WRITTEN QUESTION E-3321/03 by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission. Malta's temporary landfills.
Date: 2003-11-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Malta, accession to the European Union, heritage protection, storage of waste

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/519

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(19 December 2003)

A one-week event on the theme of responsible consumption took place at the Commission from 6 to
10 October 2003. The week was organised to coincide with the ‘Fair Trade’ week in Belgium and in
collaboration with the Fair Trade Centre (cid:1) which co-ordinates the activities of the Belgian Fair Trade
Organisations. The organisation of this event is the result of a commitment made by the Commission in its
Communication on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (1) to launch a campaign in 2003 to raise staff
awareness of the principles of CSR.

During the event, fair trade products were offered for sale in the restaurants and cafeterias, vending
machines and the Euro City shop of the Commission in Brussels. Products offered were coffee, tea, fruit
juices, sugar, cereal and chocolate bars, rice, quince and bananas.

The Parliament was associated with the promotion and fair trade products were offered for sale in its
restaurants and bars, as the Honourable Member will know.

The Employment and Social Affairs DG of the Commission provided a budget of EUR 30 000 that was
used for producing promotional material (brochures, posters, etc.) and for organising food-tasting stands
offering fair trade products.

The object of the week was to reinforce staff awareness of the issues relating to CSR and responsible
consumption by offering them information on this subject as well as the chance to buy fair trade products
at their workplace.

Initial reactions from Commission staff to the products offered have been positive, especially regarding
coffee, tea, cereal and chocolate bars and fruit juices. Sales of these products have been substantial. The
overall results of the event will be evaluated at the end of 2003.

The companies holding the concession contracts for the Commission’s restaurants and cafeterias, vending
machines and the Euro City shop have committed themselves to continue to offer these fair trade products
for as long as there is sufficient demand.

(1) COM(2002) 347 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0540)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3321/03

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission

(10 November 2003)

Subject: Malta’s temporary landfills

To comply with the EU Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC (1)), the government of Malta announced, on 8 July
2003, that two quarries for the dumping of domestic and organic waste are to be set up as temporary
landfills, until an engineered landfill at Tal-Ghallis is built by 2005. The choice of the two identified
quarries has raised serious objections, since they are only a few hundred metres away from the Unesco
World Heritage Site Mnajdra and Hagar Qim Megalithic temples and this area has been earmarked as a
Heritage Park for a long time.

Can the Commission confirm whether it has been informed by the Maltese government about the choice
of the two temporary sites and whether it considers that this temporary solution complies with the
(current and future) Member States’ commitment to safeguard and enhance Europe’s cultural heritage?

(1) OJ L 182, 16.7.1999, p. 1.

C 78 E/520

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(23 December 2003)

The Commission has not been informed by the Maltese governance about the planned landfills in Malta.

In the accession negotiations, Malta gave its commitment to meet the provisions of the Landfill Directive (1)
from 1 May 2004. In the run-up to this date the Commission will be monitoring Malta’s progress with the
transposition and implementation of
the Landfill Directive and the commitments given during
negotiations.

Concerning the protection of nature and cultural patrimony in the area of the temporary landfills, the
decision of where to locate the landfills remains with the national authorities but must meet the general
requirements given in Annex I of the Directive.

Once Malta becomes a Member State then the Commission will ensure compliance with this Directive in
the same way as it does for all other Member States.

(1) Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste.

(2004/C 78 E/0541)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3322/03

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 November 2003)

Subject: Vice-President Kinnock and indications of irregularities at Eurostat

In a document passed on to Directors-General Brüner and Reichenbach on 31 August 2001 (‘File on
possible irregularities in many Commission services’), Paul van Buitenen also drew attention to numerous
irregularities in connection with Eurostat.

Van Buitenen informed the two Directors-General, inter alia, of the existence of an audit report describing
the practice, at Eurostat, of creating concealed cash reserves.

He also reported indications that a director of Eurostat had been guilty of numerous derelictions of duty.

When did Mr Kinnock (cid:1) the Commission Vice-President responsible for disciplinary issues (cid:1) receive the
copy of the document in question?

Were members of his cabinet also given the opportunity to read it? If so, when?

What steps did Mr Kinnock take to obtain a copy of the audit report concerned?

What steps did Mr Kinnock take to have the accusations against the director investigated? What was the
outcome?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(19 January 2004)

On 31 August 2001, Mr Van Buitenen submitted to the Director-General of the Antifraud Office (OLAF)
and to the Director-General of the Commission’s Directorate General (DG) Administration and Personnel
(ADMIN) a 5 000-page dossier. The dossier was later established by OLAF and ADMIN to contain
270 identifiable allegations.

As the Honourable Member will know from previous Parliamentary answers and Statements,
the
Vice-President of the Commission in charge of Personnel and Administration, Mr Kinnock, received a
copy of this document from DG ADMIN in early September 2001 in his capacity of Appointing Authority
for senior officials referred to in the document.