WRITTEN QUESTION P-0116/00 by Karl von Wogau (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Compensation claims from undertakings hit by lorry blockades.
C 225 E/220 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 8. 8. 2000 (2000/C 225 E/252) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0112/00 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (27 January 2000) Subject: Diversion of a high voltage power line in the locality of Merza (Galicia) A 400 kv high voltage power line between Mesón del Viento in Galicia and the locality of Lindoso on the Portuguese border, which was included in an operational programme in Galicia for the period 1990-1993 and received funding under the ERDF, was diverted from the route approved by the Commission on the initiative of the publicly-owned company Red ElØctrica de Espaæa S. A. and following a decision by the Galician Government with the result that, counter to the project which was originally approved, it now passes through the locality of Merza, which has 800 inhabitants. The Galician Governmentís decision, taken in 1996, is also in breach of EU regulations on combating the harmful effects of non-ionising radiation, which recommend that such power lines should pass through corridors which have no permanent activity or dwellings and stipulate that prior impact assessments must be carried out and that, at all events, compensation and expropriation schemes must be set up. Moreover, an action under the Leader programme is currently underway in Merza, which has been seriously affected by the existence of an unauthorised high voltage power line. Even though they have been approached on many occasions, neither the Galician nor the central Spanish authorities have taken the necessary measures to remedy this situation. Can the Commission report on the action it will take to remedy all the infringements of EU regulations which have been committed in Merza, thus giving its inhabitants the satisfaction which they deserve? Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (2 March 2000) The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible. (2000/C 225 E/253) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0116/00 by Karl von Wogau (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Compensation claims from undertakings hit by lorry blockades Is the Commission aware that as a result of strikes in one European Union Member State, undertakings in other Member States are being prevented from realising their export potential, which can damage their economic prospects. What options are open to affected undertakings to lodge claims for compensation, and with whom? In the case under consideration, a sawmill in Germany regularly operates to the limits of its capacity. The undertaking was prevented by the latest lorry blockade between Germany and France from exporting to France. It consequently had to cut back on production, because its fully loaded lorries were left stranded at the border. Output from current production could not be loaded. Additional transport and storage capacity were exhausted. The lost business cannot be made good because the undertaking is working to the limits of its capacity. Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (16 February 2000) The Honourable Member has drawn the Commissionís attention to the serious economic impact on Community businesses of the border blockades imposed by French lorry drivers from 9 to 12 January 2000. 8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 225 E/221 The Commission would like to stress that it decided to implement the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 2679/98 of 7 December 1998 on the functioning of the internal market in relation to the free movement of goods among the Member States (1), in order to re-establish the free movement of goods as quickly as possible and hence limit the damage to Community operators. On 10 January 2000, therefore, under Article 3 of this Regulation, the Commission requested the French authorities to provide information about the measures they had taken to re-establish the free movement of goods. In their reply of 12 January 2000, the French authorities informed the Commission about the range of measures they had taken. They also stated that, in order to protect the interests of EU nationals who might suffer as a result of road blockades, the French Minister for the Interior had placed particular emphasis on the measures to be taken by the public-order authorities to allow subsequent processing of any claims for compensation. On this point the Commission would like to repeat that, in accordance with Community law, it is in fact the responsibility of the Member States to compensate operators whose rights under Article 28 (ex Article 30) of the EC Treaty may have been infringed. (1) OJ L 337, 12. 12. 1998. (2000/C 225 E/254) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0127/00 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission (27 January 2000) Subject: Exclusion of the Italian Council for the Disabled ü Relations with the European Union from the Italian representation on the European Disability Forum Is the Commission aware that the Italian Government has appointed as Italyís representative on the Disability Forum the National Council on Disability (CND), an association representing only 10 % of the disabled, yet has excluded the Italian Council for the Disabled ü Relations with the European Union (CID. UE), which, by contrast, represents 90 % of the disabled? Does it not consider that both associations are entitled to be represented at European level? What steps does it intend to take to reinstate the criterion of objective representativity for Italian disabled people? Answer given by Ms Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (24 February 2000) The European Disability Forum is an independent organisation consisting of European disability NGOs and national councils for the disabled representing each Member State. The Forum works together with the Commission in implementing policies in favour of the disabled; its operating costs are funded by the Commission. The decision as to the membership of NGOs and national councils for the disabled is a matter for the Forum, whose procedures, notably as regards affiliation, are governed by its articles of association and house rules. However the Commission shares the Honourable Memberís concern to ensure the representativeness of the affiliated organisations, in particular the Italian National Council. To this end the Commission will contact the Forum in order to clarify the situation as regards the representativeness of its Italian member