WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2762/97 by Lucio MANISCO to the Commission. Restoration of Verrocchio's 'Baptism of Christ'
C 102/112 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 3. 4. 98 2. Implementation of Directive 96/67/EC is without prejudice to the application of the competition rules laid down in the EC Treaty. As part of the proceedings, the Commission has to establish whether Frankfurt airport committed an abuse of a dominant position by establishing for itself, without any objective need, a monopoly in the supply of groundhandling services. The arguments regarding capacity and available space put forward by the parties are being examined in this respect. (1) OJ L 272, 25. 10. 1996. (98/C 102/162) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2762/97 by Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (1 September 1997) Subject: Restoration of Verrocchioís Baptism of Christí Professor Alfio della Serra of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence has begun restoring the Baptism of Christí, a Renaissance masterpiece with figures and landscape painted by Leonardo da Vinci and an angel attributed to Botticelli, which is of incalculable value not only to the European Union but to the whole of mankind. Objections of various kinds have been raised concerning the way in which the restoration work is being carried out and how urgent it is by Professor Carlo Pedretti and Jacques Franck, eminent experts on Leonardoís paintings, and by James Beck of Colombia University, Chairman of Art Watch International, who, dissatisfied by the information on the subject supplied by the Curator of the Uffizi, has lodged an appeal to the courts calling for the restoration work to be suspended. 1. What urgent steps does the Commission intend to take to allay the fears felt by the international art world concerning the preservation of Verrocchioís Baptism of Christí, not least because of the fierce polemic on the subject? 2. What steps will the Commission take to ensure greater transparency concerning the methods used and the reasons for the restoration work decided by the Curator of the Uffizi Gallery, Anna Maria Petrioli Tofani? Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (20 October 1997) Firstly, the Commission would like to state that its role in safeguarding the cultural heritage, based on Article 128 of the EC Treaty, is confined to supporting and supplementing action by the Member States. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, it is not empowered to intervene in matters falling exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Member States, such as the restoration of a work belonging to the Italian national heritage. However, in this specific case, the Commission checked that the methods used to restore Verrocchio’s painting were those commonly and correctly applied by the Uffizi Gallery in its professional work. The scientific rigour of the current restoration is not open to doubt, as was confirmed, moreover, by the Soprintendente of Florence himself. He has already defended the restoration work in an answer to a parliamentary question similar to the one put by the Honourable Member in the Italian Parliament