WRITTEN QUESTION E-2294/02 by Patricia McKenna (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Funding of the Via Baltica motorway in Poland.
Date: 2002-07-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community acquis, EU aid, Poland, accession to the European Union, financial aid, humid zone, national park, project evaluation, road building

C 192 E/56

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

As part of the framework for budgetary surveillance, Member States submit stability or convergence
programmes on an annual basis, in which they set down a medium-term target for budget positions and
an adjustment path towards. While budgetary targets in programmes are set down in nominal terms, the
Commission does take account of the impact of the economic cycle when assessing Member States’
budgetary positions. This is done by examining cyclically-adjusted budget balances.

The steps to be followed in an excessive deficit procedure are set down in the Treaty and in Council
Regulation EC/1466/97 of 7 July 1997 on the strengthening of the surveillance of budgetary positions and
the surveillance and coordination of economic policies (1). While the Excessive Deficit Procedure ultimately
does provide for the possibility to impose pecuniary sanctions, this can only occur after a long process
involving several decisions by the Council. Recourse to sanctions is only envisaged if the Member State
concerned repeatedly fails to take corrective actions to bring the deficit below 3 % of GDP within a
specified period of time. Sanctions are not applied immediately upon a country being placed in an
excessive deficit position.

(1) OJ L 209, 2.8.1997, p. 1.

(2003/C 192 E/054)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2294/02

by Patricia McKenna (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Funding of the Via Baltica motorway in Poland

(25 July 2002)

The EU is financing the building of a motorway called the Via Baltica. This project is threatening the
Biebrza marshes in north-east Poland. This is an area of international scientific interest and includes many
habitats listed in Annex I and II to the Habitats Directive.

Is the Commission aware of the damage that the building of this motorway would cause to this sensitive
environment, and was the project environmentally assessed in accordance with the terms of the EIA
Directive?

What is the Commission’s view of this project? In the light of its policy of making the payment of
structural funds conditional on respect for the environment, is it prepared to suspend payments until the
Polish authorities alter the route chosen and comply with EU environmental laws?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(15 October 2002)

The Commission draws the attention of the Honourable Member to its responses to written questions
P-1648/02 by Mr Huhne (1), E-1694/02 by Mr Meijer (1), E-1968/02 by Mr Davies (2) and E-2284/02 by
Mr Xarchakos and Mr Dimitrakopoulos (3), confirming that neither PHARE nor ISPA funds have been
provided for the construction of the Via Baltica across the Biebrza marshes in north-east Poland.

Furthermore, such a project does not feature in neither the ISPA nor the PHARE project pipeline and,
therefore, no request for Union support for this particular project has been made by the Polish authorities.
Should the Commission receive such a request, the project will be examined in the light of the relevant
Community environmental rules. It is the position of the Commission that all candidate countries should
apply and implement the provisions of the environmental acquis,
including nature protection, already
during the pre-accession period.

(1) OJ C 301 E, 5.12.2002, p. 201.
(2) OJ C 309 E, 12.12.2002, p. 181.
(3) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 20.