WRITTEN QUESTION No. 820/98 by José APOLINÁRIO to the Commission. The Community initiative, Interreg, and tourism
21. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 323/79 However, owing to the ever increasing number of applications and the concern expressed both by the European Parliament and the Member States to see a significant increase in information on Community cultural programmes, the Commission felt it would be productive to disseminate this information via áculture desksí in the Member States. To this effect, it made proposals to the committees for the programmes (Kaleidoscope committee meeting of 14 February 1997) for the setting of these desks to be effected on a voluntary basis in the Member States. The Commission would cover 50% of the establishment and annual running costs of one such culture desk per Member State of up to ECU 80 000 per Member State in the case of the large States and up to ECU 30 000 in the case of the smaller States. The desks would be funded jointly under the budget entries corresponding to the Community Ariane, Kaleidoscope and Raphae¤l programmes. The Community contribution is conditional on the presentation to the Commission of an action programme and draft budget by the body designated by the authorities of the Member State to assume responsibility for the culture desk. In 1998, ten Member States and two countries of the European Free Trade Association(EFTA/European Economic Area (EEA) made use of the opportunity afforded them (Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Iceland and Norway). The tasks assigned to the culture desks on the strength of the commitments made towards the Commission are essentially to ensure the promotion of Community programmes and provide information for potential applicants, professionals and other interested parties (ongoing information, widest possible dissemination of information concerning the cultural programmes, technical assistance for professionals and, where appropriate, other promotional measures for the attention of the target groups). Subject to the availability of resources, the Commission will make further provision for the establishment of these culture desks when drafting the new framework programme for culture. (98/C 323/105) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0820/98 by Jose· Apolina·rio (PSE) to the Commission (26 March 1998) Subject: The Community initiative, Interreg, and tourism Will the Commission give the total amount allocated, per Member State, in the 1994-1999 financial programming period to actions and projects specifically involving tourism within the framework of the Community initiative, Interreg II? Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (20 April 1998) Of the three strands of the Interreg II Community Initiative, only Interreg IIA (development of border areas and cross-border cooperation) covers significant measures in the field of tourism. As is the case for the Structural Funds in general, Interreg II is implemented in compliance with the principle of subsidiarity. Accordingly, the Commission has approved 59 multiannual operational programmes under Interreg IIA, while the selection and approval of the projects is the responsibility of the national, regional or local authorities. Moreover, in accordance with the spirit of genuine cross-border cooperation, operational programmes concerned with internal borders do not normally allocate appropriations by Member State. Consequently, only overall and approximate figures can be given for Community financial assistance from the 59 operational programmes for measures in the field of tourism. On the basis of current programming, this can be estimated at ECU 300 million, or about 12% of total Community funding for Interreg IIA. For example, the Spain/Portugal operational programme devotes about ECU 55 million (10% of the Community appropriations for this programme) to measures concerning tourism