WRITTEN QUESTION No. 32/98 by María SORNOSA MARTÍNEZ to the Commission. Construction of a secondary electric power station in the green belt area of La Punta (Valencia)
17. 7. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 223/89 (98/C 223/111) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0029/98 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission (29 January 1998) Subject: Sale of tickets for the World Cup Does the Commission not think the French Football Associationís decision to restrict 80% of the sale of tickets for the forthcoming World Cup to French nationals and residents is a contravention of EU competition law? Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission (20 February 1998) The French world cup organising committee initially envisaged a ticket distribution system based on territorial exclusivity which would have effectively prevented sales of tickets across borders in the Community. It also envisaged the tying of ticket sales to other services like accommodation and travel. Following representations by the Commission, the organising committee agreed to change the arrangements so that both the authorised tour operators and travel agencies are allowed, firstly, to sell either sole tickets or packages and, secondly, to sell these across national borders. This ensures competition between several distributors all over the Community. The information available to the Commission indicates that clearly more than 20% of tickets will be sold to residents outside France. As the reservation of tickets is still under way in most European countries, it is not possible to indicate what percentage of tickets will eventually be sold to French residents or anywhere else within the Union of European football associations (UEFA) zone, which includes the whole of the European economic area. In view of allegations made in the press on the violation of European competition law with regard to the sale of tickets for the 1998 world cup football tournament, the Commission has adressed itself to the French organising committee and the five tour operators selected for the sales of tickets within the UEFA zone. The answers to these letters should allow the Commission to obtain a more complete picture of the way in which the French organising committee has allocated tickets. For the moment no infringements of European competition rules have been established in the context of ticket distribution for the 1998 world cup football tournament. (98/C 223/112) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0032/98 by Mar ·a Sornosa Mart ·nez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (29 January 1998) Subject: Construction of a secondary electric power station in the green belt area of La Punta (Valencia) The city council of Valencia has authorized the construction of a secondary electric power station on agricultural land forming part of the green belt in the district of La Punta, despite the objections submitted by dozens of community organizations which are totally opposed to the project. The authorization by the city council has to be supported by a document from the regional environmental authorities, which has still not been issued. However, there have been attempts to begin work illegally. The existence of the agricultural area of La Punta, located to the south of the river Turia, is now under threat. It has been affected by port developments and polluting industrial activities, by the construction of the El Saler motorway and new rail lines, by the present project for a secondary electric power station, and by plans for the further expansion of port services. Does the Commission believe that there should be a Community policy for regional planning aimed at 1. preserving the environment from speculative threats? 2. What plans exist in this connection? To what extent can the Commission intervene to prevent the gradual destruction of the environment by 3. speculative developments, as in the case of La Punta?