WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1691/97 by María SORNOSA MARTÍNEZ to the Commission. Protecting *El Pouet*, an area of special historic interest in the city of Valencia
C 45/82 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 2. 98 (98/C 45/99) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1691/97 by Mar ·a Sornosa Mart ·nez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (20 May 1997) Subject: Protecting •El Pouet•, an area of special historic interest in the city of Valencia The general urban planning programme for Valencia includes plans for the route of the North Circular, which would destroy an area of special historic interest if they were carried out. Known as El Pouet’, the area in the district of Campanar, Valencia is formed by eight medieval farms, a mill dating from 1598, one of the last genuine barracas de huerta (thatched farmhouses) and a street plan defined by the 13th century irrigation network, giving it real historic interest as an example of the medieval settlements of the huerta region. When the general programme for Valencia was adopted there was no requirement to carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in urban planning programmes (the requirement took effect in 1989). Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 (1) on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment stipulates that it must be complied with by 3 July 1988 at the latest, although the project concerned falls within the list of instances in Annex II to the Directive, in which compliance by the Member States is optional. There are reports of EC funding being involved in the work on the North Circular, which is being developed by the Ministry for Urban Planning Development; if so, the European Directive would appear to have been infringed. 1. 2. Have European funds been allocated to the North Circular project? Could the project be halted or reviewed if funding is confirmed? If funds have not been allocated, what paths could be pursued under Community law to request a review of 3. the project? (1) OJ L 175, 5. 7. 1985, p. 40. Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (27 June 1997) As the Honourable Member is aware, according to Article 128 of the EC Treaty, the protection of the national historic heritage lies exclusively within the framework of the responsibilities of Member States. As to the particular questions raised about the destruction of the El Pouet area in the context of the general urban planning programme for Valencia, the Commission would inform the Honourable Member that according to information provided during the meeting of the committee responsible for the follow-up of the structural interventions in the region of Communidad Valencianaí, held on November 1996, the part of the Ronda Norte de Valenciaí route was not included for co-financing in the framework of the 1994-1999 operational programme for this region. (98/C 45/100) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1692/97 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE) to the Commission Subject: Counting days at sea as actual fishing days (20 May 1997) As current Community law is applied, days at sea on the way to the various fishing grounds are counted as fishing days, which results in a substantial loss of actual fishing opportunities. For example, Spanish boats fishing in Zone VII of the ICES have to make an average journey of three days there and back, which means three licence days are lost on each trip. What urgent steps does the Commission propose to take to solve this unfair and serious problem?