WRITTEN QUESTION E-2407/99 by John McCartin (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Esperanto.
3. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 280 E/43 (2000/C 280 E/041) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2407/99 by John McCartin (PPE-DE) to the Commission (16 December 1999) Subject: Esperanto Has the Commission undertaken any studies on the use of Esperanto across the Union? Does it feel that there is any place for Esperanto as a tool for creating cohesion between the present and future European Union nations, and is Esperanto included in any of the current EU language schemes? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (10 February 2000) Respect for cultural and linguistic diversity is a crucial element of European integration. Promoting better knowledge and understanding of the cultures and languages of other Europeans is therefore of particular importance. Languages will continue in future to be the key to knowing others. Esperanto does not feature in the Communityís programmes on education and vocational training. The aim of these programmes is to promote linguistic diversity with a view to granting equal status to each of the Unionís languages. It is therefore necessary to vary language teaching and language use in order to enable all Europeans to experience the cultural wealth that is embedded in the EUís linguistic diversity. (2000/C 280 E/042) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2414/99 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (16 December 1999) Subject: Illegal burial of toxic waste Residents and organisations in the general area of the Gulf of Yera on the island of Lesbos complain that the firm Mamidakis has been illegally operating its storage facilities in the Skala Loutron region for the past two years, since the State Councilís decision of 10 November 1997. The issue of illegal burial of fuel tank waste by Mamidakis has also come to light recently. Under Joint Ministerial Decision 72751/3064/84 this waste is classified as toxic and dangerous. For many years, in fact, waste from tank-cleaning in the Mamidakis storage facilities in the Skala Loutron region was illegally buried in a ditch approximately five metres deep, despite the fact that according to the environmental impact study the waste from tanks was supposed to be stored in a specially covered area, in drums marked Dangerí, until it was transferred to other locations outside Lesbos that are provided for toxic and dangerous waste. It should also be noted that the petroleum products firm operates its storage facilities entirely inside the residential area of Skala Loutron, and that the safety distances fixed by law are not adhered to, entailing a risk of explosion or escape of toxic substances in the event of an accident. Since the Gulf of Yera forms a sensitive terrestrial and marine ecosystem of great ecological value, incompatible with the operation of fuel storage facilities, and since the illegal burial of waste has substantial effects on the water table and, more generally, on the areaís environment, does the Commission consider that the above-mentioned practices on the part of Mamidakis constitute a breach of the relevant Community legislation, sufficient to warrant starting proceedings in the Court of Justice?