WRITTEN QUESTION E-1440/99 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Linking of Galicia and Portugal by a high-speed train network.
20. 6. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 170 E/15 Under the terms of Council Regulation (EC) 1164/94 of 16 May 1994 establishing a Cohesion Fund (1), the Fund exclusively assists investment in transport infrastructure and environmental protection. The Cohesion Fund does not therefore assist the sectors mentioned by the Honourable Member. (1) OJ L 130, 25. 5. 1994. (2000/C 170 E/015) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1438/99 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (1 September 1999) Subject: Integration of Galicia into the trans-European high-speed rail network It is obvious that Galicia, like any other European region ü above all given its visible history of marginalisation in the construction of the transport network of the Spanish state ü needs to be integrated into the trans-European high-speed rail network. However, there appears to be no provision for this in the technical forecasts and budgets under the plan for the trans-European rail network up to 2010. Should this be the case, Galician society would, once again, find itself lagging behind in historical terms, as it did with the building of the motorway links with the rest of the peninsula and Europe and, in the more distant past, with the construction of the original national rail network. It is essential that action is taken to forestall any such marginalisation. In this connection, can the Commission state how matters stand as regards the integration of Galicia into the deadlines and budget forecasts in respect of the plan for the trans-European rail network up to 2010? Can the Commission also state what proposals have been submitted to the EU by the Spanish state? (2000/C 170 E/016) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1440/99 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission Subject: Linking of Galicia and Portugal by a high-speed train network (1 September 1999) Can the Commission state what the current in terms of time-schedules and budgets, concerning the construction of a high-speed train network to link Galicia and Portugal along the route Lisbon-Porto-Vigo-Santiago-Corunna-Ferrol, given the major economic importance of this transfrontier region, which, with its 14 million inhabitants, occupies a substantial part of the European Atlantic seaboard? forecasts are, Joint answer to Written Questions E-1438/99 and E-1440/99 given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (11 October 1999) Decision No 1692/0096/EC of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network (1) contains in its annexes maps showing, for information purposes only, the links and nodes of this network based on how it should look in 2010. As far as the high-speed section is concerned, a distinction is drawn between lines already in service in 1996 and lines that are still in the early or more advanced stages of design. the European Parliament and of With specific reference to Galicia, it is true that at the time when these guidelines were being developed no actual high-speed project, either towards Portugal or towards central Spain, was under scrutiny. However, the 1996 maps do show details of a project followed by a conventional line to Galicia, as well as details in Spain of a redevelopment project envisaging speeds of the order of 200 kilometres per hour (km/h) from Valladolid almost as far as Orense, followed also by a conventional line to Orense and Santiago. from Lisbon to Oporto, in Portugal, C 170 E/16 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 6. 2000 Since this decision, taken in 1996, a number of studies have been funded under the trans-European transport network budget with a view to improving rail connections in this region. Furthermore, the proposal by the Commission in 1997 to amend the European Parliament and Council Decision of 1996 amending Decision No 1692/0096/EC as regards seaports, inland ports and intermodal terminals as well as project No 8 in Annex III (2) also entailed amending the title of specific project No 8 Motorway Lisbon- link Portugal ü Spain with the rest of Europeí. The relevant explanatory Valladolidí to Multimodal memorandum focused explicitly on the need to reinforce this corridor, one of the three sections of which specifically links Galicia (La Coruæa) to Portugal (Lisbon). Under the amendments proposed by Parliament on 10 March 1999 after first reading, the Commission presented an amended proposal (3) and a communication on the common position of the Council, currently in the preparatory stage. In particular, the Commission intends to accept the amendment proposed by Parliament calling for a detailed definition of the aims of specific project No 8 so as to ensure that the integration of Galicia into the trans-European network is more transparent. As far as funding is concerned, it should be pointed out that other funds (European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund and the European Investment Bank) have been used, and remain available for use, for the funding of studies and infrastructures designed to improve rail connections in this region. (1) OJ L 228, 9. 9. 1996. (2) COM(97) 681 final. (3) COM(1999) 277 final. (2000/C 170 E/017) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1441/99 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (1 September 1999) Subject: Support for Galician dairy producers in the context of aid to family farms Galician agriculture has, over the last few decades, been increasingly oriented towards specialisation in dairy farming. Its development has, however, been set back by the allocation of a milk quota of a Malthusian nature, which is in itself in flagrant contradiction of the right to agricultural modernisation along the lines existing in the Unionís central Member States. This obstacle is accentuated by the serious de facto discrimination affecting Galician agriculture as regards EC aids. In 1998, Galiciaís agricultural sector, which accounts for 18,5 % of the active agricultural workforce in Spain, received only 1,2 % of the ESP 852 903 million allocated to Spanish agriculture in EAGGF (Guarantee) monies, under a system which is biased towards large farms and tends, in addition, to encourage abuse of the Unionís Structural Funds. Given these circumstances, can the Commission state whether it intends to propose a system of special aids for family livestock farms, and, in particular, dairy farms, as a means of compensating for the significant under-funding of countries such as Galicia by the application of a system of EAGGF (Guarantee) aids which is clearly inadequate and, indeed, unfair in relation to their agricultural economy. Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (5 October 1999) The Council introduced milk quotas in 1984 to deal with a costly imbalance in the milk sector. As part of the Agenda 2000 reform it recently decided to apply them until 2008. At the same time it provided for increases for the Member States with continuing problems. In the case of Spain there will be two successive increases, of 350 000 tonnes in 2000 and 200 000 tonnes in 2001 (a total of + 10 %), which should take account of particular situations, such as that of Galicia described by the Honourable Member. These increases are in addition to those for Spain in 1987 and 1993/94, totalling over 20 % altogether