WRITTEN QUESTION E-0576/03 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Declassification of woodlands in Greece.
Date: 2003-02-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, competence of the Member States, forest conservation, forestry legislation, wooded area

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/35

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2003)

1.
The Honourable Member is referred to the table which is sent directly to the Honourable Member
and to Parliament’s Secretariat, submitted by the Greek authorities, and containing a list of the projects in
the monastery region of Mount Athos that have been co-funded by the Structural Funds.

The Honourable Member is referred to the reply given by the Commission to Written Question

2.
No E-1055/01 by Mr Glyn Ford (1).

3.
The Honourable Member is referred to the second table which is sent directly to the Honourable
Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat, submitted by the secretariat of the European Economic Area and
containing a list of the projects in the monastery region of Mount Athos that have been funded by its
Financial Mechanism.

Under the 2000-2006 Community Support Framework for Greece, projects being proposed for
4.
inclusion in Community programmes and for co-funding by the European Structural Funds, are selected by
the Greek authorities in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Community Support Framework
for Greece and the individual operational programmes (agreed with the Member State and adopted by the
Commission), as well as those set out in the Programming Complement document and in the criteria for
the selection of projects (adopted solely by the Member State).

(1) OJ C 318 E, 13.11.2001.

(2004/C 65 E/034)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0576/03

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 February 2003)

Subject: Declassification of woodlands in Greece

The Greek Parliament’s legislation drafting committee recently finished drafting a Ministry of Agriculture
bill on the protection of forest ecosystems, the establishment of a forestry register, the regulation of real
rights in respect of forests and woodlands in general and other provisions.

According to forestry experts, if this bill is adopted, the classification of 5 000 hectares per prefecture as
forests and woodlands will be called into question, which may lead to the declassification of a total of
170 000 hectares throughout Greece, given that
the country’s 34 prefectures contain woodlands.
Environmental bodies have complained that the bill means that hundreds of thousands of hectares will
fall victim to arbitrary development and landgrabbing.

In parallel with the Ministry of Agriculture’s bill, the Ministry of the Environment, Regional Planning and
Public Works and the Ministry of Finance are drawing up a joint ministerial decision which provides that,
following declassification under the bill in question, areas of land that have been illegally developed may
be ceded to the illegal developers at a price and may be built on as unplanned building projects, since,
according to statements by the Secretary of State for the Ministry for the Environment, Regional Planning
and Public Works, the concept of unplanned building project will be abandoned by 2004.

Given the fact that Greek woodlands are increasingly scarce and given also the chaotic state of town
planning and housing in Greece and the Commission’s previous statement that ‘Member States must avoid
any action that may lead to a further deterioration of the forestry situation on their territory’, does the
Commission consider that the bill in question is compatible with Community policy on the protection of
forests and the environment generally? Does it also intend to make any recommendations to the
competent Greek authorities to prevail upon them to honour the commitments they have assumed both in
the European Union and at international meetings?

C 65 E/36

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.3.2004

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(3 April 2003)

The Commission is not (and ought not to be) informed about the draft Greek bill in question, since a
generally binding agreement on the definition of forests does not exist at Community level. The Treaty on
the European Union makes no provision for a comprehensive common forestry policy. Therefore, matters
regarding national forest legislation and national definitions related to forests are the competence of
Member States and a change in the national forest legislation in Greece falls under the responsibility of the
Member State.

The management, conservation and sustainable development of forests are nevertheless vital concerns of
existing Union policies.

The Community is supporting Member States in the management and protection of forests: Council
Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European
Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations (1),
supports measures for the management and protection of forests. Furthermore, the Commission has
proposed a Regulation called Forest Focus (2) in order to contribute to the protection of the Community
forests by means of monitoring.

Therefore, the Greek Government must ensure that such a modification of national law is in accordance
with those existing Union policies and legislation.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.
(2) OJ C 20 E, 28.1.2003.

(2004/C 65 E/035)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0592/03

by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Commission

(28 February 2003)

Subject: European Union funding for Niedersachsen 2002

1. What amounts of European Union funding were paid to Niedersachsen in 2002 from:

(cid:1) the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF),

(cid:1) the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) (cid:1) Guidance Section,

(cid:1) the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) (cid:1) Guarantee Section,

(cid:1) the European Social Fund (ESF),

(cid:1) European Community research programmes,

(cid:1) European Community programmes for the environment,

(cid:1) other European Community programmes?

2. Who were the beneficiaries?

3. What amounts were made available by way of co-financing either with the Land of Niedersachsen or
with the Federal Republic of Germany?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(11 November 2003)

In view of the length of its answer, the Commission is sending it direct to the Honourable Member and to
Parliament’s Secretariat.