WRITTEN QUESTION E-2037/99 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission. The European Commission and tourism.
C 219 E/72 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 1. 8. 2000 (2000/C 219 E/085) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2037/99 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission (3 November 1999) Subject: The European Commission and tourism Could the Commission explain why the tourism portfolio does not figure explicitly in the responsibilities of any of the members of the new Commission? Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission (20 December 1999) Each Member of the new Commission has been given a simple, brief, generic title to cover his areas of responsibility (e. g. Commissioner for the Internal Market, Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society). As a result, the constituant parts of the portfolio are not made explicit in the title. Mr Liikanen is the Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society. Tourism, handled by the Enterprise Directorate General, is part of his portfolio. (2000/C 219 E/086) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2038/99 by Gorka Knörr Borràs (Verts/ALE) to the Commission Subject: Work on the high-speed train (AVE) line in Calatayud (3 November 1999) Recently the construction of a tunnel as part of work on the high-speed train line at Calatayud punctured the Marivella aquifer, causing the water level to fall. As a result, a large number of residents who were supplied by wells were left without drinking water. The town council was forced to use tankers to deliver drinking water. To date, the company in charge of the works has not repaired the damage caused to the aquifer and the problem remains unresolved. Given that work on the Madrid-Saragossa-Barcelona high-speed train line is being financed by the European Union through the Cohesion Fund, and that the underground aquifers represent an important source of income for the Calatayud region as a source of mineral water for bottling and for thermal spas for medicinal and recreational purposes, would the Commission answer the following questions: Is the Commission aware of this problem? Has the Commission tried to obtain further details on the matter? If not, will it take steps to do so in order to avoid any repetition of such incidents, which have serious consequences for the local economy? Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (21 December 1999) The Commission has not been officially informed of the problems caused by construction work for the high-speed train (HST) line to which the Honourable Member refers. However, the information provided by the Spanish authorities during the ex-ante evaluation of the project suggested that any difficulties in the Miravella area should have no impact on the aquifers used by spas or on mineral water bottling plants, most of which are located in Jaraba and Alhama de Aragón, at some distance from the Miravella area. The Commission has, however, asked the Spanish authorities to provide further information on the situation