WRITTEN QUESTION E-0300/04 by Roberto Bigliardo (UEN) to the Commission. Financing for the new Athens airport.
Date: 2004-02-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Attica, EU financing arrangements, airport, charges for use of infrastructure, complaint to the Commission, economic support, support policy

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/949

There is no connection between the subsidies awarded by the Commission and the statement of
3.
views of the BEUC. The Commission’s objective is to enable consumers to promote their interests in order
to be on an equal footing with the other forces in civil society represented at Community level. One of the
criteria for awarding subsidies is the widest possible dissemination of the results of the activities and
projects supported, without bias as to their content.

The statement of views of the BEUC, its proposals for objectives and its work programme are adopted by
the General Assembly of its members. The BEUC is a federation of 36 national and independent consumer
organisations in Europe, including the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZVB) and the
Stiftung Warentest.

The Commission was unaware of either the remarks made by Dr Beate Kohler-Koch or the criticism

4.
levelled against it.

(1) Decision No 283/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 January 1999 establishing a
general framework for Community activities in favour of consumers, OJ L 34, 9.2.1999 for the years 1999 to 2003
and Decision No 20/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 December 2003 establishing a
general framework for financing Community actions in support of consumer policy for the years 2004 to 2007
(Text with EEA relevance), OJ L 5, 09.01.2004.

(2) OJ C 218, 14.9.2002.

(2004/C 78 E/1004)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0300/04

by Roberto Bigliardo (UEN) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: Financing for the new Athens airport

By decision E (96) 1356 of 23 May 1996 the Commission granted the company AIA SA funding of
EUR 250 million to build the new Athens airport at Spata.

The company subsequently (on 14 June 1996) signed a contract for the airport project with Hochtief AG,
formerly called Gebr. Helfmann of Essen (Germany), for a sum of EUR 1,8 billion. In its turn this company
set up a branch in Athens which is not entered on the register of limited companies. Hochtief has
concluded a whole series of contracts with other firms in order to sub-contract the construction work.

Hochtief has a 45 % share in AIA SA, the Greek State 55 %, although Hochtief controls the board of
directors with 5 out of 9 directors. The Commission’s decision E (96) 1356 named AIA SA as the entity
responsible for carrying out the project. According to Article 12.2.6. of Greek Law No 2338/95, AIA SA
cannot be considered as a body governed by public law, and Article 10 of Regulation No 1164/94 (1) states
that funding may be granted only to bodies governed by public law.

Spat airport has also set extremely high airport taxes, because of its dominant position in air traffic to and
from Greece. This prompted a number of passengers to lodge complaints with the Commission in July
2002.

Can the Commission say how it justifies granting the funding directly to a limited company rather

1.
than to a body governed by public law.

Can it say why it has not yet responded to the complaints concerning the high airport taxes charged

2.
by Spata airport.

3.
Can it say which of the two companies (cid:1) Hochtief AG or Hellas SA (cid:1) issued the invoice for the
payment of EUR 1,8 billion to the company AIA, which was subsequently submitted to the Commission
to justify the funding of EUR 250 million?

(1) OJ L 130, 25.5.1994, p. 1.

C 78 E/950

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 2004)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its
findings as soon as possible.

(2004/C 78 E/1005)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0310/04

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: Further reduction of educational facilities for the long-established Sorbian-speaking community in

Lausitz, eastern Germany

1.
Is the Commission aware that in Lausitz, the Sorbian-speaking part of the east German Länder of
Brandenburg and Saxony, a fresh conflict is brewing over educational facilities available to the Sorbian
community, who belong to the Slavonic language group and who have lived in the region for centuries, as
a result of the planned closure of the school in the village of Most (Heinersbrück) to the north-east of
in Chróscˇicy (Crostwitz) to the west of Budisˇin (Bautzen) was
Chos´ebuz (Cottbus), after the school
threatened with closure last year, and that problems have arisen because of a lack of teaching staff able to
give lessons in Sorbian at Chos´ebuz secondary school?

Does the Commission recall the justified efforts made by the EU to safeguard the use of Albanian,
in the north-west of the

2.
a language discriminated against and placed under threat by the authorities,
(former Yugoslav) Republic of Macedonia?

3.
How does the Commission view the fact that inhabitants of EU Member States, who are not
immigrants but live on the territory historically inhabited by their ancestors, are being forced to change
their choice of language because they are compelled by official policy to use a language other than their
own for their education, participation in the political process, information or employment?

4.
Does the Commission view the guaranteeing of linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe as one of
its central tasks, thereby preventing ethnic divisions, possible outbreaks of violence and the creation of
second-class citizens deprived of education and administration in their own language?

5.
How is the Commission encouraging Member States to resolve this kind of problem, bearing in mind
Member States’ own powers and in keeping with Articles 49 and 151 of the EC Treaty, the Charter of
Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention for the Protection of Human
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms? Is the Commission calling for a raising of awareness of the diversity of
peoples, languages and cultures in order to create a Europe permanently free of ethnic conflict?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(8 March 2004)

The Commission has taken note of the information on the situation involving Slavonic-speaking

1.
Sorbians based in Lausitz.

2.
The use of Albanian as an official language in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been
one of the core components of the negotiation of the Framework Agreement signed in Ohrid in August
2001 to settle peace and guarantee the unity and multi-ethnic dimension of the country. Minority
languages are recognised as official languages in addition to the Macedonian language, for those minorities
reaching 20 % of the population.