WRITTEN QUESTION E-1946/02 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Management of hazardous industrial waste.
Date: 2002-07-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Central Greece, EU programme, application of EU law, hazardous waste, industrial waste, waste management, waste recycling

14.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/35

(2003/C 192 E/031)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1946/02

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Management of hazardous industrial waste

(3 July 2002)

The Ano Liossia public corporation has approved a project under the LIFE programme (reference LIFE 99
ENV/GR/000550) for the disposal of hazardous industrial waste at the landfill site operated by the
Association of Local Authorities in the Prefecture of Attica, ESDKNA.

Law No 2742/99 stipulates that the ESDKNA landfill site is for urban refuse only and not industrial waste.
Will the Commission therefore say to what extent the site (funded by the LIFE programme) is consistent
with the provisions of the following directives:

1. Directive 91/689/EEC (1) on hazardous waste,

2. Directive 78/319/EEC (2) on toxic and dangerous waste,

3. Directive 75/442/EEC (3) on waste,

4. Directive 94/67/EC (4) on the incineration of hazardous waste.

(1) OJ L 377, 31.12.1991, p. 20.
(2) OJ L 84, 31.3.1978, p. 43.
(3) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975, p. 39.
(4) OJ L 365, 31.12.1994, p. 34.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(5 August 2002)

The Commission has indeed adopted a project under the LIFE programme for the enhanced management
of industrial waste at the Ano Liossia landfill in Athens (99 ENV/GR/000550). The aim of the project is to
stop the landfilling of hazardous waste, such as waste oils and oils sludges in the Ano Liossa landfill. In
order to do so, these types of waste are subject to a pretreatment, which includes the separation of soil and
oil waste, and dewatering of oily sludges. The project does not focus on the subsequent disposal or
recovery of the separated and treated waste fractions, although it is mentioned that waste oils could be
sent to be recovered as fuels and the other waste fractions could be subject to further treatment. Thus the
aim of the project, as presented to the Commission was to put at end the disposal of hazardous wastes in a
landfill and to pretreat these wastes to facilitate their subsequent recovery or safe disposal elsewhere.

On the basis of the information provided by the responsible of the project, the Commission is of the
opinion that this project is not in conflict with the Directives mentioned by the Honourable Member:

1. Council Directive 91/689/EEC of 12 December 1991 on hazardous waste, there is no evidence of a
breach of the Articles of this Directive as the pretreatment of hazardous waste to facilitate its recovery
and safe disposal is completely in line with the requirements there in;

2. Council Directive 78/319/EEC of 20 March 1978 on toxic and dangerous waste has been repealed by

Directive 91/689/EEC;

3. Council Directive 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975 on waste, as last amended by Directive 91/156/EEC of
18 March 1991 (1), and in particular its Article 4, establishes the basic requirements which aim at
ensuring that the recovery and disposal of waste is done without causing any avoidable damage to the
environment. It establishes other obligations, inter alia record keeping obligations, permit require-
ments, etc. The Commission does not have any evidence that the pretreatment of these hazardous
waste is done in such a way as to be violating the requirements of the Framework Directive on waste
75/442/EEC;

C 192 E/36

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

4. Council Directive 94/67/EC od 16 December 1994, relates to the incineration of hazardous waste and
would not seem applicable to this project, since according to the description provided to the
Commission, incineration is not foreseen.

(1) OJ L 78, 26.3.1991.

(2003/C 192 E/032)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1955/02

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: EU-Japan relations

Does the Commission agree in principle with the idea of establishing free trade in services between the EU
and Japan?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(5 August 2002)

Japan is an important trading partner of the EU: in terms of services it is the third partner after the United
States and Switzerland.

That is why, in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and under the Doha Development Agenda, the EU
and Japan have embarked upon services negotiations where the Community will seek better market access
for its service suppliers in Japan and Japan will reciprocally seek better market access for its service
suppliers in the EU. The EU believes that its market access objectives in Japan are best sought in the
multilateral context in the WTO. Accordingly, the EU has not proposed to negotiate a Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) with Japan on services, and nor is there any formal proposal by Japan that the two
partners negotiate such an FTA.

(2003/C 192 E/033)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1956/02

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: KEDO

As a partner in the KEDO project, has the Commission requested any independent assessment of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimate that it will take three to four years to verify
compliance with the requirements of the 1994 framework agreement?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(1 August 2002)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an independent inter-governmental organisation in the
United Nations system whose staff include many nuclear experts. It has the mission, under the Non-
Proliferation Treaty to carry out independent inspections and other controls on nuclear materials in its
Member States and has done so to the satisfaction of the international community. In view of the status
and credentials of the IAEA the Commission does not see a need to request the independent assessment
referred to in the question.