WRITTEN QUESTION E-1812/03 by Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Electrical power line in Northern Catalonia.
Date: 2003-06-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Catalonia, France, electrical energy, energy grid, energy policy, project of common interest, soft energy, trans-European network

26.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 51 E/143

Under the programme, it is planned to create grants for Masters-level courses, subject to the condition that
the courses should be offered in at least two of the EU’s official languages. This would have the effect of
marginalising the Catalan language in the teaching of Masters and other courses. Catalan, despite being the
native tongue of more than 7 million people and an official language in Catalonia, the Valencia region and
the Balearic islands, has still not been granted official status at EU level. The Catalan language will,
therefore, not be eligible for the above-mentioned aids. This amounts to yet another blow against the long-
established Catalan language and culture (cid:1) even more so considering that Barcelona, in which university-
level teaching is carried out mainly in Catalan, receives more Erasmus students than any other university
town in the Spanish state.

Does the Council intend to take action to correct the adverse effects of this policy on the teaching of

1.
Catalan (and other European languages) at university level?

Does the Council believe this policy to be compatible with the Commission’s efforts to promote

2.
multilingualism and the learning of non-majority languages in the Member States?

Reply

(2 October 2003)

The Council would like to emphasise the fact that neither the original Commission proposal on the
Erasmus Mundus programme, nor the common position adopted by the Council on 16 June 2003, lay
down conditions as regards the languages of instruction for Erasmus Mundus Masters programmes.
Moreover, compliance with the principle of subsidiarity and the basic principle of the autonomy of higher
education establishments involved in such progammes preclude any such requirement.

Furthermore, recital 7 of the common position highlights the importance of the principle of the linguistic
diversity in the Union’s relations with third countries and the annex states that such Masters are ‘without
prejudice to the language of instruction, provide for the use of at least two European languages spoken in
the Member States where the higher education institutions involved in the Erasmus Mundus Masters
Course are situated and, as appropriate, for language preparation and assistance for students.’ (Action 1:
Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses, paragraph 2(i)).

(2004/C 51 E/158)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1812/03

by Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Electrical power line in Northern Catalonia

(2 June 2003)

The French electricity carrier RTE wishes to create a third (400 000-volt) electrical power line, linking the
French and Spanish states through Northern Catalonia (i.e. the territory which forms part of the French
region of Languedoc-Roussillon). At present, two ultra-high tension (400 000-volt) lines (THT lines) link
the Spanish state to nuclear power stations in France via the Pyrenees (Cantagrità-Herman on the western
side and Bajara-Vic on the eastern side). There are also two 225 000-volt lines (Pragueres-Biescas and
Arkale-Mougerre).

With this new line. the French public-sector electricity company EDF (‘Electricité de France’) hopes to
strengthen its commercial position in the Iberian peninsula. The agreement between the Spanish and
French governments provides for participation in the Hidrocantábrico company by the German electricity
company E-Bw, which is owned by EDF, in exchange for measures from the French authorities to permit
the reinforcement of the existing links between the two states.

The territory of Northern Catalonia is crossed (or will be in the future) by lines and links of multiple kinds:
the THT line, the high-speed rail line, the Rhône-Barcelona aqueduct, the dual-carriageway motorway, the
gas pipeline, etc. The present project is being fiercely contested in the territory’s social and political
milieux: the ‘Conseil Général’ (‘département’ council) and the municipal councils of all 41 local authorities
affected have expressed their opposition, banding together under the slogan ‘400 000 volts (cid:1) no thanks!’.
It is argued that the line will damage farmland and create electromagnetic fields which will have an adverse
effect on the inhabitants’ health. Its construction will also provide a justification for the French state to
retain its nuclear power stations and, indeed, to build more.

C 51 E/144

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

26.2.2004

Does the Commission consider this to be a priority project in the context of the trans-European energy
networks? Does it intend that it should be cofinanced?

Does the Commission believe this project to be compatible with the promotion of sustainable development
(as one of the pillars of the Lisbon process) or the policy of promoting alternative energy sources?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(24 July 2003)

The electrical power line in northern Catalonia must be seen in the context of strengthening the electrical
interconnection capacity between France and Spain. In this respect, the Commission would point out that
the proposed new interconnection between France and Spain is one of the priority energy network
projects agreed upon at the Essen Summit back in 1994.

The need for the overland electricity link between the grids of the two countries across south-western
France and northern Spain was confirmed in 1996 by the adoption of the guidelines for the trans-
European energy networks.

On 4 June 2003, Parliament approved the revision of these guidelines on the second reading. Among the
priority links for the energy networks, the revision provides for the EL3 link, which is concerned with
strengthening electrical interconnection capacity between France, Spain and Portugal.

In addition, according to these revised guidelines the following projects are specifically included among the
projects of common interest (in Annex III):

(cid:1) 2.8. New interconnection across the Pyrenees between France and Spain;

(cid:1) 2.9. Connection across the western Pyrenees between France and Spain.

In conclusion, it is absolutely clear that a plan for a power line linking France and Spain through northern
Catalonia is a priority project within the meaning of the trans-European networks policy.

A project of this kind is also in line with the Lisbon Process since it resolve the problem of a major
in electricity between the Iberian
bottleneck by allowing more competition in the internal market
Peninsula and the rest of the Union.

A project of this kind is not an obstacle to the promotion of renewable energy since any substantial
increase in electricity from wind power in Spain has to be backed up by a properly developed transmission
grid, in particular to make up for any temporary but unforeseeable losses of wind power.

Finally, the Commission would point out that several activities relating to electricity interconnections
between France and Spain have received funding since 1995 in the framework of the Regulation on
financial support for the trans-European networks, in particular technical and environmental studies for
the interconnection project between France and Spain across the western Pyrenees. For the latter project,
funding of nearly EUR 400 000 was agreed upon in 2000.

(2004/C 51 E/159)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1818/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(2 June 2003)

Subject: Particulates

Will the Commission state whether there is a European framework for the assessment of air pollution near
to roads, and if so what it is? Will it further describe the principal limits for the substances regarded as
most damaging to health? What is the process of testing and assessment of compliance with such limits?
What plans if any does the Commission have to revise such limits in the light of recent scientific research?