WRITTEN QUESTION P-2722/03 by Joan Colom i Naval (PSE) to the Commission. Application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158 on protection of the Community's forests against fire.
Date: 2003-09-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, application of EU law, commitment of expenditure, distribution of EU funding, fire protection, forest conservation, payment appropriation

C 78 E/420

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(2004/C 78 E/0441)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2722/03

by Joan Colom i Naval (PSE) to the Commission

(3 September 2003)

Subject: Application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158 on protection of the Community’s forests

against fire

This summer, large areas of the southern EU countries have been seriously affected by raging fires. Council
Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 (1) of 23 July 1992 on protection of the Community’s forests against fire
expired nine months ago. Can the Commission give details of the commitment and payment appropri-
ations applying whilst the regulation was in force? Furthermore, do other Community-funded measures to
prevent fires exist? If so, what have the respective commitment and payment appropriations been?

Can the Commission provide information about the distribution of appropriations for each Member State
for at least the previous five years,
including, for Spain, a breakdown for each of the Autonomous
Communities, with regard to both Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 and any other Community-
funded measure for preventing fires?

(1) OJ L 217, 31.7.1992, p. 3.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(26 September 2003)

As the Honourable Member points out, Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on
protection of the Community’s forests against fire expired on 31 December 2002.

During the 11 years of its period of application (1992 to 2002), 798 individual projects plus 18 national
programmes enabled the Community to provide part-financing of EUR 263,6 million, i.e. the total amount
invested in protection measures in the six Member States with land presenting a fire risk (Germany,
Greece, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain) in the areas of information campaigns and the causes of fires,
monitoring, installation of tracks, firebreaks and water supply points, training specialised personnel, and
the introduction of pilot measures. Limited to 50 % in high-risk areas and 30 % in medium-risk areas,
Community commitment appropriations accounted for EUR 123,6 million or 47 % of the total cost.

The table below shows the distribution by Member State of commitment and payment appropriations
under Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 for the period 1992 to 2002.

Member State

Commitment
appropriations

Payment
appropriations

(million euros)

Germany

Greece

Spain

France

Italy

Portugal

6,4

25,2

22,6

23,5

24

21,9

Total

123,6

3,3

20,3

14,2

14,4

7,5

11,4

71,1

However, only part of the forest fire protection measures were funded under Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92.

The Structural Funds,
in the form of operational programmes (EAGGF Guidance Section) and rural
development programmes (EAGGF Guarantee Section) account for a major part of Community financing
for forest fire prevention measures.

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/421

Here the appropriations available are much higher and the Community contribution rates can be as much
as 80 % of total funding in certain Objective 1 regions.

The information which the Commission has on the Structural Funds relates to appropriation forecasts for
the period 2000 to 2006 and budget implementation in the period from 2000 to the first half of 2003.

They do not cover forest fire prevention measures alone, but all ‘forestry’ measures as provided for in
Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 (1), with the exception of afforestation of
farmland,
operational programmes and rural development programmes.

However,
afforestation) under those programmes covering high- and medium-risk areas relate to forest
prevention.

it is safe to assume that a large part of the forestry measures carried out (not including
fire

Thus the tables sent directly to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament Secretariat give the
following information for Spain, by Autonomous Community:

(cid:1) the breakdown of commitment appropriations and appropriation forecasts for the period 2000 to

2006 (2000 to 2002 in the case of Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92),

(cid:1) the breakdown of payment appropriations and appropriation execution for the period 2000 to the

first half of 2003.

It should be noted that most of the appropriations allocated to Spain under Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92
related to national measures (campaigns to inform and educate the public and surveillance) submitted by
the Ministry of the Environment.

Unlike the Structural Funds, and as was the case with the other Member States concerned by this
Regulation, public part-financing was not compulsory, and private funding could be sufficient.

The Honourable Member will note that the Spanish regions relied heavily on the Structural Funds. Only
the Basque Country made significant use of Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European
Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations, OJ L 160,
26.6.1999.

(2004/C 78 E/0442)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2746/03

by Luigi Vinci (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(10 September 2003)

Subject: Infringements of European legislation on special conservation areas and sites of Community
importance and the use of European funding for the reforestation of the Alta Murgia (Bari)

Knowing that:

(cid:1) by Ministerial Decree of 24 December 1998 the Minister for the Environment declared the Alta
Murgia, a densely forested area, a site of Community importance (Directive 92/93/EEC (1)) and a
special protection area (Directive 79/409/EEC (2)) and in order
to implement Directive 92/93
Presidential Decree No 357 of 8 September 1997 set up a special committee to assess the
environmental impact of projects on sites of Community importance.

(cid:1) the Alta Murgia is affected by an environmental disaster caused by unlawful quarries excavated
without authorisation or using illegal procedures via the Mining Office of the Apulia Region,
in
contravention of the provisions on environmental impact assessment laid down in the Presidential
Decree of 12 April 1996 and the permits concerning the landscape and the environment issued by the
Region itself.