WRITTEN QUESTION E-0211/04 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Allegations of manoeuvring to seize property owned by building cooperatives in Greece.
Date: 2004-01-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, citizen-authority relations, housing cooperative, real estate business, real property

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/335

Until any proposal to amend the legislation resulting from the review is agreed by the Council and the
Parliament, the requirements of Directive 2003/17/EC must continue to be respected and applied by the
Member States. Therefore, the Commission has opened a case against Spain concerning the problem raised
by the Honourable Member.

(1) OJ L 350, 28.12.1998, as amended by Directive 2003/17/EC, OJ L 76, 22.3.2003.
(2) OJ L 123, 17.5.2003.

(2004/C 84 E/0394)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0211/04

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(30 January 2004)

Subject: Allegations of manoeuvring to seize property owned by building cooperatives in Greece

There has been a stream of allegations from numerous building cooperatives in Greece (such as ‘I YGIA’,
which owns land at Saronida, Attica, and whose members have already appealed to Parliament’s
Committee on Petitions, the cooperative of employees of the Bank of Greece, which owns land at
Anavissos, Attica, etc.), that the Greek authorities are continually obstructing the development of the
property of which the cooperatives are the legal owners. They allege that the ultimate objective is the
seizure of their property by the Greek State. The executive committees of numerous building cooperatives
(which represent 500 000 Greek citizens according to the Greek press) point out that, although they hold
the legal deeds to the property and have been recognised officially by the Greek State for almost 40 years,
the Greek authorities constantly create obstacles through their administrative departments, compelling the
cooperatives continuously to bring actions before the Greek courts, which duly rule in their favour.
Despite that, the Greek authorities (in particular the Ministry for the Environment, Planning and Public
Works) continue to concoct further obstacles with the aim (cid:1) allegedly (cid:1) of confiscating the cooperatives’
property in violation of court rulings.

Is such alleged manoeuvring in order to seize property belonging to building cooperatives consistent with
Community law? What action can the Commission take to put an end to the tactics adopted by the Greek
authorities and to ensure that the members of the above cooperatives obtain the land to which they are
entitled?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(1 March 2004)

Since this matter is not covered by Community law, the Commission does not consider itself competent to
reply to the questions put by the Honourable Member.

The Commission would also point out that any person who considers their fundamental rights to have
been violated may appeal to the European Court of Human Rights once they have exhausted all the legal
remedies available in their own country.

(2004/C 84 E/0395)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0227/04

by Ewa Hedkvist Petersen (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Alcohol ignition interlock devices (‘alcolocks’)

(2 February 2004)

Trials are now being conducted in some parts of Sweden with ‘alcolocks’ on buses. Does the Commission
consider that a Member State can require all vehicles in the country to be fitted with ‘alcolocks’ in order to
improve road safety?