WRITTEN QUESTION E-1900/03 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission. Nitrate pollution in the Valencia region.
Date: 2003-06-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community of Valencia, application of EU law, chemical salt, environmental standard, groundwater, public health, quality standard, water pollution

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/53

(cid:1) A table with market capitalisation is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s
Secretariat. Stock market capitalisation (end of period, in billion ECU/euro, and percentage of gross
domestic product (GDP) only annual figures) is calculated by multiplying the volume of shares quoted
on the stock market by their market value. The series covers common and preferred shares, and shares
without voting rights. Excluded are investment
funds; rights, warrants, convertible instruments;
options, futures; listed foreign shares; companies whose only business goal is to hold shares of other
listed companies. Euro-zone and EU-15 aggregates are the sum of the individual countries available.
Since 2001, the Euronext series replace the national series of Belgium, France and the Netherlands in
the calculation of the European aggregates. From 2002, onwards this is also the case for Portugal. The
United States data comprises the NYSE and Nasdaq exchanges, while Japan data comprises only the
Tokyo exchange. Cross-country comparisons should be treated with caution, because of different
national definitions, reporting rules and calculation methods. On 22 September 2000, the stock
exchanges of Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam merged to form a new stock exchange called Euronext.
End 2002 the stock exchanges of Oporto and Lisbon joint also Euronext. The data of this series are
consolidated. Historical series start in general in 1991 apart from the series of Portugal, Ireland and
Greece. The series of the Netherlands and Portugal stop in January 2002.

(2004/C 78 E/0051)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1900/03

by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Nitrate pollution in the Valencia region

(6 June 2003)

Despite the various procedures for non-compliance which the Commission has initiated and the various
judgments issued by the European Court of Justice (1), Spain (and, in particular, the Valencia Regional
Government) repeatedly fails to meet the standards applicable to water and nitrates.

According to data recently published by Miliarium (2), a total of 192 aquifers in various parts of the
Community are still at risk of nitrate pollution, with Valencia province (with 152 ‘blackspots’) being the
worst affected.

Discharges of harmful substances (mainly nitrates) originate in factories, urban-waste dumps and intensive
farming practices involving excessive use of manure and fertilisers.

Since a quantity of nitrate exceeding 10 milligrammes per litre is (according to some estimates) sufficient
to produce a detrimental effect on human health, Miliarium’s recent measurements (cid:1) according to which
the 192 aquifers affected contain between 50 and 100 milligrammes per litre (cid:1) are particularly worrying.
In this connection, particular attention should be drawn to the disturbing measurements taken from the
waters of the river Vinalopó, where the nitrate concentration has been found to exceed 100 milligrammes
per litre.

Since the European Court of Justice judgments have had little effect on the attitudes of Spain’s central and
regional authorities in this area, and since people’s health is being put at risk (whereby the right to public
health as laid down in the treaties is not being upheld), what further action is the Commission intending to
take in order to ensure that water-quality standards are met in the Valencia region and in Spain as a
whole?

(1) Case C-214/96 for failure to comply with Directive 76/464/EEC; Case C-71/97 and Case C-274/98 for failure to

comply with Directive 91/676/EEC.

(2) http://www.miliarium.com/monografías/nitratos.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(4 August 2003)

The Commission was not aware of the data published by Miliarium and mentioned by the Honourable
Member in this written question. However, this data will be fully considered in light of the information
already in its possession in order to be able to verify whether the Spanish Authorities are correctly
applying Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against
pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (1).

C 78 E/54

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

The Honourable Member might wish to note that the Commission has already started infringement
proceedings against Spain for the failure to designate a sufficient number of vulnerable zones in various
Autonomous Communities, among them the Valencian Community. Within the framework of these
infringement proceedings, the Commission has sent a letter of formal notice to the Spanish authorities.
Their reply is currently under assessment.

the Commission is investigating the application of

In the same way,
the relevant dispositions of
Community Law in the field of water protection by the Spanish authorities, in particular Council Directive
91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991, concerning urban waste-water treatment (2). Consequently, the Commission
will adopt all measures necessary in order to ensure that these dispositions are properly observed.

(1) OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.
(2) OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.

(2004/C 78 E/0052)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1906/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 June 2003)

Subject: Credibility of televoting and its cost to the European public

In recent years, the use of ‘televoting’ has become widespread, giving viewers the impression that they are
directly taking part in events on the screen.

Recently (24 May 2003), something similar also occurred in the Eurovision Song Contest where (cid:1)
supposedly (cid:1) European viewers voted for the ‘best song’. ‘Voting’ took place using dedicated lines and text
messaging and lasted a total of only five minutes. The results (cid:1) supposedly again (cid:1) gave Turkey first
place, while the Greek and Cypriot press described as extremely strange the totally unexpected high
number of votes which Cyprus gave Turkey via (cid:1) again supposedly (cid:1) televoting. However, no details
were announced of how many had ‘voted’ in each country and what independent authority had verified
the reliability of the ‘voting’. Furthermore,
telephone ‘voting’ and text messaging are generally very
expensive services, costing in Greece on the evening of the contest up to almost EUR 0,50 (before VAT)
per call or message.

Is there any Community legislation covering televoting, the method of checking the reliability of the results
and the charge to each consumer using this service? Does the Commission consider,
in general, that
televoting is credible?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(4 August 2003)

There is no Community instrument regulating voting procedures used in connection with broadcast
programmes. The Commission has no information about the reliability of SMS services for the purpose of
televoting. It would be up to the organiser of the vote to ensure that the reliability of the method is
commensurate with the interests at stake. The price of SMS messages is determined by the market, subject
to any national obligations requiring service providers to give users prior information about the applicable
tariffs.