20.6.2002 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 147 E/177

The Commission, chaired by Mr Prodi, was confirmed in office by Parliament on 15 September 1999. It held its first meeting on Saturday 18September 1999 (No 1446). The last meeting in 2001 was held on Thursday 20 December 2001 (No 1549).

The Commission, chaired by Mr Prodi, has met 104 times since its confirmation (up to the end of 2001).

Attendance by Commissioners is as follows:

Number Member of the Commission of times attended , President 100 , Administrative reform 101 Loyola de Palacio, Relations with the , Transport and Energy 97 Mario Monti, Competition 97 Franz Fischler, Agriculture and Fisheries 86 , Entreprise and the Information Society 98 Frederik Bolkestein, Internal market 103 Philippe Busquin, Research 99 Pedro Solbes, Economic and monetary affairs 103 Poul Nielson, Development and Humanitarian Aid 77 Günter Verheugen, Enlargement 94 Christopher Patten, External relations 72 Pascal Lamy, Trade 88 David Byrne, Health and Consumer protection 92 Michel Barnier, Regional policy and, ad personam, Intergovernmental Conference 101 Viviane Reding, Education and Culture 95 Michaele Schreyer, Budget 101 Margot Wallström, Environment 88 António Vitorino, Justice and Home affairs 93 Anna Diamantopoulou, Employment and Social Affairs 100

(1) Last week of December and August.

(2002/C 147 E/184) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3428/01 by Giacomo Santini (PPE-DE)to the Commission

(21 December 2001)

Subject: Excessive checks on heavy goods vehicles in Austria

The closure of the Gotthard tunnel on 15 October this year has diverted a large proportion of southbound heavy and light traffic destined for Austria and Italy. In view of the ongoing environmental and traffic emergency on the Brenner motorway, the increase in traffic is causing serious concern to the inhabitants and authorities in the areas through which it passes. This does not justify the obstructive attitude adopted by the Austrian Government and the Tyrolean police in particular, who are hampering the circulation of (foreign) heavy goods vehicles at both the entrance to and exit from the Brenner pass. The checks consist C 147 E/178 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20.6.2002

in thorough, lengthy and often excessive technical inspections of the vehicles’ mechanical instruments, the weight borne by each axle, pointless measurements of every detail, checks on the goods carried, etc, etc.

All these formalities constitute a serious waste of time D often delays of several hours D which cause financial losses and bring traffic to a standstill, in addition to the pollution caused by gas emissions and vehicle noise. These measures contravene the provisions of the Treaties establishing the Union, which sanction the free movement of goods, and the provisions of the Accession Treaty signed by Austria. In the past checks of this kind and the levying of tolls considered to be excessive led the Court of Justice in Luxembourg to impose heavy sanctions on the Austrian Government and the Land of Tyrol. Does the Commission intend to take urgent steps to prevent serious damage and ban unacceptable discrimination of this kind, which infringes the Treaties?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(8 February 2002)

The Commission is aware of the problem raised by the Honourable Member concerning the considerable increase in checks on heavy goods vehicles on a stretch of Austria’s Brenner motorway, which is hampering road traffic.

It is examining the legality of these practices in the light of Council Regulation (EC) No 2679/98of 7 December 1998on the functioning of the internal market in relation to the free movement of goods among the Member States (1).

The Commission intends to ensure that the common rules in this regard are complied with.

(1) OJ L 337, 12.12.1998.

(2002/C 147 E/185) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3431/01 by Pere Esteve (ELDR)to the Commission

(6 December 2001)

Subject: Sand extraction in the Balearic Islands

One of the worst storms ever to hit the Balearic Islands has caused a huge amount of sand to be lost from the beaches. The Spanish Environment Ministry has announced that sand is to be extracted off the islands’ coastline: specifically, from the sandbanks located off the coast at Banyalbufar (Majorca) and to the north of Ibiza.

This prospect has provoked alarm amongst scientists and community representatives on the grounds that the loss of sand which has occurred on certain beaches is a temporary phenomenon: the beaches will recover in a few months’ time if conditions are at all favourable and if there is no countervailing human activity. Most of the sand which has disappeared is lying just a short distance off the beach (in the water) and it will return when the wave pattern is suitable. It should also be pointed out that artificial regeneration is a temporary, expensive and highly damaging solution to the problem. According to scientists, the various forms of damage include the destruction of demersal communities living in the sandbanks which are due to be dredged, thereby affecting certain species which are of particular value to fishermen; drastic changes in the ecological conditions prevailing on the dredged seabed, with the creation of ridges and hollows and the replacement of the original biological communities by others; the muddying of the waters in the extraction area, which is detrimental to species which require very clear waters, such as Posidonia oceanica, and the burial of natural communities in the area in which the sand is to be deposited, which in certain cases will affect protected flora communities (Posidonia).

In view of the fact that environmental policy consists (as stated in Directive 85/337/EEC (1)) in preventing damage to the environment rather than remedying it at a later stage, would the Commission say whether or not it is aware of the project described above? Is it intending to warn the Spanish authorities regarding