WRITTEN QUESTION No. 646/98 by Monica BALDI to the Commission. Species that may be hunted
11. 12. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 386/31 (98/C 386/038) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0617/98 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (9 March 1998) Subject: Inclusion of islets in the Interreg programme It is reported that the Greek Government has, quite justifiably, included six Aegean islets in the Interreg programme. Will the Commission give its official views on this matter and say whether it intends to fund projects on these islets which quite patently form part of Greek (and therefore European) territory? Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (7 May 1998) Since 1981, when Greece acceded to the Community, the Commission has been part-financing measures and projects throughout that country. Through the Structural Funds, the Commission part-finances measures and projects to assist the development of peripheral areas of mainland Greece and the islands under various sectoral and regional programmes in the 1994-1999 Community Support Framework and under Community initiative programmes such as Interreg II. (98/C 386/039) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0646/98 by Monica Baldi (PPE) to the Commission (9 March 1998) Subject: Species that may be hunted The species listed in Annex II to Directive 79/409/EEC (1) of 2 April 1979 may be hunted under the legislation of the Member State. The species listed in Annex II/2 however may be hunted only in the Member State in which they are mentioned. Starlings are included in Annex II/2 for all the Unionís Mediterranean countries except Italy. In a letter dated 6 August 1997 (ref. 23. 035) the Ministry for agricultural policies requested that hunting be authorized for species excluded from the list of those that can be hunted under Article 18 of Law No 157 of 11 February 1992. The National institute for wild fauna gave its assent, taking account of the satisfactory level of conservation, the widespread distribution and migratory tendency and the estimates and damage caused to crops. 1. What urgent measures does the Commission intend to take to accede to Italyís request that starlings be included in Annex II/2? 2. What initiatives does it intend to take in order to grant a general system of derogation for the purpose of containing the damage caused to agriculture until adoption of the amended request? (1) OJ L 103, 25. 4. 1979, p. 1