WRITTEN QUESTION E-1857/03 by Brian Simpson (PSE) to the Commission. Protecting slots for regional air routes.
Date: 2003-06-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: airline, common transport policy, market access, organisation of transport, regional transport, services of general interest

C 84 E/478

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

(2004/C 84 E/0553)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1830/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(2 June 2003)

Subject: Letters to the Greek authorities regarding the proper use of Community funds and compliance

with Community (regional policy) legislation

Can the Commission say how many letters it has sent to the Greek authorities since 1994 and from whom
(Commissioners, directors-general or heads of division) concerning the proper use of Community funds
and the transposition and proper implementation of Community regional policy legislation?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(7 July 2003)

Under the partnership principle a flow of inquiries and information between the Commission and national
authorities in connection with implementation of Community programmes is standard management
practice.

For both Greece and the other Member States the exchanges, which occur on an almost daily basis, can be
made by various means, including letters signed by a Commissioner or Director-General.

Dispatch of such letters is a routine matter given the Member States’ accountability for utilisation of
Community funds in line with the rules drawn up at Community level.

(2004/C 84 E/0554)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1857/03

by Brian Simpson (PSE) to the Commission

(3 June 2003)

Subject: Protecting slots for regional air routes

Could the Commission clarify the position in regard to how regional air routes can have their slots
protected under the current air slot regulations?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(7 July 2003)

Community law provides for the protection of regional services in two ways. Firstly, the Community rules
on market access (Council Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92 of 23 July 1992 on access for Community air
carriers to intra-Community air routes (1), Article 4) provide for governments to be able to impose the
so-called public service obligations on routes within the Community in the periphery and the regions, for
which air transport is vital for their development. For routes where a public obligation has been imposed
and which are domestic, the Community rules on slot allocation (Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 of
18 January 1993 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports (2)) provide that
Member States may reserve slots at fully coordinated airports (Article 9 § 1(b) of the Regulation). For non-
domestic routes, where a public service obligation has been imposed, there is no possibility to reserve
slots. Secondly, for routes, which do not benefit from a public service obligation but connect regional

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Official Journal of the European Union

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airports on the territory of a Member State with a fully coordinated airport, the rules on slot allocation
(Article 9 § 1(a) and § 3 of the Regulation) give Member States the right to reserve slots only under certain
conditions. Accordingly, slots for such routes could be reserved, only if the routes in question were
operated in 1993, when the slot Regulation entered into force, and if the Member State concerned had
communicated the list of the routes benefiting from this regime.

(1) OJ L 240, 24.8.1992.
(2) OJ L 14, 22.1.1993.

(2004/C 84 E/0555)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1886/03

by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(27 May 2003)

Subject: Iraqi cultural heritage

According to press reports, the Baghdad National Museum and the Mosul Museum have been primary
targets for looting. To date, over 170 000 ancient exhibits have been stolen.

What steps will the Commission take to safeguard Iraq’s cultural heritage and to locate the stolen exhibits?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(20 June 2003)

The Commission is deeply concerned by the looting and the destruction of a large number of
archaeological treasures in the National Archaeological Museum of Baghdad. The Commission supports
the views expressed by Unesco in the call issued on 17 April 2003, which deplored the extensive damages
to the cultural heritage of Iraq, and recommended measures to stop the traffic of cultural objects exported
illicitly.

The Commission is confident that all measures will be taken by the coalition forces, as present the
responsible authority in Iraq, so that further destruction is avoided. In this respect, the Commission is
preparing a draft regulation to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483, which
repeals the sanctions imposed on Iraq trade. The Commission is considering the possibility of introducing
a ban on the import of cultural objects from Iraq, according to the relevant article of Resolution 1483.

(2004/C 84 E/0556)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1936/03

by Anne Jensen (ELDR) to the Commission

(13 June 2003)

Subject: Port safety

The USA lays down requirements concerning the level of safety in European ports from which ships
depart for American ports. This seems in actual fact to have meant the USA concluding agreements with,
and giving priority to, selected European ports which it considers ‘safe’. At the same time, the USA refuses
to have anything to do with other ports which are considered ‘unsafe’. This gives some European ports an
unfair competitive advantage over others.

What action does the Commission intend to take to remedy this problem? For example, will it propose
legislation making European ports acceptable to the USA? What would be the main features of such
legislation? When does it expect to take an initiative in this area?