WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1400/98 by Antonios TRAKATELLIS to the Commission. Cohesion Fund and the project: 'Water supply to Thessaloniki from the river Aliakmon'
C 354/96 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 11. 98 Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (16 June 1998) Several Member States have mechanisms equivalent to the Criminal injuries compensation board in the United Kingdom. All Member States have some form of compensation scheme or authority dealing with issues pertaining to compensation to victims of crime. The Commission is currently through its Grotius programme financing studies investigating various aspects of the differences and similarities of the 15 national regimes in this field, and will be receiving results from these studies before the end of the year. The Commission does not exclude legislative proposals to aid crime victims in Europe, although it is too early to say what measures or combinations of measures would be the more appropriate. (98/C 354/152) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1400/98 by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE) to the Commission (28 April 1998) Subject: Cohesion Fund and the project: Water supply to Thessaloniki from the river Aliakmoní Project 94/09/61/005 entitled Water supply to Thessaloniki from the river Aliakmoní was included in the projects funded under the Cohesion Fund in 1995. Commission communication (96/C 244/03) regarding decisions to grant financial assistance under Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 establishing a Cohesion Fund (1) states that the operational phase of the project is scheduled to begin on 1. 8. 1998, while the main works are due to be completed on 31. 12. 1998. Given that Thessaloniki already faces a water shortage and that elevated areas in particular suffer cuts in water supplies, will the Commission say. 1. What stage has construction work reached and when is it due to be completed? 2. What assistance is the EU providing and how much has been allocated so far? 3. Will there be any delays in the completion of the project and, if so, for what reason? 4. Have there been any problems or shortcomings in the construction work and, if so, which ones have been identified and what measures will be taken to ensure that the funds that have been made available to complete the project are actually used? (1) OJ L 130, 25. 5. 1994, p. 1. Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (26 May 1998) 1. Two thirds of the works have been commenced: most progress has been achieved in the completion of works for conveying water from the Axios river to the Sindos pumping station. One third of the works is at the final design and call for tenders stage. The Greek authorities plan to complete the project by the end of 1999. 2. Community assistance amounts to ECU 80. 8 million, of which ECU 13. 6 million has already been granted. The date for the completion of the work and the entry into service of the project have been set back one year 3. at the request of the Greek authorities, mainly because of delays in awarding the contracts. 4. The Commission is monitoring the implementation of this project closely. To that end, it has asked the Greek authorities to draw up a plan for the management of water resources in the Thessaloniki region, to detect and repair leaks in the supply network, to assess the design of that part of the project constructed previously, to consider means of protecting the Axios syphon, and to look into ways of treating and storing residues from filtered water. A start has been made on most of this work