WRITTEN QUESTION E-3920/02 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Alarm caused by flocks of birds in the centre of Rome.
Date: 2003-01-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, application of EU law, bird, protection of animal life, urban problem

C 222 E/128

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

18.9.2003

What are the Council’s reasons for not adopting the Commission proposal for a decision?

Given that it has allowed appropriations to be lost, does the Council believe that, contrary to Europol
estimates, the proposed funds are not necessary?

When it took its decision, did the Council take into account the opinions of Europol, the Commission and,
in particular, the Parliament on this issue? What view does the Council take of Parliament’s unanimous
agreement to apportion a part of the Community budget to finance some Europol activities?

Reply

(5 and 6 May 2003)

The Council informs the Honourable Parliamentarian that the proposal for the creation of a legal base for
allowing Community subsidies to Europol has been discussed within the Council. Several delegations were
of the view that this proposal constituted an attempt to depart from the principle enshrined in the Europol
Convention, that Europol’s budget shall be financed from Member States’ contributions, as distinct from a
financing at the charge of the budget of the European Communities.

They felt that any modification of this principle would require a modification of Article 35 of the Europol
Convention.

Against this background, the Council has not been in a position to agree on the Commission proposal for
a Council Decision on the financing of certain activities carried out by Europol in connection with co-
operation in the fight against terrorism.

(2003/C 222 E/149)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3920/02

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(14 January 2003)

Subject: Alarm caused by flocks of birds in the centre of Rome

In the last few days road accidents have been caused yet again by the devastating presence of enormous
flocks of birds in Rome.

When winter arrives the streets of Rome are invaded by groups of birds which, instead of continuing their
migration southwards, stop in cities to take advantage of the absence of predators and the higher
temperatures caused by pollution. Thousands of passerines colonise the treetops in Rome, causing
considerable inconvenience to the inhabitants because of the noise and, above all, the large quantities of
droppings on the ground.

The worst-hit areas are those where there are enough trees to attract an enormous number of birds, whose
droppings make the asphalt dangerously slippery. This has disastrous consequences for city traffic (cid:1) since
the authorities are forced to cut off the traffic and divert it elsewhere (cid:1) and the safety of motor cyclists
and car-drivers, who through no fault of their own are involved in road accidents.

In view of this problematic situation Rome City Council has arranged for the trees to be pruned and is
using decoys to send the flocks elsewhere, but these measures have proved inadequate.

Since the most effective solution in Sweden, where the flocks start
contraception, can the Commission say:

their

journey, seems to be

1. whether there are existing projects for tackling similar crisis situations and whether Rome City
Council has submitted any such project to remove the flocks, which are a danger to the safety of
urban traffic;

2. whether there are examples of good practice in this sphere in other Union countries?

18.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 222 E/129

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(6 February 2003)

The Commission is not aware of any projects directed at limiting the number of migratory birds that come
into cities during their migrations. It therefore has no examples of good practice. The Commission also has
no information on any projects by the city of Rome with this objective.

Any action taken to control the number of birds in Rome will have to be taken within the conditions set
by Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (1),
if
necessary, the use of derogations regulated by Article 9 of the Directive.

including,

Although the problem might have an international dimension,
the Member States have exclusive
competencies for dealing with it. The Commission can only, and will if requested, act as a facilitator for
the contacts between the Member States involved. For that purpose, however, more information would be
needed, namely concerning the identification of
the species that create problems, details on their
occurrence and information on their origin.

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.

(2003/C 222 E/150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3921/02

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(14 January 2003)

Subject: Roads in the ‘Tiburtino’ district of Rome

The area in the south-east of Rome called the ‘Tiburtino’, where the urban fabric and the environment
often suffer damage, is now the subject of a new Prusst programme devised by Rome City Council, aimed
at restoring and transforming the areas along the Tiber which have deteriorated and improving the Aniene
park. A road is to be built parallel to the via Tiburtina (covering the same area as the earlier detailed Plan
18 L, in which the local street network will be improved and the neighbouring via di Cerchiara extended),
as is a cycle path (from the ‘Ponte Mammolo’ area to Lunghezza, a village near Rome) and pedestrian
streets providing access to groups of houses.

The area is, however, compromised by a large number of existing industrial and residential settlements and
a motorway ring-road leading to the agri-foodstuffs centre and the Tiburtino technology park.
Furthermore, about one thousand inhabitants are without drinking water and mains drainage, and road
surfacing and street lighting leave much to be desired.

A further town planning project therefore threatens to worsen the situation, especially if one considers that
it does not seem to take account of the local transport crisis, which affects an area with heavy traffic and a
population of 940 000, if we count the inhabitants, workers in local firms and visitors to the nearby Villa
d’Este and Villa Adriana (Unesco heritage sites), where so far there is only one major road (the via
Tiburtina) with only one lane in each direction and no emergency lane, a stretch of urban motorway
without a third lane and a single-track railway line.

The local residents’ association submitted a petition to the competent local authorities and to the European
Parliament (Petition No 698/2002 on road conditions on the via Tiburtina in Rome).

In view of the above, can the Commission say:

1. whether Rome City Council has carried out an environmental

impact assessment for the Prusst
‘Tiburtino’ in accordance with the provisions of Directive 85/337/EEC (1) and whether the obligation
to inform the population laid down in Directive 2001/42/EC (2) has been fulfilled;

2. whether it is possible to suspend any further building project until the most urgent road transport

projects have been carried out?

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.
(2) OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p. 30.