WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3676/97 by Gianni TAMINO to the Commission. Extension of the concession held by the company Autostrade spa
8. 6. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 174/97 (98/C 174/150) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3676/97 by Gianni Tamino (V) to the Commission (10 November 1997) Subject: Extension of the concession held by the company Autostrade spa On 27 October 1997 the Italian Court of Auditors rejected an interministerial decree designed to extend by 20 years, until the year 2038, the concession held by Autostrade spa. In August its office responsible for the monitoring of government acts had already expressed severe doubts about the proposed extension. The reasons for rejecting the decree include its failure to comply with Community law. The Court considered the extension to be defective because of the inclusion of a concession for a new project, an alternative route for the mountain pass between Florence and Bologna, for which a European-wide call to tender would be required. This expedient has also been used in the past to obtain extensions. Can the Commission confirm the doubts expressed by the Italian Court of Auditors? Does the Commission intend to ensure respect for all the European regulations applicable to this sector, including in the case in point? Can the Commission, within the scope of its competence, give its views on the management of concessions granted to Italian motorway companies? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (6 January 1998) The Commission is not in possession of either the interministerial decree referred to by the Honourable Member or any information that would enable it to assess that instrument in the light of Community public procurement legislation. By virtue of the prerogatives assigned to it by Article 155 of the EC Treaty, the Commission will be contacting the Italian authorities with a view to obtaining the factual and legal particulars necessary to verify the decreeís compatibility with the relevant Community legislation. Until such time as that verification has been carried out, the Commission is unable to give its views on the concessions granted to Italian motorway companies. (98/C 174/151) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3678/97 by Rosemarie Wemheuer (PSE) to the Commission (19 November 1997) Subject: Construction of a power station in Crete Can the Commission say whether a photovoltaic power station is to be built in Crete › and if so when ›, 1. what capacity a power station of this kind has, how much EU aid is to be provided and which undertakings are being awarded the contract? It has been repeatedly reported in the press that Greenpeace has had some influence over the construction of 2. plants of this nature. Can the Commission say what this influence amounted to? 3. Can the Commission state what progress has been made in respect of a project promoted under the Thermie Programme for the construction of a solar power station in Crete with a nominal generating capacity of 50 MW and say where this project is due to be built? 4. Is there any connection between the construction of a photovoltaic power station in Crete and the project already being promoted on this island under the Thermie Programme for the construction of a solar power station? Can it confirm reports that the solar power station is to be replaced by the photovoltaic power station?