WRITTEN QUESTION E-1852/02 by Pedro Marset Campos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Pollution of the Segura river (Murcia, Spain).
Date: 2002-06-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, application of EU law, environmental offence, pollution of waterways, water protection, water treatment

5.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 301 E/239

According to the complainants, the seeds in question do not meet Community standards and should not,
under Community law, be placed on the market.

In addition, a complaint has been lodged with the Commission regarding the fact that French legislation
allows shallots to be placed on the market only if they are grown from bulbs using vegetative propagation.

The Commission is currently examining these complaints in detail and will ensure that the points put
forward by the Honourable Member in his written question are taken into account in the course of this
examination.

(2002/C 301 E/253)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1852/02

by Pedro Marset Campos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Pollution of the Segura river (Murcia, Spain)

(28 June 2002)

The pollution of the river Segura (Murcia, Spain) is a problem of serious proportions, which is only slowly
and gradually being dealt with by the authorities concerned in the autonomous regions of Murcia and
Valencia.

A report drawn up in 2001 by the Spanish Ombudsman, to be submitted to the Congress of Deputies on
17 June 2002, draws attention to the deterioration and pollution of the Segura and takes the view that the
action taken on the matter by the regional and national authorities
(the Segura Hydrographic
Confederation) has not been effective.

In addition, a lawsuit is currently before the courts in Murcia and Orihuela, relating to charges of ongoing
environmental crime. The charges in question relate to the dumping of waste into the Segura, and identify,
as the worst polluters, the municipalities of the Murcia region through whose territory the Segura flows.

Among the nine defendants are the chief administrator of the Segura Hydrographic Confederation and the
Commissioner for Water. It is stated in the charge against them that they have failed to fulfil their legal
obligation to preserve the quality of the Segura river and of the water used for irrigation; this water,
according to the depositions of numerous experts involved in the case,
is causing damage to the
environment and to human health.

1.

Is the Commission aware of these circumstances?

2. What action does it intend to take to investigate the above charges?

3.
Does the Commission not believe that the regional and national authorities concerned must be asked,
as a matter of urgency, to propose immediate and comprehensive measures with a view to ensuring
respect for the EU legislation concerning the right of all citizens to a healthy environment?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2002)

The Commission is not aware of the facts referred to by the Honourable Member concerning the

1.
judicial action currently before the Spanish courts relating to the pollution of the river Segura.

2.
The Commission does not have any power as regards penal law and therefore cannot act to shed
light on the alleged environmental offences to which the Honourable Member refers. The Community is
therefore not responsible for this matter, but it can be dealt with through the national courts. It is clear
from the Written Question that the Spanish judicial authorities are aware of the facts of this case.

C 301 E/240

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

5.12.2002

However, the Commission is aware of the problem posed by the river Segura in the provinces of
3.
Murcia and Alicante. The Spanish authorities have sent the Commission their Environmental Recovery Plan
for the Segura basin drawn up by the Ministry of the Environment and the Autonomous Communities of
Murcia and Valencia, which involves the construction of sewage treatment plants, agreements between the
authorities and industry, administrative controls and penalties and very major investment.

The above plan is currently being implemented in the various fields concerned. Six new waste treatment
plants started operating at the beginning of 2002 to improve the environmental health situation in the
river Segura basin, in particular in the central and lower parts of the river.

(2002/C 301 E/254)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1857/02

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(28 June 2002)

Subject: Regulation of advertising campaigns for child-oriented festive periods

Traditional, partly child-oriented, festive periods are often the subject of massive advertising campaigns.
Easter articles are often on sale before Lent, St Nicholas advertising sometimes starts just after the
beginning of the school year, and it is not unusual for Christmas shows, with their array of presents, to
begin in October. Quite apart from the fact that children, and hence also their parents, are being
encouraged in an unseemly manner to consume, this form of selling is highly confusing to the very young.
The proliferation of Father Christmases and other child-friendly figures means that, where children are
concerned, some nice traditions are being sacrificed on the altar of mass consumption.

In order to accommodate the wishes of concerned consumers and avoid more negative reactions, the
sector in Belgium,
in consultation with consumer organisations there, has imposed a form of self-
regulation: no visible St Nicholas advertising before 1 November, no Father Christmas before 1 December,
and no Easter bunnies six weeks before Easter. Although this is a good move, the whole thing stands and
falls on the good will of traders.

Does the Commission acknowledge there to be a problem here, and is it therefore thinking of adopting
Europe-wide measures to protect children against overly aggressive and excessive advertising campaigns
that precede child-oriented festive periods? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(21 August 2002)

The honourable Member refers to the massive advertising campaigns launched in the run-up to various
traditional
that such
festivals such as Saint Nicholas, Christmas and Easter and highlights the fact
campaigns often begin long before these events, thereby contributing to their over-commercialisation and
encouraging in an unseemly manner children and their parents to consume. He informs the Commission
that in Belgium the distribution sector, in consultation with Belgian consumer organisations, has decided
to impose a self-regulatory code to limit these advertising periods.

The Commission notes with interest the existence of this self-regulatory code. However, it has not come to
its attention that rules or self-regulatory codes such as those referred to by the honourable Member have
led to any cross-border restrictions on the freedom to provide services or the free movement of goods put
on sale during festive periods. It also notes that the importance of the festivals in question may vary from
one Member State to another depending on the religious context, traditions and cultures. It therefore
considers that,
in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, no immediate action is required at
Community level and that such matters can be dealt with at national or local level on condition, of course,
that the principles of free movement laid down by the EC Treaty are adhered to.