WRITTEN QUESTION E-2325/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Preservation of the shipbuilding heritage (caïques).
C 219 E/146 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 1. 8. 2000 In order to be able to compare the detected levels in the Kymijoki with the situation in other rivers, the Commission would need more information on the way results have been calculated. It would be particularly helpful to have information on the concentrations of the different congeners, the depth at which measurements were performed, and whether results have been calculated according to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Centre for Coastal and Maríne Sciences (NATO/CCMS) approach. At this stage, without the benefit of more detailed information, it is difficult to judge the situation. The Commission would therefore be grateful if the Honourable Member could provide the Commission with more details. In principle, legislation. Therefore the possibilities to react at a Community level are limited. this event, as described in the question, is not covered by environmental Community (2000/C 219 E/183) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2316/99 by Niall Andrews (UEN) to the Commission (29 November 1999) Subject: Failure of Malian company to pay outstanding funds, as contracted, to an Irish firm, Cormer Machinery International An Irish company, Cormer Machinery International Ltd. Entered into contract with Itema, a government- backed Malian company, to supply and install second-hand textile machinery. The contract price was USD 2,5 million, and an initial deposit of USD 850 000 was approved by the Malian Minister for Finance and received by the Irish company in 1996. An amount of USD 1,65 million has not been forwarded by Itema to Cormer Machinery International and is, therefore, still outstanding. Many discussions have taken place regarding this issue between the Irish company involved and the Development Directorate of the European Commission, as well as informally under the auspices of the ACP/EU Joint Assembly. Will the European Commissioner for Development, Mr Nielson, request an urgent meeting with the Malian representative to the European Union for an explanation as to why this Malian company has still not paid to Cormer Machinery International Ltd. The monies which it agreed to pay to this Irish firm, and will the Commissioner, as a matter of course, keep me informed about all developments regarding this issue until such time as the serious problems detailed above have been satisfactorily and fully resolved? Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission (21 December 1999) The Directorate general for development in Brussels and the delegation of the Commission in Bamako are aware of the dispute between Cormer Machinery International Ltd and Itema. the head of delegation in Bamako has informally raised the matter with the Malian authorities including, in particular, the Minister for finance. However, it is clear that the Commission has no competence in this matter which is a commercial dispute between two companies for which international arbitrage arrangements are the appropriate settlement channel. Indeed, (2000/C 219 E/184) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2325/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission Subject: Preservation of the shipbuilding heritage (caïques) (13 December 1999) In reply to my Written Question (E-3436/95) (1) concerning the preservation of the industrial heritage, including fishing vessels from the eastern Mediterranean, the Commission referred to the then pending Raphael programme and gave its assurance that áshould any initiatives linked with the specific fields of interest meet the eligibility criteria then the Commission will gladly take them into considerationí. In 1. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 219 E/147 many of the Greek islands, action is being taken to preserve traditional wooden vessels (caïques) made with hand-held tools, in accordance with methods which, in many cases, were developed in the early Byzantine period and have now fallen into disuse. Given that museums in Greece are showing great interest in obtaining such vessels for their collections but are unable to meet the cost of purchase, conservation and display, can the Commission say: ü whether such expenditure is eligible for funding, ü if so, from which programmes? (1) OJ C 112, 17. 4. 1996, p. 31. Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (20 January 2000) As the Honourable Member is aware, 1999 was the last year of the implementation of the Raphaºl programme, which, together with Kaleidoscope and Ariane, will be replaced in 2000 by the framework programme Culture 2000í. One of the objectives of the Culture 2000í programme will be to encourage European partnershipsí initiatives which will aim at the exchange of information, experiences and know-how so as to bring to the fore the best practices for the benefit of the preservation and enhancement of Europeís cultural heritage. In this context, best methods of conservation and display in the shipbuilding heritage sector could be considered as parts of projects that could be submitted under the Culture 2000í programme, provided of course that they meet its eligibility criteria. However, costs concerning the purchase of vessels and works for their preservation or restoration will not be covered by the programme. (2000/C 219 E/185) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2327/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (13 December 1999) Subject: Subsidies to meet the cost of transporting fresh agricultural products for export from Greece Exports of Greek fruit and vegetables to European markets are encountering major problems as a result of high transport costs (large distances, increase in costs charged by the owners of freezer vehicles during peak export periods). These problems have been aggravated by the war in Yugoslavia and the destruction of its road infrastructures, forcing exporters to use alternative routes which are both costly and time- consuming. According to the Greek Ministry of Transport the director-general of DG VI, Mr Lagras, is reported as saying at a meeting with the Greek Undersecretary for Agriculture, Mr Vrettos, on 6 July 1999, that he recognised the need to resolve this problem and requested further information from the Greek Govern- ment with a view to taking the necessary measures. Will the Commission take action to resolve the problem of increased transport costs which have to be met by Greek exporters of fruit and vegetables? Have the Greek authorities provided the necessary information for the adoption of suitable measures? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (21 December 1999) The Commission confirms that Greece has supplied all the technical information required to examine the problems facing Greek exporters