WRITTEN QUESTION E-2767/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Support for inland waterways vessels under 1 000 tonnes.
C 303 E/108 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 24. 10. 2000 following a timetable that is related to the progress of the World trade organisation (WTO) year, negotiations and the free trade agreement for the Americas (FTAA) negotiations. It is not possible to foresee how long the negotiations with Mercosur will take. (2000/C 303 E/104) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2767/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Support for inland waterways vessels under 1 000 tonnes If used to the full by inland navigation, Europeís network of waterways could make a major environmen- tally compatible contribution towards solving the problem of mobility. A properly developed, well maintained network of waterways could be the trump card in diverting some transport from roads to water. In addition to a proper infrastructure, however, what is needed is a substantial fleet. The main approach adopted by the European Union has been to increase scale following a 10-year major modernisation programme (the scrap and build scheme). In addition a directive in 1996 abolished the áqueuingí system which resulted in a sharp drop in freight rates. Despite the increase in productivity, freights on vessels under 1 000 tonnes no longer covered costs. Nevertheless, proper attention should be paid to maintaining a sufficiently large fleet of vessels of up to 1 000 tonnes. Vessels of 350 to 400 tonnes and small river craft are ideally suited for supplying large parts of the hinterland of some ports via smaller waterways. This is also true of relatively small consignments of goods. 1. What is the Commissionís attitude towards the upkeep of a sufficiently large fleet of vessels of less than 1 000 tonnes? 2. What efforts is the Commission prepared to make to ensure the viability of this form of inland navigation and to make this policy part of an endeavour to reduce the problem of mobility by road? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (3 March 2000) 1. Maintaining a fleet of inland waterway vessels of up to 1 000 tonnes is the responsibility of the operators in the sector and the Commission does not have a view on the matter. The Commission nevertheless observes that the fleet of small vessels of under 650 tonnes still represents 40 % of the Community fleets. 2. The Communityís new capacity policy which has operated since April 1999 favours the construction of the smallest craft if that is what the market decides. The Commission will continue to take action in favour of transport by inland waterway so that it can offer competitive alternatives to other modes of transport. (2000/C 303 E/105) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2774/99 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Progress of work on Athens underground rail system Can the Commission answer the following: 1. What was the initial budget for the construction of the Athens underground rail system and how much is the final cost of the work expected to be?