WRITTEN QUESTION E-0161/03 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Enclosure of the Filopappos Hill in Athens.
Date: 2003-01-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Central Greece, archaeology, cultural policy, heritage protection, operational programme, public property, tourism

14.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/161

The financial contribution of EUR 86 000 000 per year represents the amount that

2.
exchange for the fishing opportunities made available to the Community fleet.

is paid in

The amounts paid by the vessel owners are fixed in the Fishing Datasheets (FD) included in the

3.
Protocol.

For demersal fisheries, the licence fees (as of the 1 January 2003) are:

FD

1

2

3

4

5

6

Fishery

Licence fee
(EUR/Gross Register Tons (GRT)/year)

Crustaceans other than crawfish

Black hake trawlers and bottom longliners

Demersal species other than hake with gear other than trawls

Freezer trawlers fishing for demersal fish

Cephalopods

Crawfish

358

159

178 (< 100 GRT)
263 (> 100 GRT)

207

450

321

For the tuna fishery (FD No 7 and 8), the licence fees are EUR 25 per tonne (T) of tuna caught within the
waters of Mauritania. The licences are delivered after advance payments of EUR 1 250 for tuna seiners and
of EUR 2 500 for surface longliners and pole and line vessels. The amount of the advances are deducted
from the total amount due on the basis of the catches during the preceding year, but if the amount due is
less than the advance the balance is not recoverable.

For the pelagic freezer trawlers (FD No 9), the licence fees are EUR 2,5 per GT per month. In addition to
the licence fee, catches over the yearly limits defined for each of three categories of vessel (< 3 000 GT,
12 500 T/vessel/year; 3 000-5 000 GT, 17 500 T/vessel/year; 5 000-9 500 GT, 22 500 T/vessel/year) shall
be paid at a rate of EUR 19 per tonne.

(1) OJ L 341, 22.12.2001.

(2003/C 192 E/198)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0161/03

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Enclosure of the Filopappos Hill in Athens

(29 January 2003)

The Greek Ministry of Culture, by way of the Community-funded ‘Agency for the integration of the
archaeological sites of Athens’, has decided to fence off a huge area around the Filopappos Hill and the
Observatory opposite the Acropolis, which is several kilometres long, with ugly metal railings.

At the same time, a number of projects are being carried out in the area, such as building facilities for an
unspecified exhibition of sculpture, etc. In practice, the fence prevents Athenians from enjoying safe and
free access to the hill, particularly those thousands who live in the surrounding neighbourhoods, many of
whom make regular visits to take a walk (or walk their dogs), to exercise (jog, climb), to picnic, etc.,
pursuits which constitute ‘low-key’ use of the hill for the benefit of the general public and their quality of
life.

What is the Commission’s view of the practical measures taken to implement a programme which it is
funding? What is its position on such a (sustainable?) development project carried out in this manner and
on the basis of which criteria was it approved?

C 192 E/162

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(11 March 2003)

Within the Community Support Framework III, the Operational Programme (OP) on Culture finances
interventions in order to improve the quality of tourism services in Greece and to reinforce the overall
development of the cultural sector. Special attention is given to actions that have an immediate and visible
impact on the attractiveness and accessibility of archaeological sites and museums.

According to the information received by the Managing Authority of the OP on Culture, the Greek
Ministry of Culture has declared the Filoppapos hill an archaeological site, which as such is protected
under national
includes fence
law. The Filopappos project, which fulfils the project selection criteria,
works, an electromechanical network and improvements for an open-air exhibition of sculpture. It totals
EUR 3,4 million and is implemented by the Agency for the Integration of Archaeological Sites of Athens
(EAXA). The Central Archaeological Council has approved the project design, while the authorities
responsible in Athens have approved the environmental
impact assessment and the environmental
conditions to be met.

The fence works are considered necessary to protect the site from vandalism, pollution and other damage.
It is planned to have 25 toll free entrances, which will be closed during the night. In this way, access to the
hill will be safe and free of charge while the archaeological site will be protected. The construction of the
fence works aims to give the Filopappos hill a status similar to the National Park of Athens.

In accordance with the Structural Funds Regulation (1), the selection and approval of projects lie with the
Managing Authority which is also responsible for the supervision and follow-up of the project.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (cid:1)

OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2003/C 192 E/199)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0189/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(31 January 2003)

Subject: US initiatives for securing access to oil supplies in countries around the Caspian Sea

1.
Is the Commission aware that there is growing interest in the petroleum reserves believed to be lying
under the ground in states created on the territory of the former Soviet Union, where 20 % of the world’s
oil reserves and 50 % of the world’s gas reserves are to be found?

Can the Commission confirm that the USA is increasingly involved in measures to enable it to secure

2.
a constant supply of petroleum and natural gas from reserves around the Caspian Sea?

3.
Can the Commission confirm that the laying of a new 1 760 km long oil pipeline from Baku in
Azerbaijan via Tblisi in Georgia to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean near the Syrian border in Turkey is the
most expensive and least cost-effective of all the alternatives previously considered?

Is the pipeline to Ceyhan, which is scheduled to be completed in 2005, mainly linked to US interests

4.
and participation, or are companies and the authorities in the EU also involved in this project?

is the Commission’s view of

the
5. What
International Institute for Asian Studies in Amsterdam, who in his book ‘Great Game’, due to be published
shortly, states that if these trends continue Europe and Asia will become completely dependent on oil and
gas distributed by the US?

the conclusions of Dr Parvizi Amineh, researcher at

6.
Do agreements exist with the EU and/or its Member States on the supply of this oil for use in
Europe, or is the oil being wholly, or to a significant extent, reserved for US consumption, which is
continuing to grow strongly?

Source: Netherlands daily newspaper ‘De Volkskrant’ of 18 January 2003