WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2364/98 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Improved forestry protection and fire fighting resources in Greece
8. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 96/81 Italian Prime Minister. The views expressed by the Assistant Public Prosecutor of Milan give the impression that the Milan Public Prosecutorís Office is a political counterweight, foreshadowing conflicts discrediting and destabilizing the Establishment. For some time now the European Parliament has been urging, by a large majority, the need to separate the various judicial careers precisely in order to avoid incidents such as those revealed through the activities of some of the Italian Public Prosecutorís Offices. Can the Community Institutions rapidly take all the appropriate urgent measures within their powers necessary to ensure that the rule of law is reestablished within the Italian judicial departments and to penalize and prevent the continuation or repetition of the serious incidents mentioned above which are an infringement of the fundamental rights and guarantees of European citizens and a clear sign that the criminal justice system is being used for political purposes? Reply (19 October 1998) The Council has no competence to deal with the questions raised by the honourable Members of the European Parliament. (1999/C 96/114) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2364/98 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (27 July 1998) Subject: Improved forestry protection and fire fighting resources in Greece Recent fires in Greece have revealed that the country is disastrously ill-equipped, lacking in modern forestry protection and fire-fighting resources. In particular, its airborne firefighting fleet is inadequate and outdated, with the result that fires cannot be rapidly and effectively extinguished and vast areas of forest land are destroyed, with incalculable consequences for the development of the country. 1. Has the Greek Government requested funding for the purchase of firefighting aircraft, and helicopters and other logistical and infrastructural resources as part of the measures to protect the physical environment provided for under the 1994-1999 Community Support Framework (second Delors package)? 2. Can the Commission provide funding for this purpose? Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (9 October 1998) The Community has already part-financed firefighting equipment intended for the fire services in Greece, in particular under the integrated Mediterranean programmes, the Community Support Framework (CSF) for the period 1989-1993, the special measures for the Greek Aegean islands, the CSF for the current period (1994-1999) and the Cohesion Fund. The equipment consisted mostly of purpose-built land vehicles. The Greek authorities have not submitted a request to the Commission for the purchase of aerial firefighting equipment under the current CSF. If such a proposal were to be made, the Commission would consider it in the context of the programmes under that CSF, in relation to other priorities and available budget funds. The Commission would point out, however, that part-financing this type of investment would have no sense unless it were part of an integrated and coherent measure which took account of the Greek forest fire protection plan, on which it delivered a favourable opinion on 7 March 1994, under Regulation (EEC) 2158/92 (1). (1) OJ L 217, 31. 7. 1992