Translation of "Special action programme to clean up the coastal areas " (English → French) :

Question No. 419 Ms. Kirsty Duncan: With respect to the risk of corrosion and spills and other safety concerns arising from the transport of bitumen in pipelines, and to government action to address these risks: (a) how does diluted bitumen compare with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) in terms of (i) abrasive material content, (ii) acid concentration, (iii) sulphur content, (iv) viscosity; (b) to what extent is diluted bitumen more likely than WTI to cause corrosion or erosion in the pipelines through which they respectively flow; (c) what is the composition of diluted bitumen in Canada; (d) what are all of the volatile chemicals, persi ...[+++]stent organic pollutants or carcinogenic substances present in diluted bitumen in Canada; (e) in the process of diluting bitumen in Canada, what are the (i) natural gas condensates used, (ii) other petroleum products used; (f) what is the process by which diluted bitumen corrodes pipelines, with specific reference to (i) abrasion, (ii) friction, (iii) high pressure, (iv) settling of sediment, (v) velocity, (vi) sulphur-reducing bacteria, (vii) other significant factors; (g) for all proposed or existing National Energy Board (NEB)-regulated pipelines, what is (i) the amount of hard sediment passing through the pipeline annually, (ii) the average pressure, (iii) the average temperature; (h) what, if any, (i) research, (ii) action, (iii) investment has the government undertaken to determine whether diluted bitumen can flow safely through pipelines; (i) what, if any, (i) research, (ii) action, (iii) investment has the government undertaken to determine whether or not conventional crude should be distinguished from diluted bitumen when setting minimum standards for pipelines; (j) what, if any, (i) research, (ii) action, (iii) investment has the government undertaken to design safety and spill responses and spill liability management capabilities that are appropriate specifically to diluted bitumen; (k) how does a diluted bitumen sp ...

28. Agrees with the Commission's description of erosion as an "EU-wide problem" and calls on the Commission to initiate a Community-level action programme taking appropriate account of coastal erosion, which threatens not only residential areas but also infrastructure and cultural sites;

27. Agrees with the Commission’s description of erosion as an ‘EU-wide problem’ and calls on the Commission to initiate a Community-level action programme taking appropriate account of coastal erosion, which threatens not only residential areas but also infrastructure and cultural sites;

The mechanism shall in addition identify, on the basis of information from the individual Member States, the scientific community and recognised bodies, particularly high risks linked to climatic and environmental changes or specific features of or conditions in any area, and shall lay down special action programmes.

Given the experience acquired in the field of rural development under the LEADER programme and the lessons that could be drawn from pilot projects on land-use planning implemented under the TERRA programme, it is proposed that a strategy be formulated designed to improve the integrated regional approach to mountain areas, taking into account the interaction between various dec ...[+++]isionmaking levels (vertical integration) and in particular that a seminar should be held on 'mountain regions and land-use planning'; a communication from the Commission to the Council on EU mountain regions should be drawn up, extending and adapting to mountain regions the method applied to coastal areas as set out in the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament on the integrated management of coastal zones; on the basis of that communication, a Community action plan for mountain areas should be drawn up and submitted to the Council for approval, grouping together horizontally a package of measures which could be carried out by the Union under different Community regulations, programmes and initiatives.

Environment Cooperation will focus on: - assessing environmental problems in the Mediterranean region and defining, where appropriate, the initiatives to be taken; - making proposals to establish and subsequently update a short and medium-term priority environmental action programme for intervention coordinated by the European Commission and supplemented by long-term actions; it should include among the main areas for action, the following: integrated management of water, soil and ...[+++]coastal areas; management of waste; preventing and combating air pollution and pollution in the Mediterranean sea; natural heritage, landscapes and site conservation and management; Mediterranean forest protection, conservation and restoration, in particular through the prevention and control of erosion, soil degradation, forest fires and combating desertification; transfer of Community experience in financing techniques, legislation and environmental monitoring; integration of environmental concerns in all policies; - setting up a regular dialogue to monitor the implementation of the action programme; - reinforcing regional and subregional cooperation and strengthening coordination with the Mediterranean Action Plan; - stimulating coordination of investments from various sources, and implementation of relevant international conventions; - promoting the adoption and implementation of legislation and regulatory measures when required, especially preventive measures and appropriate high standards.