WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2638/98 by Brigitte LANGENHAGEN to the Commission. Interpretation and application of Directive 92/ 43/EEC
C 118/110 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 4. 1999 3. The Foundation was set up with public-private funding of ECU 12 million, half of it provided by the Community. Drawn from budget heading B7-5073 for support to non-governmental organisations working in Chile, this sum was distributed in three equal instalments for the 1992, 1993 and 1994 budget years. Projects run by the Foundation and financed by the Community under budget heading B7-311 for 4. economic cooperation with the Asian and Latin American countries include the Programa Biotecnólogico Chile/Europa, which received ECU 912 000 in 1995, and the Programa de formación en el sector tœrismo (Formatur), for which ECU 409 000 was made available in 1996. In its role as a Eurocentre, the Foundation received ECU 36 000 in 1996 and ECU 30 000 this year. (1999/C 118/135) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2635/98 by Otto von Habsburg (PPE), Hiltrud Breyer (V), Charles Goerens (ELDR), Klaus-Heiner Lehne (PPE), Claudia Roth (V), Wilmya Zimmermann (PSE) and Karl Habsburg-Lothringen (PPE) to the Commission Subject: Visa requirements for Bulgaria and Romania › expert reports (1 September 1998) Several commissions of experts have recently visited Bulgaria and Romania to consider the visa problem there. No reports have yet been published on these visits. If such expert reports already exist, when will the Commission be submitting them to Parliament? What conclusions has the Commission reached in this matter? If a report or reports of this kind have not yet been drawn up, when will they be compiled? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (13 November 1998) The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible. (1999/C 118/136) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2638/98 by Brigitte Langenhagen (PPE) to the Commission Subject: Interpretation and application of Directive 92/43/EEC (1 September 1998) Does the goal pursued through the construction of railways (conventional and high-speed magnetic track) of reducing pollution due to air and road transport by shifting transport operations to railways come under the heading of considerations relating to consequences of primary importance for the environment within the meaning of Article 4(6), second subparagraph, of Directive 92/43/EEC (1)? Some uncertainty is encountered in the practical application by the Member States of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, known as the Habitat Directive. Pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 6(4) of this directive, the imperative reasons of overriding public interest include considerations in connection with consequences of primary importance for the environment. The construction of railways is particularly relevant in this respect, especially from the angle of environmental protection. One of the main aims of these projects is to shift road and air transport operations on to the railways with a view to reducing the pollution caused by aircraft and road vehicles (CO2, CO, NOx, hydrocarbons, benzene). Hence the above question, which I would ask the Commission to answer. (1) OJ L 206, 22. 7. 1992, p. 7