Question for written answer E-002885/2018/rev.1 to the Commission Rule 130 Konstantinos Papadakis (NI)

Subject: Serious problems in , and the entire area caused by oil tanks

The overpowering stench of oil in the already polluted areas of Keratsini, Drapetsona and the wider Piraeus area has exasperated local residents. They complain that it comes from tanks used by the company ‘Oil-One’ to store petroleum and chemical waste. It should be noted that in 2015 the SYRIZA-ANEL government extended the company’s licence and even offered it a subsidy of EUR 1.5 million.

In Perama, following the construction of a new pier, preparations are under way to re-commission the oil tanks a stone’s throw from houses and schools; these tanks had been decommissioned due to a lengthy campaign by the local population.

This is further proof that, faced with the prospect of a capitalist recovery and profitability for business groups, the government and capital, following European Union guidelines, have little interest in protecting public health from the various volatile gases emitted from these tanks.

Considering that the EU has worked with the Greek government to establish these policies under the MoUs, how does the Commission view workers’ demands that:

- the petroleum tanks – or ‘death cauldrons’, as they are popularly known – should be immediately relocated away from built-up areas and all the necessary environmental protection measures should be taken?

- the site in question should be used to satisfy the needs of ordinary working people by expropriating the land and creating health, recreational, cultural and sports infrastructure as well as green spaces?

- entrepreneurial activity should be banned and the land and infrastructure funded and maintained exclusively from the state budget, through the imposition of a tax on capital?

1157531.EN PE 622.651