WRITTEN QUESTION E-1722/02 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Conservation of rivers.
Date: 2002-06-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, application of EU law, environmental protection, pollution control measures, pollution of waterways, urban area, wastewater, water treatment, watercourse

6.3.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 52 E/95

The Commission is aware that massive slaughtering of animals in relation to classical swine fever or
7.
other animal diseases raises ethical questions. Therefore, it has undertaken a number of actions to ensure
improved disease prevention and control.

These actions include:

(cid:1) further research into the International Office of Epizootics (OIE)

list A diseases supported by
successive Research Framework Programmes. In the 5th Framework Programme research for the
development of marker vaccines is clearly marked as a priority in the ‘Quality of Life and Management
of Living Resources Programme’, in particular in Key Action 2 ‘Control of Infectious Diseases’. Two
projects are currently on-going aiming at the development of a marker vaccine for CSF: the Research
and Technological Development
‘Immunological
mechanisms of protection against classical swine fever virus:
towards the development of new
efficacious marker vaccines’ (EUR 1 million); and the RTD project QLRT-2000-01346 (2001-2004)
‘Identification of efficacious delivery systems for recombinant and nucleic acid construct vaccines
against classical swine fever virus’ (EUR 1,57 million).

(RTD) project QLRT-2000-01374 (2001-2004)

(cid:1) the request to the Scientific Committee to provide a report on newly developed techniques for the
diagnosis of contagious animal diseases and on the use of these techniques to reduce and avoid the
slaughter and destruction of non-infected animals;

(cid:1) the authorisation granted to Germany by Commission Decision 2002/161/EC of 22 February 2002
approving the plans submitted by Germany for the eradication of classical swine fever in feral pigs in
Saarland and the emergency vaccination against classical swine fever in feral pigs in Rhineland-Pfalz
and Saarland (3), the control of which is particularly difficult in some areas of the Community taking
into account that infected wild boar is currently the most dangerous source of virus for the domestic
pig.

The forthcoming proposal for a Council Directive on foot and mouth disease will provide the opportunity
for a revised EU-wide consensus on the future approach towards future outbreaks of this disease, including
the role of vaccination and preventive slaughter.

(1) OJ C 29 E, 30.1.2001.
(2) OJ L 316, 1.12.2001.
(3) Commission Decision 2002/161/EC, OJ L 53, 23.2.2002.

(2003/C 52 E/108)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1722/02

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(13 June 2002)

Subject: Conservation of rivers

It is important to conserve rivers, lakes and all watercourses. In Rome, for example, the Tiber, which is of
great historic and environmental value to the city, is being neglected and has serious problems connected
with water management, town planning and the environment, which in the last few decades have led to a
serious level of pollution and general deterioration and prevent it from being enjoyed to the full by the
population.

In view of all this, can the Commission say:

1. whether there are any programmes to safeguard and enhance the role of rivers;

2. whether steps can be taken in situations such as that affecting the river Tiber;

3. what its opinion is on the subject?

C 52 E/96

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2003

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(25 July 2002)

The Commission fully agrees with the Honourable Member on the importance of protecting the rivers of
the Member States.

The Union has taken comprehensive steps to safeguard and improve the quality of these rivers:

(cid:1) on the one hand by reducing pollution of rivers at the source,

in particular from waste water

discharges and from agriculture;

(cid:1) on the other hand by expanding water protection to all waters, groundwaters, rivers, lakes and coastal

waters, with an obligation to achieve for them by 2015 good quality (‘good status’).

As regards reduction of water pollution at the source, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (1)
covers all settlements and areas of other activity except the small villages below 2000 inhabitants or the
equivalent in waste water. It provides for the obligation to collect and treat waste water appropriately, the
deadlines being staged end of 1998, end of 2000 and end of 2005 respectively, depending on the size of
the discharge and the characteristics of the affected water. This legislation is, for pollution from agricultural
sources, complemented by the Nitrates Directive (2).

The ambitious objective of achieving good status for all Community waters is set out in the new Water
Framework Directive (3). It provides for a preparatory phase (analysis by 2004; setting up a monitoring
system by 2006; developing with broad public participation management plans for each river basin to be
finalised by 2009) and an action phase (implementation of the developed measures and achievement of
good status by 2015).

The Commission is, in its role as Guardian of the EC Treaty, carefully monitoring implementation by
Member States. On the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, the Commission
adopted on 21 November 2001 a report on the implementation of this Directive (4), also with a view to
the situation in large cities: the city of Rome is served by a waste water treatment plant providing tertiary
treatment. At present the Commission is scrutinising the second implementation phase, i.e. those measures
due by the end of 2000. On the implementation of the Nitrates Directive, the Commission will in 2002
publish its second implementation report.

As for the new Water Framework Directive, the Commission is (cid:1) beyond its legal obligations under the
EC Treaty (cid:1) cooperating in an unprecedented way with Member States, candidate countries, stakeholders
and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). A common implementation strategy will provide for
exchange of knowledge and information, and development of guidance documents as a basis for
implementation. These activities will be complemented by seminars and workshop on the Water
Framework Directive, inter alia at the end of June 2002 in Bologna (Italy).

At the same time the Commission will, where appropriate, take the necessary legal steps to ensure proper
implementation of the above legislation ensuring protection of Community rivers and other waters.

(1) Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment, OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.
(2) Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused

by nitrates from agricultural sources, OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.

(3) Directive 2000/60/EC of the 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.

(4) COM(2001) 685 final.