WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2748/98 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Council. European volunteer year for young people
C 135/112 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 14. 5. 1999 (1999/C 135/132) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2748/98 by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Council (8 September 1998) Subject: European volunteer year for young people Does the Council see the serving of a European volunteer year as a possible alternative to the military and civilian service obligations in the Member States? What steps is the Council taking in this respect? Reply (16 November 1998) The Honourable Member will recall that it is for each Member State to determine whether any periods of voluntary service would or would not be considered as an alternative to legal obligations for military or civilian service. It is moreover stated in the decision of the European Parliament and Council establishing the Community action programme ‘European Voluntary Service for Young People’ (1) that ‘European voluntary service activities are not a substitute for military service, for the alternative service formulae provided in particular for conscientious objectors or for the compulsory civilian service existing in several Member States’. The Council notes that during the conciliation procedure the Commission undertook to prepare a study on the current situation in regard to this question, which it looks forward to with interest. (1) OJ L 214, 31. 7. 1998, p. 1. (1999/C 135/133) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2767/98 by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE) to the Commission (7 September 1998) Subject: Cohesion Fund − sewage treatment projects in Thessaloniki The projects Nos. 94/09/61/010 and 94/09/61/043 entitled ‘Enlargement and completion of sewage- treatment installations for Thessaloniki − stage II’ and ‘Completion of the sewerage treatment plant in the tourist area of Thessaloniki’ were included under the projects financed from the Cohesion Fund in 1995. According to a Communication from the Commission (1), the operational phase of the first project is to begin in 1999, whereas the second project was due to be completed by 31 December 1996. Bearing in mind that: − the Greek authorities notified the Commission in May 1997 that work on the construction of the Thessaloniki sewage treatment installations was complete and that they were currently at the test stage; − under the terms of project No 94/09/61/010, the Greek authorities have undertaken to expand the sewer network and link up the industrial area to it, and to monitor the quality of industrial effluent; − it is absolutely vital to complete the projects to clean up the Thermaic Gulf so as to protect the marine ecosystem from uncontrolled daily discharges of 150 000 m3 of urban sewage and 60 000 m3 of industrial effluent. Will the Commission say: 1. what stage has been reached in the construction of the installations and when they are due to be completed? 2. what contribution the Community has made and what amounts have so far been spent on each of the projects mentioned?