WRITTEN QUESTION E-0683/03 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission. Failure of Spanish legislation on coastlines to comply with community provisions on public involvement.
Date: 2003-03-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, access to information, environmental impact, environmental law, environmental protection, littoral, national implementing measure, right to information

C 11 E/106

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

15.1.2004

2. Can it provide qualitative data on the services so far offered by the Sismanogleio telemedicine unit?

3. What appropriations have been made available for developing telemedicine under the telemedicine
funding did the

In what programmes? What

level of

programme in Greece’s Second CSF?
Sismanogleio telemedicine unit receive?

4. What appropriations are provided for in the Third CSF in this connection? What appropriations are
earmarked for modernising and upgrading the telemedicine network of NHS based at Sismanogleio
hospital?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2003)

According to the information received from the Greek authorities, the capacity of the telemedicine unit of
the Sismanogleio hospital to operate on a 24-hour basis is currently being examined including the matter
of a possible increase of its staff.

The same authorities have informed the Commission that the telemedicine unit of the Sismanogleio
hospital has treated since 1992 some 8 000 cases of which 15-20 % were emergencies. In treating the
cases directly, it has also managed to prevent the transfer of patients to other hospitals in the region or in
Athens in some 50 % of the cases normally requiring such a transfer. Finally, a number of training
programmes have been implemented through the telemedicine network, aiming at improving the delivery
of health services through the reinforcement of the diagnostic and treatment capacity of local doctors and
hospital staff by the specialists of the Sismanogleio hospital.

The only action relevant to telemedicine that was funded through the 1994-1999 Community Support
Framework (CSF) for Greece, was a study on the development of telemedicine information systems. Its total
cost was EUR 62 340.

During the present CSF for Greece (2000-2006), telemedicine actions are eligible under the operational
programme ‘Information Society’. However, the design and preparation of such actions as well as their
proposal to the Managing Authority of the programme (a body set up and run by the Member State) is the
responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Up to now, no proposals regarding telemedicine
actions have been submitted to the Managing Authority of the ‘Information Society’ programme by the
Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Numerous telemedicine projects involving Greek partners have been funded through successive European
Research and Development Framework Programmes, starting with AIM (Advanced Informatics in
in 1988. A list of Telemedicine application projects financed under the Fifth Framework
Medicine)
Programme (1998-2002), and involving Greek partners is presented in the annex which is sent direct to
the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat. It can be seen that there has been a constant
support of the Commission for Telematics projects involving Greek partners and also that more then
EUR 6,4 million have been allocated to Greek participants in these Telematics projects in the context of a
total Community contribution of EUR 27 million.

(2004/C 11 E/106)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0683/03

by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

(7 March 2003)

Subject: Failure of Spanish legislation on coastlines to comply with community provisions on public

involvement

Spanish Law 53/2002 of 30 December, on fiscal, administrative and social measures, amends specific
provisions of Law 22/1988, of 28 July, on Coastlines.

The drafting and adoption of this back-up legislation was done with a total non-involvement of citizens
and directly affected sectors.

15.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 11 E/107

Given that many of these sectors have spoken out in protest, claiming that the amended legislation has
severely lowered the level of protection available for the coastline, does the Commission not believe that
Kingdom of Spain has adopted this legislation in direct violation of the provisions on public information
and information contained in Directives 85/337/EEC (1) and 90/313/EEC (2) and subsequent amendments
thereto?

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.
(2) OJ L 158, 23.6.1990, p. 56.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(5 May 2003)

The question put forward by the Honourable Member whether the adoption of Spanish legislation on
coastlines has violated provisions of both Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the
assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, as amended by Council
Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 (1) and of Council Directive 90/313/EEC of 7 June 1990 on the
freedom of access to information on the environment, gives rise to the following observations.

Directive 85/337/EEC applies to the assessment of the environmental effects of those public and private
projects that are likely to have significant effects on the environment. For the purposes of this Directive,
‘project’ means either the execution of construction works or of other installations or schemes, or other
interventions in the natural surroundings and landscape including those involving the extraction of mineral
resources. It is clear from this definition that the preparation and adoption of legislation does not fall
within the scope of Directive 85/337/EEC.

Directive 90/313/EEC obliges public authorities to reply to requests for access to environmental
information. Draft legislation that is capable of affecting the environment, could fall within the definition
of ’information relating to the environment. Apart from the obligation to provide general information to
the public on the state of environment, this Directive does not contain obligations for public authorities to
actively disseminate information relating to the environment. The information put
forward by the
Honourable Member does not contain any information as to the fact that a request for access to the
environmental information was addressed to the competent public authorities and whether or not access
was given. In the absence of such information, the Commission cannot say that the provisions of this
Directive have been violated.

On the basis of the above observations, the Commission concludes that the subject in question does not
fall within the scope of Directive 85/337/EEC and that it cannot be concluded that the provisions of
Directive 90/313/EEC have been violated.

(1) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.

(2004/C 11 E/107)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0694/03

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(7 March 2003)

Subject: Earthquake in East Turkestan

According to various sources, at least 257 people were killed and more than 1 000 injured on Monday,
24 February when an earthquake, measuring 6,8 on the Richter Scale, ripped through a remote area in
East Turkestan, flattening hundreds of buildings, including schools.

The earthquake rocked an area around Jiashi City in the western part of East Turkestan (Xinjiang region) at
10.03 a.m. Mr Li Qianghua, an official at the Beijing Seismological Bureau, confirmed the high death toll,
blaming the poor quality of the structures in the quake-plagued area. The Xinhua press agency reported
that more than 1 000 buildings had collapsed in one village in Bachu County.