92002E0175

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0175/02

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(6 February 2002)

Subject: Exchange of letters with the Netherlands concerning the Iron Rhine

The Iron Rhine is the symbolic name given to the rail link between the port of Antwerp and the Ruhrgebiet. Belgium is very keen to see this rail link revived, but the Netherlands seems to be allowing the project to drag on. Invoking the European Habitats and Birds Directives, Mrs Netelenbos, Netherlands Minister for Transport and Water Management, is demanding that a tunnel be built to take the line under a nature reserve near Roermond. The Commission has apparently written to the Belgian authorities concerned, the Netherlands and Germany informing them of its opinion. The Belgian Minister for Transport acknowledges that she has received such a letter, but her Netherlands counterpart states she has not been informed.

1. Is it necessary to build a tunnel under the nature reserve near Roermond, pursuant to the European Habitats and Birds Directives?

2. Has the Commission in actual fact written to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands about this matter?

3. If so, what was the substance of its letter?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(22 March 2002)

The nature protection Directives (Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds(1) and Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora(2)) do not give a mandate to the Commission to take decisions, in the framework of mitigation of compensation measures related to the effects of infrastructure projects, about the necessity to build tunnels under any of the sites designated as part of the Natura 2000 network or belonging to Member States' own national nature reserves.

The three Member States involved in the Iron Rhine reactivation project (Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands) requested a meeting with the Commission to expose their views. This meeting took place in Brussels on 5 July 2001. At their request, Directorate general Environment sent on 19 September 2001 to the delegation leaders present at the meeting a written account of the answers it gave to Member States' questions, with additional remarks about certain points that were discussed and some general observations.

A copy of the letter of 19 September 2001 is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979.

(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.