WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3160/97 by Katerina DASKALAKI to the Commission. Risk of collapse of Newstead Abbey, ancestral home of Lord Byron
C 134/100 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 4. 98 Regarding the Brussels agglomeration, the Belgian authorities have identified the River Senne, into which the agglomeration’s waste water is discharged, as a sensitive zone within the meaning of the Directive. This means that this waste water must undergo, at the latest by 31 December 1998, secondary (i. e. biological) treatment as well as further nitrogen and phosphorus treatment before being discharged into the Senne. Two waste water treatment plants, situated in the North and South of Brussels respectively, are planned in order to meet the requirements laid down in Directive 91/271/EEC. In its capacity as guardian of the Treaty, the Commission ensures that Community legislation in this area is implemented, in Brussels as in all other agglomerations in the Community. (1) OJ L 135, 30. 5. 1991. (98/C 134/128) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3157/97 by Esko Seppa¤nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (13 October 1997) Subject: Legal basis for budget headings B3-4103 and B3-4104 In the draft budget for 1998 no appropriations are allocated for budget headings B3-4103 (measures to combat poverty and social exclusion) and B3-4104 (measures for the elderly). What measures does the Commission intend taking to guarantee the legal basis for these budget items? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (28 November 1997) The Commission awaits with great interest the judgments of the Court of Justice in the cases pending (C-106/96, C-239/96 and C-240/96) concerning the Community’s competence to act in matters relating to the elderly and social exclusion in the absence of a legislative decision. The hearing in case C-106/96 took place on 4 November 1997. The Commission is currently exploring all the possibilities that the new Treaty of Amsterdam will offer once ratified by the 15 Member States, with a view to pursuing its actions in relation to the elderly and social exclusion. (98/C 134/129) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3160/97 by Katerina Daskalaki (UPE) to the Commission (13 October 1997) Subject: Risk of collapse of Newstead Abbey, ancestral home of Lord Byron On the outskirts of Nottingham lies the historic building of Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home and place of birth of Lord Byron, who was not only the greatest British poet but also a hero of the Greek national independence movement. Coal deposits had long since been discovered beneath the Abbey but no attempt was made throughout the Industrial Revolution to mine them, precisely for fear of the Abbey collapsing. Recently, that risk has become real since private interests are making moves to extract the coal, despite acknowledging that mining may cause the Abbey to collapse. (a) Is the Commission aware of the threat to this important monument in the European cultural heritage, and (b) what practical measures will it take to prevent the destruction of the building?