WRITTEN QUESTION E-0419/03 by Laura González Álvarez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Spanish National Hydrological Plan (NHP): Júcar-Vinalopó transfer scheme.
Date: 2003-02-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community of Valencia, European Investment Bank, Spain, co-financing, environmental impact, hydrology, project evaluation, water management in agriculture, water supply

C 70 E/28

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

(2004/C 70 E/030)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0155/03

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: EU budget and development cooperation

(28 January 2003)

1.
Could the Commission indicate how much the EU allocated to the development cooperation budget
heading under its 2002 budget, and the breakdown of that amount between each beneficiary third
country?

2.
Could the Commission indicate how much of the amount allocated to the development cooperation
budget heading for 2002 was earmarked for the development of the fisheries sector in third countries, and
what the amount was for each beneficiary country?

3.
Could the Commission indicate how much the EU has allocated to the development cooperation
budget heading under its 2003 budget, and the breakdown of that amount between each beneficiary third
country?

4.
Could the Commission indicate how much of the amount allocated to the development cooperation
budget heading for 2003 is earmarked for the development of the fisheries sector in third countries, and
what the amount is for each beneficiary country?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2003)

1.
A table detailing commitments and payments by country of external assistance for 2002 on the
Community Budget is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat. These
numbers are of a provisional nature, and the definitive figures by country will only become available
towards end of April 2003. The figures by region are in general higher than those in the geographical
budget chapters, because expenditure under the thematic budget lines (such as fisheries agreements,
humanitarian aid, food aid, cofinancing with non-governmental organisations, human rights, etc.) has been
allocated, whenever possible, to the beneficiary country.

The figures giving the sectoral breakdown of the Community’s assistance are sent directly to the

2.
Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

3. and 4.
sector for a given budgetary year, therefore, it is not possible to respond to this question.

There is no earmarking of funds in advance to a particular country and/or to a particular

(2004/C 70 E/031)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0419/03

by Laura González Álvarez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(17 February 2003)

Subject: Spanish National Hydrological Plan (NHP): Júcar-Vinalopó transfer scheme

The construction scheme for transferring water from the basin of the river Júcar to that of the Vinalopó
was approved as part of the Júcar Basin Hydrological Plan, and ratified in Annex II of the NHP in July
2001. The course to be followed by the transfer channel runs parallel to the existing Tagus-Segura link,
and converges with the planned transfer of the Ebro to the Spanish south-east. The water transfer is
designed to develop new irrigation areas for heavily subsidised continental crops in the upper and middle
reaches of the Júcar, as well as unsustainable tourist and urban development. All this will have increased
negative repercussions on the lower reaches of the Júcar and the Albufera, and on the quality of Valencia’s
water supplies. The scheme’s environmental impact assessment did not assess alternatives, nor take account
of these and other problems, such as environmental impact on the Natura 2000 Network and areas of
ornithological importance.

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/29

On 4 October, the Spanish Government asked the Commission to cofund the project (EUR 54 million).
The Commission indicated that its reply would be given within three months, i.e. before 4 January 2003.
Without waiting for the EU decision, the Spanish Prime Minister laid the first stone of the new channel on
14 November 2002.

Can the Commission tell me what stage has been reached with regard to processing this request for aid?

Has the Commission made any assessment of the project and of the accompanying environmental impact
study?

Supplementary answer
given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(27 November 2003)

On 4 October 2002 the Spanish authorities sent the Commission a request for confirmation of the level of
cofinancing for the ‘Conducción Júcar-Vinalopó’ project under the integrated operational programme for
the Valencia Region (2000-2006). To provide the Honourable Member with accurate information, it should
be pointed out that the amount of Community aid requested is EUR 80 121 million, given eligible
expenditure of EUR 155 244 million and a total cost estimated at EUR 254 639 million.

Regarding the questions on the processing of the request for aid:

(cid:1) the Directorate-General for Regional Policy consulted the European Investment Bank (EIB), within the
framework of the collaboration agreement with the EIB and the regulatory provisions, to obtain an
independent opinion. It asked the EIB for a technical report on the viability of the project. The EIB
delivered its report on 1 August 2003;

(cid:1) the Directorate-General for Regional Policy examined the recommendations of the study and sent
them to the Spanish authorities. On 20 October 2003 the Spanish authorities sent the Commission a
In addition to the abovementioned EIB report, the
formal reply, which is now being assessed.
Commission also has the economic assessment and the environmental
impact statement of the
authority responsible;

(cid:1) as this is a complex dossier still being examined, the Commission has not yet taken a final decision on

the request for cofinancing.

(2004/C 70 E/032)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0704/03

by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 March 2003)

Subject: Cat and dog fur

Does the Commission have any plans to propose legislation to ban the import into the EU of pelts from
domestic cats and dogs?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2003)

The cat and dog fur issue is not one of purely external trade but also one of domestic production and use.
Indeed the common commercial policy must be seen as a complement to the single market: trade
restrictions in the absence of equivalent measures on domestic production and marketing might be
contestable as discriminatory and an obstacle to the principle of national treatment.