WRITTEN QUESTION E-0757/03 by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Action against avoidable blindness.
Date: 2003-03-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, EU programme, European Union, developing countries, disease prevention, financial aid, health policy, physically disabled person, poverty

7.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 268 E/127

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(10 April 2003)

the national authorities.
The organisation of
Accordingly, the Commission does not believe there is any provision under Community law to help local
residents with the problem raised by the Honourable Member.

traffic on local roads falls within the jurisdiction of

(2003/C 268 E/127)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0757/03

by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 March 2003)

Subject: Action against avoidable blindness

‘Vision 2020: The Right to Sight’ is a worldwide campaign that aims to eliminate all avoidable blindness by
2020. The aim of the campaign is to give effect in the 21st century to the motto that everyone has the
right to sight, a right that must not be taken away by poverty or by lack of information or care.

90 % of blind people live in the Third World, and 80 % of the world’s blindness could have been avoidaed
or cured. Cataracts can be removed. Trachoma, an infectious disease that causes blindness mostly in
women and children living in areas lacking in clean water, can be avoided and cured. It is hoped that river
blindness will be eliminated by 2007. In west Africa the illness has already been brought under control.
Few campaigns have had so much success with so little resources.

Is the Commission prepared to make the fight against all forms of blindness in the world a priority?

If so, in what way?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2003)

The Commission is aware of the burden of disease due to avoidable blindness in developing countries. The
global burden of serious visual
impairment is estimated to be some 150 million people with some
40 million of them blind (visual acuity less than 3/60). As stated, 90 % of the blind live in developing
countries and 80 % of the world’s blindness can be prevented or cured. Besides the profound effects on the
health of
those affected, blindness has severe economic consequences in the community. Cataract,
trachoma and glaucoma together account for more than 70 % of the world’s blindness. Other important
causes such as xerophtalmia (Vitamin A deficiency), onchocerciasis in West Africa and leprosy, could be
eradicated. As ageing and urbanisation changes the disease pattern in many developing countries, other
causes of blindness such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration are expected to increase further
the burden of blindness.

The Commission supports the strengthening of health systems, which are the key to effective and
sustainable prevention and care of most causes of blindness. Water supply and sanitation is another
essential element to reduce the incidence of trachoma, and here the Commission has programmed over
EUR 600 million in support. The Commission has also supported with EUR 4,5 million from the
the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control where
8th European Development Fund (EDF),
Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,
the Netherlands, Portugal and the United
Kingdom are also donors.

Italy, Luxembourg,

C 268 E/128

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

7.11.2003

As regards the Community, a number of projects relating to problems of sight have been subsidised under
the Community health monitoring programme (1997-2002):

(cid:1) projects to develop a set of indicators for the Community covering most of the aspects of health,

including vision (ECHI, Euro-REVES, etc.);

(cid:1) projects to monitor risk factors, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which are common

causes of visual impairment and even blindness.

Under the new Community public health programme (2003-2008), one of the priority areas for 2003 is
obesity, a risk factor in cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

(2003/C 268 E/128)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0762/03

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 March 2003)

Subject: Preservation of the Biebrza Marshes in north-eastern Poland

There are reports that a major road-building project is planned for north-eastern Poland which will involve
the routing of the Via Baltica through the Biebrza National Park as well as the primeval forests of
Augustow and Knyszyn. The reports also suggest that the road will be partly or wholly financed with EU
funds. The Biebrza Marshes are considered to be one of Europe’s most important wetland areas, and are
home to an extraordinarily wide variety of birds, including Black and White storks, eagles, goshawks,
cranes, corncrakes, terns, rosefinches, bluethroats and kites, as well as other types of fauna. The World
Wildlife Fund has been involved in a ten-year conservation project designed to protect the area.

Are these reports correct, and, if so, has the Commission discussed the routing of the road with the Polish
authorities, including the possibility of using one of the many alternative routings? Has Poland agreed to
be bound by the requirements of EU environmental directives prior to accession, and will EU funds for
construction projects prior to accession in all the candidate countries be conditional upon respect for EU
environmental legislation?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(15 April 2003)

The ‘Via Baltica’ is one of the road branches of Corridor I, defined at the second Pan-European Transport
Conference in Crete in 1994. In January 1996, a High Level Working Party on Via Baltica was set up and
this has identified the needs for upgrading the road and to try to co-ordinate the investments through
national budgets, loans and Community funds. The Via Baltica road mainly follows already existing road
alignments.

The Pan-European Transport Corridor concept outlines the geography of transport development, it does
not define transport projects. It is clear that in the first instance, the Polish Government is responsible for
the construction and maintenance of any infrastructure on its territory.

From a legal point of view, Community legislation will only apply in the new Member States from
accession onwards. However, the Commission takes the view that they should apply and implement the
provisions of
In other words, all new
investments should respect Community environmental law.

‘acquis’ during the pre-accession period.

the environmental

The Commission wishes to underline that no Instrument for Structural policies for Pre-accession (ISPA)
funding has been provided for the construction of a motorway across the Biebrza National Park in Poland.
Furthermore, no such project features in the current project pipeline. In cases where Community pre-
accession funding of large infrastructure developments is involved, ‘similar standards’ as set by Community
environmental legislation need to be applied before any Commission funding is given to the Candidate
Countries. This would include the provisions of Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (Council