocated to honey programmes has been increased by 10 % in 2002 and the
Commission has amended the Decisions relating to the programmes accordingly. This budgetary increase
has been maintained in the preliminary draft budget for next year.

Moreover, France’s 2001/02 marketing year national programme (cid:1) which the Commission approved in
July 2001 (cid:1) provides for studies on how plant protection products affect honey quality. The 2002/03
marketing year programme includes aid for investment in restocking material.

The evaluations which Member States are required to carry out under Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July
1991 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market (6) include assessing side effects
on bees and, if necessary, taking measures to prevent death among bees. If this is done properly, incidents
such as that referred to in the Honourable Member’s question should not happen.

The countries authorised with regard to imports of honey into the European Union are listed in Part XIV
of the Annex to Commission Decision 94/278/EC, as last amended by Decision 2002/337/EC (7).

The list comprises only countries whose plan for monitoring residues, and particularly pesticide residues,
in honey has been approved by the Commission under Decision 2000/159/EC of 8 February 2000 (8) on
the provisional approval of residue plans of third countries according to Council Directive 96/23/EC (9), as
last amended by Decision 2002/336/EC (7).

In April 2002 the Commission held several meetings with representatives from European beekeepers’
organisations and announced improvement through more uniform implementation of programmes. The
Commission is currently examining a possible measure to promote quality honey at European level.

(1) COM(2001) 70 final.
(2) OJ L 173, 1.7.1997 (Regulation amended by Regulation (EC) No 2070/98, OJ L 265, 30.9.1998).
(3) OJ L 98, 7.4.2001.
(4) OJ L 319, 21.11.1997.
(5) OJ L 160, 26.3.1999.
(6) OJ L 230, 19.8.1991.
(7) OJ L 116, 3.5.2002.
(8) OJ L 51, 24.2.2000.
(9) Council Directive 96/23/EC of 29 April 1996 on measures to monitor certain substances and residues thereof in
live animals and animal products and repealing Directives 85/358/EEC and 86/469/EEC and Decisions 89/187/EEC
and 91/664/EEC, OJ L 125, 23.5.1996.

(2002/C 309 E/165)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1600/02

by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Imbalances in the province of Teruel (Spain)

(31 May 2002)

Aragon is a thinly-populated European region (44,8 inhabitants per km2), and the province of Teruel is
extremely thinly-populated (9,3 inhabitants per km2) and further disadvantaged by the fact that 9 148 of its
14 795 km2 lie at an altitude of over 1 000 metres, which means that a whole range of employment and
revenue-generating activities are simply unfeasible. Nonetheless, the province of Teruel makes a significant

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contribution to the Aragonese and national economies; the three conventional energy-generating plants in
operation (Andorra, Escucha and Escatrón) produce 70 % of Aragon’s annual energy output, which is
exported to the rest of Spain. These generating plants accounted for 25 % of the province’s GDP when the
reference figures for selecting Objective I regions were calculated.

Developing Teruel means providing infrastructure it currently lacks, but which is essential if its isolation is
to be overcome. This infrastructure represents Teruel’s last chance to become part of the dynamic
economies of the neighbouring Valencian Autonomous Community or the ‘Ebro axis’. If the Mediterranean
economic axis could be extended inland, Teruel would benefit immediately.

The basis for achieving the sustainable internal development of provinces like Teruel would appear to be
infrastructure on an appropriate scale, with the requisite protection of the natural environment, and a
rethink of the current transport system.

Has the Commission planned or designed any kind of policy to ensure that major development axes (cid:1) in
this case, the Mediterranean (cid:1) can be extended inland to benefit the Province of Teruel?

Does the Commission believe that it could create a Mediterranean-Iberian Hinterland axis which would
reduce disparities between regions?

Does the Commission believe that the Madrid-Levante high-speed rail link route could be altered to include
the city of Teruel, as an intermediate station, so that
from the dynamism of the
Mediterranean axis, thus confirming a relationship which has existed for decades?

it could benefit

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(2 July 2002)

During the current programming period (2000-2006) Teruel province is wholly eligible under Objective 2,
which aims to support the economic and social conversion of areas in structural difficulty for the period in
progress.

