WRITTEN QUESTION E-3384/03 by Gianfranco Dell'Alba (NI), Emma Bonino (NI),Marco Cappato (NI), Benedetto Della Vedova (NI),Olivier Dupuis (NI), Marco Pannella (NI)and Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Corridor 5.
Date: 2003-11-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, common transport policy, road network, trans-European network

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/535

EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (2). The obligations
arising from Article 6(2), (3) and (4) of Directive 92/43/EEC therefore apply. In addition, the situation
reported by the Honourable Member might also constitute an infringement of Directive 85/337/EEC (3), as
amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 on the assessment of the effects of certain
public and private projects on the environment (4).

Examination of the information transmitted by the Honourable Member shows that the Greek authorities
have begun the procedure for assessing the environmental impact of the plan to expand the petroleum
installations in question. The plan is intended to modernise the existing installations and to improve the
treatment system for waste produced there. At present, on the basis of the information available, the
Commission does not believe that Directive 85/337/EEC has been infringed. If the Honourable Member
has further information showing that an infringement has been committed, the Commission would ask
him to forward such information to it.

Regarding the presumed infringement of the obligations arising from Article 6(2), (3) and (4) of Directive
92/43/EEC, it should be noted that the installation in question is not located within the boundaries of the
protected site, but clearly outside it. Moreover, as the project’s objective is to modernise the existing
installations, it is unlikely to have a serious adverse impact on the site. The project is the subject of an
environmental impact assessment.

The Commission will check to see whether there is a coherent, specific and comprehensive legal
framework ensuring the sustainable management and effective protection of Amvrakikos Gulf, having
regard to the conservation objectives of Directives 79/409/EEC and 92/43/EEC.

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.
(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.
(3) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(4) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.

(2004/C 78 E/0557)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3384/03

by Gianfranco Dell’Alba (NI), Emma Bonino (NI),
Marco Cappato (NI), Benedetto Della Vedova (NI),
Olivier Dupuis (NI), Marco Pannella (NI)
and Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(17 November 2003)

Subject: Corridor 5

The Italian (‘Trans-Padania’) leg of Corridor 5, which is to link Lisbon and Kiev and thereby ensure
optimum east-west transport conditions in southern Europe,
is important to the European and Italian
facets of the economy of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region and the city of Trieste.

The Trieste node is of particular importance in terms of links with the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe and as an ideal point of passage for east-west road and rail traffic south of the Alps.

Despite numbering among the Transeuropean projects originally proposed by the Commission, it seems
that the Venice-Trieste-Capodistria-Ljubljana-Budapest section has unexpectedly been discarded from the
slimmed-down ‘quick list’, which could jeopardise a prompt launch of the project.

Can the Commission urgently explain the reasons for this step backwards and indicate whether this means
it has revised its position?

C 78 E/536

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(12 January 2004)

On 1 October 2003, the Commission adopted a proposal to amend the guidelines for the development of
the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) (1). This proposal includes a list of priority projects declared
to be ‘of European interest’, which includes project No 6 (high-speed train/combined transport) Lyon-
Turin-Milan-Venice-Triest-Ljubljana-Budapest (Annex III to the proposal for a decision). This demonstrates
the Commission’s interest in this project which is of key importance for improving links between the
central part of the European Union and the new Member States.

The information supplied by the Member States on this project, which is given in Annex III, shows that
building work on most of the sections will not start before 2010-2015, i.e. well outside the criteria defined
for the Growth Initiative, which stated that the projects should begin by 2006. It was therefore not
possible to include all the projects in the quick-start programme. However, two sections have been
included as they fit in with this framework: the international section St Jean de Maurienne-Bussoleno
(Mont Cenis tunnel between France and Italy), where preparatory work is already in progress, and the
Ljubljana-Budapest section, where construction is due to start by 2005.

If it appears that other sections meet the same criteria, the programme could be extended in accordance
with the procedure laid down for its establishment.

The Commission wishes to stress that the Growth Initiative does not in any way weaken its proposal of
1 October 2003, which will be adopted by the co-legislators under the co-decision procedure.

(1) COM(2003) 564 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0558)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3390/03

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(10 November 2003)

Subject: VAT on tailoring

Ecofin has set the end of 2003 as the expiry date for the lower rate of 8 % VAT applying to the traditional
tailoring trade, a sector now in decline. Will the Commission say will happen after that date? Is the
Commission in favour of increasing the rate of VAT on tailoring? In any event, what measures will the
Commission take to aid and bolster this vulnerable sector?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(11 December 2003)

Council Directive 1999/85/EC of 22 October 1999 (1) enabled Member States to apply, on an experimental
basis, a reduced rate of VAT to labour-intensive services. The types of services eligible for the experiment
were listed in Annex K. The list included one category that clearly applied to tailoring, though only to
small repairs to clothing and household linen (including alterations as well as repairs). The experiment was
extended for a year to provide the people offering the services in question with legal security and
continuity while the Commission prepared a comprehensive evaluation report on the experiment.

The Commission adopted its report on 2 June 2003 (2). It concluded that ‘taking into account both
information supplied by Member States and the inherent limitation of the analytical methods applied, it
was not possible to find solid evidence of [VAT] reductions boosting job creation. For the effect on the
reduction on black economy [SIC] the same observation can be made.’