92002E3136

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3136/02

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 October 2002)

Subject: Route for oversized loads

The French Government has decided to create a route for oversized loads between Bordeaux and Toulouse to carry the parts for Airbus A380, and also to construct a special roadway for oversized loads. This route makes an incomprehensible detour via Barbotan Les Thèrmes, although there is a direct route which is 7 km shorter.

Given that:

- Barbotan is a spa employing 1 700 people, which would suffer from the reduction in its activities that the major disruption of the road would cause;

- the Barbotan site has already been suggested to the Commission as a site of Community interest and is home to a number of notable species, one of which is a priority species under the Habitats directive;

- structural funds have been granted to promote the development of the spa and help preserve the environment,

does the Commission not take the view that this route is being created in violation of Community environmental law, more specifically Directives 79/409/EEC(1) and 92/43/EEC(2)? Can the Commission tell me if structural funds and/or EIB loans have been allocated to the building of this route for oversized loads between Bordeaux and Toulouse? If so, would this not be in contradiction with the funding for environmental protection? What steps does the Commission intend to take to help modify this route in order to comply with the environmental directives?

(1) OJ L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(27 November 2002)

The Commission very recently received two complaints concerning the project the Honourable Member is referring to for a wide route between Bordeaux et Toulouse to carry parts for the Airbus A 380. It is currently examining whether the project is in any way incompatible with Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds and Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 may 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Having examined the information contained in the complaint files, the Commission will take the necessary steps to ensure that Community environment law is observed.

The Commission can inform the Honourable Member that no Community financing is involved in this project.