WRITTEN QUESTION E-2025/03 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Clophen leakage.
Date: 2003-06-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, action for failure to fulfil an obligation, decontamination, operational programme, toxic substance, waste disposal, waste management

C 51 E/182

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

26.2.2004

The Honourable Member is doubtless aware that Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1587/98 provided for a
detailed evaluation of the impact of the implementation of the special measures adopted for the fisheries
sector in those regions to be made by 1 June 2001.

To date, that evaluation has not yet been placed before the Parliament and the Council.

Pending the relevant report the Council, acting on a Commission proposal, has seen fit to extend the
scheme by one year,
i.e. until 31 December 2002 (Regulation No 579/2002), in order to ensure the
continuity of its legal framework.

The Council has not yet received an appropriate proposal from the Commission concerning arrangements
for the scheme with effect from 1 January 2003.

(2004/C 51 E/202)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2025/03

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(17 June 2003)

Subject: Clophen leakage

Following the recent leakage of clophen in an electricity plant in the basement of a building in Syntagma
Square (Greece), will the Commission say what stage has been reached in the infringement proceedings it
initiated against Greece in April 2000, because the latter omitted to submit inventories of equipment with
PCB, a plan for the disposal of such equipment and outlines for the collection and subsequent disposal of
equipment which is not subject to inventory, in accordance with Articles 4.1 and 11 of Directive 96/59/
EC (1)? Is the Commission aware of the whereabouts and use made since 1994 of the millions of euros set
aside in the operational programme on the environment for the management and disposal of toxic waste?

(1) OJ L 243, 24.9.1996, p. 31.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(7 August 2003)

Article 4(1) of Council Directive 96/59/EC of 16 September 1996 on the disposal of polychlorinated
biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCB/PCT) requires Member States to establish an inventory of
equipment containing more than five cubic decimetres (5 dm3) of PCBs and to submit a summary of such
inventory to the Commission. In addition, according to Article 11 of the Directive, Member States have to
draw up and communicate to the Commission plans for the decontamination and/or disposal of
inventoried equipment and the PCBs contained therein and outlines for the collection and subsequent
disposal of equipment which is not subject to inventory in accordance with Article 4(1).

In its judgement delivered on 5 June 2003 (case C-83/02), the Court of Justice declared that ‘by failing to
draw up, within the prescribed period, summaries of inventories of equipment with PCB volumes of more
than 5 dm3, plans for the decontamination and/or disposal of
inventoried equipment and the PCBs
contained therein, and outlines for the collection and subsequent disposal of equipment which is not
subject
in accordance with Articles 4(1) and 11 of Council Directive 96/59/EC of
16 September 1996 on the disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCB/
PCT), the Hellenic Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations under that Directive’.

to inventory,

According to Article 228 of the EC Treaty, Greece must take the necessary measures to comply with the
judgment of the Court of Justice. If Greece fails to take the necessary measures to comply with the Court’s
judgment, the Commission could open an infringement procedure under Article 228.

The Operational Programme for Environment for the period 1994-1999 included indeed a measure
(measure 2,5) with a Community aid of circa EUR 32 million for projects related to waste and toxic waste
management.

26.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 51 E/183

the Greek authorities co-financed mainly projects and actions related to non
Under this measure,
hazardous waste. The Commission has received the list of projects co-financed and their respective budgets
and would be pleased to supply a copy of it to the Honourable Member upon his request.

(2004/C 51 E/203)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2037/03

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

(18 June 2003)

Subject: Turkey’s denial that it is engaged in genocide against the Armenian people

Over the last few months the Turkish authorities’ policy of denying that they are engaged in genocide
against the Armenian people is becoming increasingly aggressive. According to the European Armenian
Federation for Justice and Democracy the Turkish Government
is
conducting a campaign to counter accusations that it is engaged in genocide against the Armenians. The
Ministry is organising indoctrination seminars for teachers and civil servants with a view to ensuring that,
in the nation’s classrooms, teachers deny that genocide is taking place (even if, in so doing, they restrict
their freedom of speech). Furthermore, in a decree of 14 April, the Ministry called upon primary and
secondary schools to organise lectures conveying the message that, in Turkey, neither Armenians nor any
other peoples against whom genocide has been perpetrated have ever suffered persecution of any nature.
Teachers have also been called upon to encourage their pupils to write essays on the topic of ‘fighting the
genocide accusations’.

(through its Education Ministry)

The distortion of historical truth in the classroom is a practice which runs counter to European education
standards. Furthermore, a genocide-denial policy goes against European values relating to the protection of
human rights and of minorities (and, therefore, against the Copenhagen political criteria).

Does the Council consider the Turkish authorities’ policy of denial to be compatible with the principles
laid down in the Cooperation Agreement and with Turkey’s acceptance as a candidate for EU membership?

Does the Council not think that public acknowledgement by the current Turkish authorities of the
genocide being perpetrated against the Armenian people (as recognised by the European Parliament in
June 1987 in its resolution A2-0033/87 (1) and in various subsequent resolutions) should be an essential
requirement to be met prior to the start of any accession negotiations with Turkey in the near future?

(1) OJ C 190, 20.7.1987, p. 119.

Reply

(13 October 2003)

The Council

1.
is fully aware of the sensitivity of the questions concerning the treatment of the
Armenian people under the Ottoman empire and is conversant with the resolutions of the European
Parliament on the subject of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

2.
The requirements to be met by Turkey in order to enable a decision to open accession negotiations
are specified in the political part of the revised Turkey accession partnership, which the Council adopted in
May this year. The genocide issue is not addressed there.

3.
The Council welcomes, however, contacts between Armenia and Turkey with a view to improving
understanding on both sides. Under the Association agreements both with Turkey and with Armenia and
in the framework of enhanced political dialogue, the Council is encouraging Turkey to work towards
establishing good neighbourly relations with Armenia.