WRITTEN QUESTION E-2850/03 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Unsatisfactory performance by building and holiday home cooperatives in Greece.
Date: 2003-09-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, acquisition of property, building industry, consumer protection, cooperative, real property

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/179

(2004/C 78 E/0185)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2850/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 September 2003)

Subject: Unsatisfactory performance by building and holiday home cooperatives in Greece

Very strong dissatisfaction is being expressed in Greece by members of building and holiday home
cooperatives who maintain that, having paid annual and lump sum contributions over long periods, they
have not yet obtained building plots. One example of
this is the Medical Staff Summer Property
Cooperative situated in Athens (Odos Rizari 17), founded in 1965 and officially recognised in 1968 by the
Greek Social Affairs Ministry. It has 3090 members. However, after a period of over 35 years its members
(doctors and medical staff) maintain that they have not yet obtained building plots despite payment of
their annual contributions to the cooperative, together with additional lump sum payments amounting to
hundreds of thousands of drachmae each (at early 1980s prices).

What view does the Commission take of the fact that nationals of an EU Member State have for 35 years
or more been paying contributions and subscriptions to a building cooperative without yet obtaining from
it the building plots to which they are entitled? What legal measures can be taken to protect the interests
of the thousands of members of this and other cooperatives which have been collecting subscriptions for
years (or, as claimed by the members of this particular association, for decades) without any building plots
having yet been obtained?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(11 November 2003)

There is no relevant European legislation covering the situation described by the Honourable Member. The
provisions of Directive 94/47/EC on the protection of purchasers in respect of certain aspects of contracts
relating to the purchase of the right to use immovable properties on a timeshare basis do not apply to
cooperatives. Timeshare amounts to buying a right to spend a set period of time once a year in a holiday
property for three years or longer. The purchase of a plot in a building or holiday home cooperative does
not limit the enjoyment of this plot to a set annual period of time.

The Commission has no jurisdiction to deal with private matters, such as those raised in the question
asked by the Honourable Member, which, on the basis of the information provided, appears to be a
contractual matter solely for the national authorities concerned.

(2004/C 78 E/0186)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2855/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(18 September 2003)

Subject: Biocidal Products Directive

Was it the Commission’s intention in proposing and agreeing the Biocidal Products Directive BPD 98/8/
EC (1) to ban the production of natural products that have been used for many years such as barley straw
matting for clearing algae from domestic ponds? Does the Commission agree with the interpretation of the
UK Health and Safety Executive that barley straw must be covered by the Directive, and that it must
therefore undergo a full analysis of its active ingredients before it can be reintroduced to the market?