WRITTEN QUESTION No. 304/98 by Maartje van PUTTEN to the Commission. Impact of a Community biodiversity strategy on other policy areas
C 223/162 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 17. 7. 98 Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission (24 March 1998) The Communityís programmes on reproductive health and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in developing countries have been reorganised and after a tender procedure, a consortium was selected to assist in this task. This consortium has a small office in Brussels and also has experts in several institutions in Europe and in developing countries. The purpose of the change is to improve and increase the financing of policies and activities in HIV/AIDS and reproductive health in the different regions of the developing world. This also complements the reorganisation which was started already in 1993 by the establishment of a Health, AIDS and family planning unit in the Directorate general for development. The strengthening of the Commission in relation to those issues continues. Thus, it will be also possible for the Commission to keep its promise to commit 300 MECU for reproductive health. (98/C 223/211) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0304/98 by Maartje van Putten (PSE) to the Commission (17 February 1998) Subject: Impact of a Community biodiversity strategy on other policy areas Can the Commission answer the following questions? 1. The Commission recently deliberated internally on the Community biodiversity strategy proposed by DG XI. Can the Commission indicate what impact that strategy would mean for other EU policy areas and, in particular, what its impact would be on the common agricultural policy? Does the Commission feel that a Community biodiversity strategy could contribute to the promotion of 2. forms of agriculture within the EU which are more environmentally friendly? If so, in what way? Does the Commission feel that a Community biodiversity strategy may constitute a framework for the 3. assessment of Agenda 2000? Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (24 March 1998) The Commission adopted on 4 February 1998 a communication to the Council and to the Parliament on a Community biodiversity strategy (1). This strategy defines a framework for actions to achieve integration of biodiversity concerns into relevant Community policy areas. The implementation of the Convention on biological diversity by the Community calls for a two-step process. The adoption of this strategy containing the general policy orientations is the first step. The second is the development and implementation of action plans and other measures for the policy areas concerned. The strategy defines how biodiversity concerns will be taken into account in the current review of the arrangements for the structural funds, in the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform process announced in Agenda 2000 (2), and in the new framework agreement between the Community and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) beyond the year 2000. The development of these action plans should be completed within the next two years. Progress in the implementation of the strategy and the performance of the action plans and other measures will be monitored and assessed using biodiversity indicators and measurable targets. In due course the Parliament will have the opportunity to consider the technical details of this proposal, and the specific objectives set out for each policy sector. (1) COM(98) 42 final. (2) COM(97) 2000 final