WRITTEN QUESTION E-1572/03 by Christos Folias (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Protection of forests in the Community from fire.
Date: 2003-05-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, environmental monitoring, fire protection, forest conservation

6.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33 E/133

also participated. The organisations informed the ACRG on developments in Afghanistan and presented
their recommendations regarding return to Afghanistan this also been the case at most of the previous
four meetings thus providing the Group with helpful insights.

The Commission has never invited Afghan representatives from the Member States to the ACRG but has
relied on informal contacts with them and representation of their viewpoints by ECRE. In the case of this
particular meeting, the statement provided by the British Afghan Association to the Commission was
circulated among the ACRG and comments were invited thereon.

With regard to Afghans directly involved in the discussion on this issue, it needs to be pointed out that the
Commission fully consults with representatives of the Afghan government on all return issues. Both the
Union Special Representative together with the Head of the Bureau of the Commission in Kabul and the
Director General of the Directorate General Justice and Home Affairs of the Commission in Brussels, have
had meetings with the Afghan Minister of Refugees to this end. Furthermore, the Afghan Ambassador to
the Community has made use of our standing invitation to attend ACRG meetings several times.

(2004/C 33 E/132)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1572/03

by Christos Folias (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Protection of forests in the Community from fire

(8 May 2003)

The protection of forests from fires is a matter of particular importance and urgency for the Community in
view of the substantial contribution they make to preserving and developing farming and the countryside,
the survival of which depends in large measure on the presence and good condition of surrounding forest.
This role is under threat from fires, which affect large areas of forest every year, particularly in the
southern part of the Community.

Will the Commission therefore say what the European Community plans to do to support the volunteer
fire-fighting organisations in the Member States?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(10 June 2003)

The Commission has recognised that forests can be severely damaged by the effects of forest fires, which
mainly affect the forests of Southern Europe. Although the main responsibility for co-ordination and
implementation of any forest policy is at Member State level, the Union decided to help them in their
efforts to fight against forest fires. A scheme to protect and monitor forests against fire was consequently
established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 (1).

The scheme aimed to reduce the number of forest fire outbreaks and the extent of areas burnt through
forest protection plans prepared and implemented by Member States. The Regulation was revised several
times and expired on 31 December 2002.

for a Parliament and Council Regulation
On 15 July 2002 the Commission submitted a proposal
concerning the monitoring of forests and environmental interactions in the Community (‘Forest Focus’) (2).
The purpose of this proposal is to establish a new Community scheme on the monitoring of forests and
environmental interactions to protect Community forests against pollution and forest fires. It would last six
years (from 2003 up to 2008) and incorporate new elements in order to assess forest ecosystem
conditions in a broader context.

The proposal includes: actions related to the monitoring of forest fires and their impact on forests, studies
on the effects of fires on the forest ecosystem, and integrated and demonstration projects that could assist
in better preventing forest fires and protecting the ecosystem. The proposal does not include forest fire

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prevention measures, as these have already been incorporated for the majority of the regions of the
Southern Member States in their Rural Development Plans, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC)
No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 (3). The Community will thus continue its financial support to national
forest protection policies through Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 and ‘Forest Focus’ that together
will continue all the previous actions developed against forest fires.

On 4 March 2003 the Council reached a new political agreement on a common position for ‘Forest Focus’.
The common position will be sent to the Parliament for a second reading in accordance with the co-
decision procedure. The new agreement (cid:1) still under debate (cid:1) foresees also some special provisions for
awareness-raising campaigns and special training for agents involved in fire prevention interventions when
such measures are not yet included in the rural development programmes. A part of these funds could be
used also to co-finance organisations of volunteers, although such activities still remain under the main
responsibility of Member States and their local authorities.

(1) OJ L 217, 31.7.1992.
(2) OJ C 20 E, 28.1.2003.
(3) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2004/C 33 E/133)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1573/03

by Phillip Whitehead (PSE) to the Commission

(8 May 2003)

Subject:

‘Europe by Satellite’ and television coverage of the work of the European Institutions

Recognising the important contribution that television coverage of European affairs can make to popular
understanding of the EU institutions, would the Commission make public the statistics and information
regarding ‘Europe by Satellite’ for the last three years, namely:

1.

total hours transmitted and language versions available;

2. proportions of coverage relating to the European Parliament, European Commission, Council of

Ministers and the European Council;

3. hours take-up for rebroadcasting by commercial and public services TV stations in wider Europe,

country by country?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(2 June 2003)

The Commission is pleased to inform the Honourable Member that the information requested has already
been forwarded to Parliament’s Audiovisual service and will shortly be put on the Europa website.

However, for ease of reference, the Commission is pleased to attach the following extracts:

1. Total of Europe by Satellite (EbS) transmissions and language versions

EbS transmitted a total of 2 968 hours in 2000, 3 273 in 2001 and 3 077 in 2002. The lower figure in
2002 is due to the discontinuation of the retransmission of the day’s press conferences, because this
service was taken over by the ‘Video on Demand’ facility on EbS’s website, where all EbS material remains
available for one week after transmission.

All live transmissions are available in up to 11 official languages, depending on how many audio channels
the respective institutions can offer (Parliament offers 12 audio channels (cid:1) 1 for the original and 11 for
the interpretation into the official Union languages (cid:1) the Commission 10 and the Council 4). Parliament
and the Commission plan to offer live coverage of events in up to 25 languages in 2004.