WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2267/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Information on funds used to develop the north- west region of Italy in 1995-1996
C 21/146 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 1. 98 (98/C 21/270) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2237/97 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission (2 July 1997) Subject: Food aid for North Korea On 23 May 1997 the Commission announced a ECU 46. 3 million food aid package for North Korea. The head of the Commissionís delegation in Korea was quoted in a report by Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, as saying that many problems had been encountered in the distribution of a previous consignment of EU aid there earlier this year. Can the Commission give details of the problems encountered? Are there any reports of any aid being siphoned off by the North Korean military? Has the Commission published and/or will it publish a report about those problems? What measures will it be taking to ensure that its latest aid package will be properly distributed? How many EU officials will be involved in monitoring the distribution of the aid? Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (24 July 1997) The Commission clearly indicated at a press conference in Seoul on 24 May 1997 that there was no evidence of past Community food aid to North Korea being improperly used. The report cited by the Honourable Member, issued by Yonhap news agency on 24 May 1997, quotes the Commission as reporting that áseeds of grain provided early this year had been distributed properlyí. The Commission has received no reports indicating that Community food aid has been diverted to groups other than the civilian population for which it was intended. This view is shared by the United Nation’s world food programme (WFP) which has a presence in North Korea checking distribution of its food aid. The package announced on 23 May 1997 consists of approximately 155 000 tonnes of food aid products, with a value of around 46. 3 MECU. It also includes a team of independent experts who will work closely with WFP in North Korea to ensure that the significant quantities of Community food aid are properly distributed. (98/C 21/271) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2267/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (2 July 1997) Subject: Information on funds used to develop the north-west region of Italy in 1995-1996 What funds were allocated by the European Union in 1995 and 1996 to the north-west region of Italy (Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Valle díAosta) and for what purposes, with particular reference to: 1. European Regional Development Fund; 2. European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) › Guidance Section; 3. European Social Fund; 4. European Union research programmes; 5. European Union energy programmes; 6. European Union environment programmes; 7. Other European Union programmes?