WRITTEN QUESTION E-0083/00 by Hanja Maij-Weggen (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Hawsbill sea turtle.
3. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 280 E/175 the áright of scrutinyí which the Commission, and the competent public authorities in general, possess concerning the execution of projects financed by Commission funds, which is governed by a set of legal provisions. In addition other provisions, notably the directives coordinating Community tendering procedures for public procurement markets with the corresponding national provisions, guarantee the required transpar- ency of the phases prior to a project being awarded. Clauses of this type are often included in contracts governing relations between the parties, with the principal aim of protecting the interested partiesí intellectual or industrial property rights, trade secrets, and the secrecy of the negotiations. The Commission stresses that such clauses have never prevented the Commission, or other competent bodies, from exercising their prerogative to monitor that projects are properly executed. As regards the specific case of the accident that occurred on the building site of a bridge on the Attica highway, the Greek authorities have set up an Inquiry Committee to establish the causes of this accident. On the basis of the Inquiry Committeeís conclusions, the Commission will take all necessary measures, as per Articles 38 and 39 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (1). (1) OJ L 161, 26. 6. 1999. (2000/C 280 E/199) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0083/00 by Hanja Maij-Weggen (PPE-DE) to the Commission (24 January 2000) Subject: Hawsbill sea turtle The critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle has been on Appendix I of CITES since 1975. Cuban and Japanese reservations allowed Cuba to export thousands of hawksbill shells to Japan between 1975 and 1992, when Japan withdrew its reservation. Since 1992, the international trade in hawksbill shells has been banned. In 1997, Cuba proposed to transfer the Cuban populationí of hawksbills to CITES Appendix II, to export up to 500 shells to Japan each year, and to export over 5 000 kg of government shell stocks to Japan; this proposal failed by a narrow margin. In preparation for the next CITES meeting (April 2000), Cuba invited scientific authorities of European Parties to assess their hawksbill management programme. The UK, the Netherlands and Spain visited Cuba and may recommend that European Parties support Cubaís proposal. How does the Commission plan to address concerns that the Cuban proposal does not meet the 1. criteria established at the ninth Conference of the Parties for down-listing to Appendix II? 2. Given concerns that the reopening of the legal trade in sea turtle products will fuel demand for shell around the world and cause increased poaching and illegal trade, should the Commission encourage trade in such a critically endangered species? 3. Given that experts have determined that there are no more than 5 000 nesting female hawksbills annually in the wider Caribbean, how does the Commission plan to address the fact that annual removal of 10 % of the population will have a detrimental impact on this critically endangered species? 4. How does the Commission plan to address concerns that sea turtles caught in Cuban waters are shared by other countries in the Caribbean, meaning the killing and export of shells will affect the population of other countries? C 280 E/176 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 10. 2000 Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission (8 February 2000) The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question E-2488/99 by Mr Evans (1). (1) See page 54. (2000/C 280 E/200) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0094/00 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (26 January 2000) Subject: Possible merger between the Astano and Bazan state shipbuilding companies in Galicia The chairman of the Astano state-owned shipbuilding company in Galicia has said that one way of safeguarding the shipyardís future would be to arrange a merger with Bazan (another state-owned company), which also has a shipyard in the Ferrol area. This would enable Astano to resume constructing conventional vessels. Can the Commission confirm this possibility? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (25 February 2000) The possibility of a merger between Astano and Bazan is a matter for the Spanish government. However the Commission would need to ensure that the Communityís state aid rules for shipbuilding were respected. As regards the possible impact of such a merger on Astanoís activities, the current limitations on the yard would remain unaffected. As the Commission has explained in its reply to written question E-0095/00 (1) and previous similar questions by the Honourable Member, the continued closure of the Astano yard to shipbuilding was one of the conditions for approval by the Commission in 1997 of substantial state aids for the publicly-owned shipyards in Spain. (1) See page 176. (2000/C 280 E/201) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0095/00 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission Subject: Construction of vessels by the Astano shipbuilding company (26 January 2000) Could the Commission set out the conditions required for the Astano shipbuilding company in Galicia to be able to resume operations and thus escape the discrimination to which it has fallen victim? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (25 February 2000) As the Commission explained in its replies to written questions E-1432/99 (1) and E-2051/99 (2) by the Honourable Member, the continued closure of the Astano yard to shipbuilding was one of the conditions of substantial state aids for the publicly-owned shipyards in Spain approved by the Commission in 1997