WRITTEN QUESTION E-3898/03 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Otters in UK rivers.
Date: 2003-12-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: United Kingdom, application of EU law, environmental law, environmental protection, quality of the environment, water, watercourse, wild mammal

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/111

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 2004)

The Commission recognises that a sustainable approach to energy supply security involves reconciling
energy objectives with commitments in other policy areas, such as the environment and competition.
This was one of the central themes of the Commission’s Green Paper on the security of energy supply (1).
As stated in its final report on the Green Paper (2), the Commission is of the view that the most effective
way to address these challenges is greater coordination of measures affecting security of energy supply.

The Commission is aware that Austria’s renewable energy commitments are ambitious. High shares of
renewable energies and the resulting positive effect regarding the reduction of Carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions are important environmental objectives. However, there are also other environmental aspects
which need to be taken into account at the same time. The Water Framework Directive (3) is currently
under implementation (environmental and economic analysis, establishment of the river basin management
plans) so it is premature to quantify the decline in hydropower production at this point in time. In their
recent report on the implementation of the Renewable Electricity Directive in Austria, the Austrian
authorities drew the attention of the Commission to the implications of the Water Framework Directive (4)
on renewable electricity production in Austria. The Commission is closely following this issue and will
further strengthen the dialogue with Member States to ensure the environmental objectives of both policies
without subordinating one of these two environmental aspects to the other.

infrastructure,

the Commission’s recent proposals on investment

in electricity
On the subject of
infrastructure (5) aims to address the need for greater interconnections in the emerging internal power
market. Such investments will increase both the potential for a real competitive market and contribute to
security of supply. The strengthening of the Austrian grid is identified as one of the key projects in this
regard. The proposals also call for a clear strategy relating to the ongoing supply demand balance to be
developed by Member States.

(1) COM(2000) 769 final.
(2) COM(2002) 321 final.
(3) Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for

Community action in the field of water policy, OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.

(4) Directive 2001/77/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 27 September 2001 on the promotion of electricity

produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market, OJ L 283, 27.10.2001.

(5) COM(2003) 739 final and COM(2003) 740 final.

(2004/C 84 E/0148)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3898/03

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(17 December 2003)

Subject: Otters in UK rivers

Otters are said to have returned for the first time in decades to a great many rivers in the UK, principally
as a result of improved water quality and the end of otter hunting.

Will the Commission list the items of EU legislation the implementation of which by the UK Government
is likely to have contributed to this positive development?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 2004)

The Otter Lutra lutra is subject to both the site and species protection provisions of Council Directive 92/
43/EEC of 21 May 1992, on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (1). As the

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Official Journal of the European Union

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3.4.2004

species is listed in Annex II of the Directive, Member States are required to designate special areas of
conservation for its conservation. It is also likely to indirectly benefit from the conservation of wetlands in
Natura 2000 for other species and habitat types of Community Interest. Its listing in Annex IV of the
Directive requires Member States to establish a system of strict protection for it which prohibits, ‘inter alia’,
all forms of deliberate capture or killing of specimens of the species as well as deterioration or destruction
of its breeding sites or resting places. The Community is also supporting the conservation of Otters in the
United Kingdom through the ‘LIFE in UK rivers’ demonstration project (2) under the LIFE Regulation (3).

Improving the quality of water is also covered by a wide range of Community water legislation. The first
set of Directives was aimed at specific water uses such as fish waters (Directive 78/659/EEC (4)), shellfish
waters (Directive 79/923/EEC (5)) and waters for the abstraction of drinking water (Directive 75/440/
EEC (6)) or specific pollutants (Directive 76/464/EEC (7)). Later on, the focus of Community water policy
shifted to regulate key pollution sources such as urban wastewater (Directive 91/271/EEC (8)), nitrates from
agricultural sources (Directive 91/676/EEC (9)) and industrial pollution (IPPC Directive 96/61/EC (10)).
The combination of these and other measures partly affecting water quality have contributed to the
significant water quality improvements seen throughout Europe in the past 30 years. However, there are
still a number of areas where water quality has not reached levels to ensure the sustainable functioning of
the ecosystem. An overview of trends and the current status has recently been published by the European
Environment Agency (11).

The new Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (12) will further improve this positive trend by requiring
coordinating management of river basins with a view to achieving ambitious environmental objectives
regarding the ecological and chemical quality of surface waters.

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.
(2) http://www.english-nature.org.uk/lifeinukrivers/index.html
(3) Regulation (EC) No 1655/2000 of the Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 concerning the Financial

Instrument for the Environment (LIFE), OJ L 192, 28.7.2000.

(4) Council Directive 78/659/EEC of 18 July 1978 on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in

order to support fish life, OJ L 222, 14.8.1978.

(5) Council Directive 79/923/EEC of 30 October 1979 on the quality required of shellfish waters, OJ L 281,

10.11.1979.

(6) Council Directive 75/440/EEC of 16 June 1975 concerning the quality required of surface water intended for the

abstraction of drinking water in the Member States, OJ L 194, 25.7.1975.

(7) Council Directive 76/464/EEC of 4 May 1976 on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into

the aquatic environment of the Community, OJ L 129, 18.5.1976.

(8) Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment, OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.
(9) Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused

by nitrates from agricultural sources, OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.

(10) Council Directive 96/61/EC of 24 September 1996 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control,

OJ L 257, 10.10.1996.

(11) Europe’s water: An indicator-based assessment, Topic report No 1/2003:

(http://reports.eea.eu.int/topic_report_2003_1/en)

(12) Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for

Community action in the field of water policy, OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.

(2004/C 84 E/0149)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3904/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(17 December 2003)

Subject: European satellite agency (cid:1) Galileo programme

In response to two earlier questions on the European satellite agency, the Commission stated on 23 July
2002 (in Answer P-1940/02 (1))
the Galileo
programme, which would be managed by a joint undertaking, the management of the deployment and

following the preliminary development phase of

that,