WRITTEN QUESTION E-0235/03 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council. Greek Council Presidency's plans for the outermost regions.
Date: 2003-02-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Council of the European Union, EU regional policy, economic and social cohesion, peripheral region, regional aid, regional disparity, sales aid

18.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 222 E/169

Reply

(13 May 2003)

In Response to the accident of the oil tanker Prestige, the Council (Transport, Telecommunications, Energy)
adopted on 6 December 2002 Council conclusions on ships’ safety and pollution prevention. Among other
measures, the Council agreed that Member States, through administrative agreements, should undertake
not to accept single-hulled tankers carrying the heaviest grades of oil
into their ports, terminals or
anchorage areas.

The accomplishment of this agreement, as it stands in the Council conclusions, is to be achieved through
national measures and therefore lies within the competence of each Member State.

The European Council (Copenhagen, 12/13 December 2002) further underlined that the conclusions of the
Transport Council should be implemented in all their aspects without delay. The European Council will
address these questions again in March 2003, based on a report from the Commission.

The Council is currently examining a Commission proposal concerning the accelerated phasing-out of
single-hull tankers and a prohibition of the transport to or from ports of the Member States of heavy
grades of oil in single-hull tankers. The proposal was presented by the Commission on 27 December 2002
in response to the Council conclusions and goes further than said conclusions, in proposing a Community
framework for that prohibition.

As regards the presence of the Vemamagna in the Bay of Algeciras, the Council is not competent to
answer the issues raised.

(2003/C 222 E/194)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0235/03

by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council

(4 February 2003)

Subject: Greek Council Presidency’s plans for the outermost regions

The exchange of views held in January 2003 between the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional
Policy, Transport and Tourism and the President-in-Office of the EU Ministers responsible for regional
policy established the need to focus on the regional diversity of the European Union.

In this context, what plans does the Greek Council Presidency’s work programme contain for the
outermost regions of the European Union?

(2003/C 222 E/195)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0352/03

by Jean-Claude Fruteau (PSE) to the Council

(6 February 2003)

Subject: Ultraperipheral regions

the Canary Islands,
The European Union has seven ultraperipheral
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and Réunion. These regions form a unique and remarkable part of the
Community’s territory, enshrined in Article 299(2) of the Amsterdam Treaty.

the Azores, Madeira,

regions:

regions suffer

from many geographical and natural handicaps (distance from
The ultraperipheral
continental Europe, difficult topography, small size, insularity and/or enclosed position), which consider-
ably hamper their economic development. As a result, six of the European Union’s ten least prosperous
regions are ultraperipheral regions.

What measures does the Greek Presidency intend to take for the benefit of these regions?