WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3237/97 by Mihail PAPAYANNAKIS to the Commission. Funding of environmental impact surveys
C 158/68 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 5. 98 Commission is represented on the management board of the agency, but is not involved in the administration, functioning or operations of the agency. The Commission, therefore, has no competence in the area of staff recruitment to the agency and is not in a position to provide the information requested. The Honourable Member may wish to consult Mr Scoullos (University of Athens) and Mr Wynne (Lancaster University), the two representatives of the Parliament on the agencyís management board. Finally, it should also be recalled that the Parliament has the opportunity to comment on budgetary and staffing matters in the framework of the annual procedures to approve the budget of the agency. (98/C 158/86) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3237/97 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (20 October 1997) Subject: Funding of environmental impact surveys According to reports appearing in authoritative Greek newspapers, from 1990 onwards, thousands of environmental impact surveys required under Directive 85/337/EEC (1) have been assigned to third parties having no particular knowledge of the subject matter. This has produced dubious results regarding the quality of the surveys and many of the public works concerned have been blocked or, alternatively, carried out with irreversible consequences. 1. Can the Commission say what environmental impact surveys it has funded in Greece for the period 1990-1997? 2. What was the total amount of funding for the studies? 3. Who carried out the surveys and to what extent were the results in accordance with the desired objectives? 4. Will an investigation be carried out into the use of funds earmarked for environmental impact surveys in Greece to establish whether or not they were properly used? 5. If irregularities are revealed, will the Commission request reimbursement of sums unduly paid? (1) OJ L 175, 5. 7. 1985, p. 40. Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (10 December 1997) The execution and funding of environmental impact surveys as part of the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment pursuant to Directive 85/337/EEC is the responsibility of the developer, while it is for the authorities to verify that this procedure has been properly carried out. With regard to the transposition of the Directive in Greece, this is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment and Public Works. In the case of projects not funded by the Community, the Commission does not intervene in this procedure either to monitor or assess the studies, but it does demand compliance with the abovementioned Directive and takes action if it is not properly applied. With regard to private or public projects which are co-funded under existing Community programmes, the cost of an environmental survey, which is the first step in the environmental assessment procedure, is also eligible for co-funding and is part of the total cost of the project. This means it is impossible for the Commission to have figures on either the number or total cost of or the persons responsible for surveys carried out between 1990 and 1997. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, however, responsibility for carrying out the environmental assessment procedure and for carrying out the project is the responsibility of the authorities concerned