WRITTEN QUESTION P-1237/00 by Jan Andersson (PSE) to the Commission. Sweden's position in relation to EMU under the Treaties.
20. 2. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 53 E/111 The project poses a particularly serious problem for the following reasons: 1. At the same time as it was studying the application for hydroelectricity production (already at a fairly advanced stage), the Galician governmentís environmental department, by decision of 28 October 1999, designated the Ulla-Deza river system a natural area which should enjoy general protection with a view to its inclusion in the Natura 2000 network; 2. The river area is covered by the Leader-Protodemouras (I, II) programme, which receives Community funding with a view to enhancing the areaís rural and ecological tourism potential. The destruction of this key natural site (which provided the justification for the investment under the Leader II Community initiative) would constitute fraud against the European Union; 3. The project also constitutes a serious threat to the areaís historical and cultural heritage, in particular the site of the Romanesque monastery at Carboeiro, which is situated near the Way of St James; 4. From the point of view of energy production, the Ulla project is irrelevant for Galicia, where much larger hydroelectric power stations are already in operation. Can the Commission take the necessary steps with a view to ensuring that the Spanish state and the Galician government prevent the destruction of the Ulla-Deza river basin and investigating the possible use of Community funds in financing the Unión Fenasa S. A. hydroelectricity project? Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission (13 June 2000) The Commission was not aware of the situation to which the Honourable Member refers. The Ulla-Deza river system has been identified by the Spanish authorities as a site of Community importance for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network under Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. (1) The Commission has asked the Spanish authorities for their observations in order to determine whether the project is likely to have a significant impact on the site in view of the objectives of the said Directive, in which case the provisions of Article 6 thereof must be applied. In any event, as guardian of the Treaties the Commission will take the necessary measures to ensure that Community law is complied with in the case in question. (1) OJ L 206, 22. 7. 1992. (2001/C 53 E/141) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1237/00 by Jan Andersson (PSE) to the Commission (10 April 2000) Subject: Swedenís position in relation to EMU under the Treaties At a press conference in Stockholm on 3 April, Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou said that a ánoí vote in a referendum on EMU in Sweden would not in any way affect Swedenís obligations under the Treaties. The Commissionerís statement may be seen as representing a change of position in comparison with previous statements by the Commission, which indicated that, under the Treaties, Sweden did not have the right to remain outside monetary union. Can the Commission clarify its official position on Swedenís obligations under the Treaties in relation to monetary union? C 53 E/112 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 2. 2001 Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission (12 May 2000) The Commission position on Swedenís statutory relationship to the EC Treaty remains unchanged. The status for Sweden in relation to economic and monetary union is at present a Member State with a derogation. In the convergence report of 1998, Sweden and Greece were assessed as not fulfilling the necessary conditions for the adaptation of the single currency and are therefore referred to as Member States with a derogation. A new convergence report for Sweden and Greece will be published in May 2000. Article 122(2) (ex Article 109k) of the EC Treaty lays down provisions and procedures for re-examining the situation of Member States with a derogation. At least every two years, or at the request of a Member State with a derogation, the Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) are required to prepare new convergence reports on such Member States. Two other Member States, Denmark and the United Kingdom, do not yet participate in the euro. They negotiated opt-out arrangements before the adoption of the Treaty on European Union (Protocols No 26(ex 12) and 25 (ex 11), respectively). Until these Member States indicate that they wish to participate in the third stage to join the single currency, they are not subject to an assessment by the Council as to whether they fulfil the necessary conditions. (2001/C 53 E/142) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1245/00 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission (14 April 2000) Subject: Turin-Lyon railway line On 21 February 2000 François Lamoureux, Director in the Commissionís Directorate-General for Energy and Transport, wrote to the Secretary-General of the development committee of the European Lyon-Turin- Milan/Genoa-Venice-Trieste-Ljubljana railway line, Professor Bruno Bottiglieri, saying that he fully agreed with the analysis of the benefits of the project in terms of capacity, safety and reliability. Given that, despite the more than € 60 million allocated by the Community to the Trans-Alpine link between Turin and Lyon over the past ten years, the project is far from having a certain and stable future, can the Commission say what it is doing to ensure that a clear political decision is finally taken this year on the next stages of implementation of the project and to clarify the responsibilities and degree of involvement of the competent Ministry and Italian regions and local authorities in respect of completion of the Lyon-Turin-Milan-Ljubljana rail link? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (25 May 2000) In the Commissionís view, the key short-term objective for accelerating the implementation of the Lyon- Torino-Milano-Venezia-Trieste-(Ljubljana) project is the achievement of a political decision on construction trans-Alpine section. At the Franco-Italian summit in Nîmes in 1999, the two of the international governments committed themselves to taking a definitive decision on the construction of the international Mont Cenisí tunnel in the autumn of 2000. The Commission will continue to urge both Member States to reach a positive conclusion on this front, and to make commensurate planning statements concerning the adjacent sections between Lyon and St Jean-de-Maurienne on the French side, and between the Susa valley and Torino on the Italian side. The decision on the tunnel must be taken on a sound basis. The Commission therefore expects that the results of environmental, economic and technical studies undertaken by the international economic interest group Alpetunnelí should be delivered in time during the summer 2000