WRITTEN QUESTION P-2830/03 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Railways in Greece.
Date: 2003-09-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cohesion Fund, Community support framework, Greece, commitment of expenditure, financial management, rail network

C 65 E/228

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.3.2004

The Commission wishes to refer to Article 11 (4) (a) (v) of Council Decision 90/424/EEC. It allows
1.
for possible compensation of owners for losses incurred by farmers as a result of restrictions imposed on
the marketing of livestock and pasture-fattened animals as a result of the reintroduction of emergency
vaccination. These provisions have not been used to date.

2.
The Commission would like to emphasis that the choice of eradication strategy is not for each
individual farmer to make. The new Directive does confer more responsibility to Member States for the
success of the eradication measures but equally provides more flexibility for the Competent Authorities to
choose the most appropriate methods of control.

3.
The Honourable Member is certainly aware of the announcement made by the Member of the
Commission responsible for Health and Consumer Protection in the Agriculture Council of 22 April 2002
and further to a request of the Parliament regarding the launching of a study on ‘insurance schemes for
farmers’. This is now well advanced and the Commission expects to shortly receive the report that it
commissioned. This report should then be supplemented by consultations with the insurance sector and
other stakeholders. It is, therefore, not yet possible to consider this study as completed and further work
across sectors is required on this highly complex issue.

The Commission would like to draw the attention of the Honourable Member to the current animal
4.
health conditions for imports of meat and dairy products from third countries. Meat derived from
vaccinated animals raised and slaughtered in certain South American countries is sold on the European
market without encountering any problems relating to these aspects. However, the Commission has always
argued for the safety of these products and their wholesomeness for human consumption and will
continue to do so.

5.

The Commission wishes to refer again to Decision 90/424/EEC and Article 11 in particular.

(1) http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/03/st12/st12430-ad01en03.pdf
(2) OJ L 315, 26.11.1985.
(3) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990.

(2004/C 65 E/243)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2830/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(18 September 2003)

Subject: Railways in Greece

The modernisation of Greek railways has been a long-standing target of structural measures and has been
included in all previous support programmes. Does the Commission think that the railways programme
under the second Community Support Framework was properly implemented? What was the rate of
utilisation of funds from the initial and revised budgets for the programme? What information does it have
on the implementation of the project? What railway projects are being funded from the third Community
Support Framework and the Cohesion Fund for the programming period 2000-2006? What has been the
rate of utilisation of these funds?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2003)

The 1994-1999 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Operational Programme (OP) for the
modernisation of the Greek railways and the related Cohesion Fund projects are currently in the process of
closure in administrative terms. The total programmed ERDF contribution to the OP Railways 1994-1999
was EUR 394 million, of which so far some 92 % has been paid. Under the Cohesion Fund, 1994-1999,
EUR 546 million of assistance was approved for Greek railway projects, of which so far some 86 % has
been paid. The projects concerned primarily the modernisation of important sections of the Korinthos-
Athens-Thessaloniki railway axis and some related lines (such as Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis and
Paleofarsala-Kalambaka).

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/229

The Commission has monitored carefully the physical implementation and the contract management of
certains major projects in partnership with the national authorities. This concerned in particular track
works which included the construction of tunnels and bridges (e.g. at Kallidromo, Tembi, Platamon), and
the project for the electrification of the line. The Commission implemented a number of audits and
commissioned a series of expert opinions, the results of which will be fully taken into account for the
closure of the programme and projects concerned, which is currently underway and will determine the
definitive absorption figures for the period 1994-1999.

Most of the large railway projects launched in the previous funding period represent major long-term
the 2000-2006 ERDF
investments and accordingly their
Operational Programme ‘Railways, Airports, Urban transport’ and the Cohesion Fund railway projects of
the 2000-2006 funding period. In the current period, new projects include the modernisation of the
railway section Korinthos-Patras and the construction of the Athens suburban railway.

realisation will only be complete under

(2004/C 65 E/244)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2836/03

by Ulla Sandbæk (EDD) to the Commission

(18 September 2003)

Subject: HIV and Commission support for development of affordable microbicide

Given the alarming rise of HIV infection in women and girls and the clear need for female-controlled
prevention, can the Commission provide an update on how much support it is giving, through different
instruments, to support the development of a safe, effective and affordable microbicide?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2003)

The Sixth Framework Programme on Research and Technological Development (2002-2006) within
Priority 1 on Life sciences, Genomics and Biotechnology for Health has an action line dedicated to the
major communicable diseases linked to poverty.

This action line through two different pillars supports research on microbicides.

Firstly,
it supports projects selected through standard call procedures, using the two new instruments
(networks of excellence and integrated projects). Two integrated projects on microbicides were evaluated in
the first call for proposals and are now in the negotiation phase with the Commission. These projects
should run for five years and should develop a second generation of microbicides. One project is designed
to create a development pipeline to allow the selection of candidates from a wide range of potentially
effective agents.

Another project has a directed approach to bring a specific new class of microbicides to phase 1 clinical
trials.

European key players in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) microbicides field are assembled in these
consortia. The integration and complementarity of these two approaches place Europe in a strong strategic
position.

Secondly a joint programme with Member States and Norway, the‘European and Developing Countries
Clinical Trials Partnership’ (EDCTP) has just been launchedto develop new clinical interventions against
HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), malaria and tuberculosis
through a long-term
partnership between Europe and developing countries. In the future, clinical trials on HIV microbicides
could be tested through EDCTP programme in Africa. Actions under the public health programme of the
Community do not foresee, nor are they intended to support, the development of medicinal products.