WRITTEN QUESTION E-0290/04 by Caroline Jackson (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Scope of Directive 97/11/EC.
Date: 2004-02-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: environmental impact, impact study, industrial project, interpretation of the law, transmission network

C 84 E/354

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

(2004/C 84 E/0411)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0290/04

by Caroline Jackson (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: Scope of Directive 97/11/EC

Could the Commission confirm whether or not Item 7a of Directive 97/11/EC (1) covers the construction
of a large-scale telecommunications network alongside an existing track?

(1) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997, p. 5.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(12 March 2004)

(Environmental

Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and
private projects on the environment (1)
Impact Assessment Directive) as amended by
Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 provides that Member States must ensure that, before
development consent is given, projects likely to have significant effects on the environment by virtue, inter
alia, of their nature, size or location are made subject to an assessment of the environmental effects. These
projects are defined in Article 4 which refers to Annex I and II of the Directive. Annex I point 7(a) refers
to construction of lines for long-distance railway traffic and of airports with a basic runway length of
2 100 metres (m) or more. Annex II point 13 includes any change or extension of projects listed in Annex
I or Annex II, already authorised, executed or in the process of being executed, which may have significant
adverse effects on the environment.

The Honourable Member asks the Commission to confirm whether or not Annex I point 7(a) covers the
construction of a large-scale telecommunications network alongside an existing track. It is to be noted that
the construction of a large-scale telecommunications network is not found as a project type in the
Annexes. However, the question is whether such a project may be characterised as a change or extension
of the existing track, if this track falls under Annex I point 7(a) in the first place. The question of the
Honourable Member does not include elements to develop this issue. In any event, if the existing project is
not changed as per its own physical characteristics it could hardly fall under Annex II point 13.

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.

(2004/C 84 E/0412)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0291/04

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: Road accidents in European Union countries

On 12 January 2004 the French Prime Minister announced that there were 5 732 road deaths in France in
2003, compared with 7 242 in 2002, 8 437 in 1998, 10 289 in 1990 and 12 428 in 1981 and that in
Italy too, partly because of the penalty-points licence, the number of victims fell
in 2003. Can the
Commission say whether it already has, or intends to obtain road death figures for all European Union
countries? On what factors do any anomalies depend? Has there been a reduction in the number of victims
everywhere? What public or private measures or initiatives have led to the reduction?