For the 2000-2006 period the guidelines adopted by the Commission in respect of programmes under the
Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund encourage an integrated approach to Structural Funds support, with
the aim of promoting real synergy between urban and rural development in order to progress towards
more balanced regional development. The guidelines also stress the need to take transnational impact into
account when determining investment priorities, particularly in the transport sphere. Hence each region’s
development should help a number of more evenly distributed economic integration areas to emerge,
thereby making the EU progressively more polycentric. The Commission ensures that infrastructure
projects
the high-speed railway line between Madrid and Levante which are presented for
Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund part-financing comply with Community rules and policies as
in examining the various
implemented. However,
alternatives considered by the Spanish authorities for the route of the railway line, which is exclusively a
matter for the Spanish Government.

the Commission has no jurisdiction to take part

for

In the second report on economic and social cohesion (1), among the possible priorities which the
Commission set out for future cohesion policy were areas suffering from geographical or natural handicaps
(cid:1) including areas of low population density. Under the European Spatial Planning Observatory Network
(ESPON) programme financed by the Interreg III Community Initiative, the Commission (cid:1) in cooperation
with the Member States (cid:1) is currently conducting research to increase knowledge of the European Union
and to enrich the debate under way on future cohesion policy. Research will
focus inter alia on:
polycentric development and town-country partnership; equal access to infrastructure and knowledge;
public services’ role as vehicles for territorial cohesion; and the territorial impact of Community transport
and trans-European networks policy. The studies’ findings will contribute towards preparing the third
report on cohesion, which will set out the Commission proposals on future cohesion policy.

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for

the proposal

a Decision 1346/2001/EC (2)

the
Lastly,
European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the development
of the trans-European transport network (3), which Parliament is currently examining, was drawn up on the
basis of proposals from the Member States concerned and updates the Annex I maps, including those of
the Spanish rail network. The line Canfranc-Huesca-Zaragoza-Teruel
forms part of that network and
contributes substantially to Teruel province’s isolation as referred to by the Honourable Member.

amending Decision 1692/96/EC of

(1) COM(2001) 24 final.
(2) OJ C 362 E, 18.12.2001.
(3) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996.

(2002/C 309 E/166)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1606/02

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(5 June 2002)

Subject: Death of dolphins

In the Commission’s view, is it likely that the number of dolphins caught and killed annually in EU waters
as a by-catch of commercial fishing currently exceeds the benchmark of 1,7 % of population defined in the
Habitats Directive as ‘unacceptable’?

Does the Commission have concerns about the effect of pair trawling in the light of reports for albacore
tuna that in 1999 a catch of 30 dolphins was recorded in a single net haul?

What research is the Commission currently undertaking in this field, and what steps does it propose to
take in order to ensure that the number of dolphins caught in EU waters does not exceed sustainable
levels?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(28 June 2002)

According to the reports of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, it is difficult to
estimate accurately the rate of deaths of dolphins during fishing operations, due to the lack of detailed
knowledge on the structure of their populations. However, these reports also point to the fact that the
current deaths are not putting dolphin populations in immediate risk. The attention of the Honourable
Member is called to the fact that the ‘Habitats Directive’ (1) does not define acceptable death rates, but just
refers to ‘favourable conservation status’ or ‘significant negative impact on the species’.

This being said, even if there appears to be no immediate risk for dolphins, the Commission is highly
concerned about the deaths of these animals, in particular due to the effect of pelagic pair trawls as
suggested by the Honourable Member. It is taking steps to collect detailed scientific advice on this and
other related questions concerning the by-catch of cetaceans in fishing operations, with a view to making
legislative proposals to alleviate this problem later this year.

Although the undertaking of research in this field is a competence and an obligation for Member States,
the Commission, as part of the aforementioned initiatives, is promoting this activity by putting it amongst
the priorities for research funding.

(1) Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora,

OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.