WRITTEN QUESTION No. 832/98 by Jesús CABEZÓN ALONSO to the Commission. Application of Cuba to join the group of ACP countries under the Lomé Convention
C 310/136 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 10. 98 (98/C 310/183) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0826/98 by Lis Jensen (I-EDN) to the Commission (26 March 1998) Subject: Information budget of the Commissionís Copenhagen office Will the Commission state how much money its office in Denmark has earmarked for information purposes in 1998 and what proportion of that amount will be used before 28 May 1998? Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (2 June 1998) For general information activities in 1998 the Commission representation in Denmark has been allocated ECU 1 248 000 in commitment appropriations on budget line B3-300 (general information and communication work concerning the European Union) and ECU 20 000 in commitment appropriations on budget line B3-301 (information outlets). The general information activities of the representation, such as the publishing of a monthly magazine, newsletters, fact sheets and organisation of conferences and seminars, take place throughout the year, both before and after the referendum date. On budget line B3-306 (information programme for European citizens PRINCEí › information activities in connection with specific policies) ECU 295 000 in commitment appropriations has been allocated for information by the Representation in Denmark on the Treaty of Amsterdam. At this stage it is difficult to determine what proportion will be spent before and after May 28. Theses activities fall under the requirement of the Commission to provide information for the general public (such as a factual guide on the Treaty of Amsterdam) on important issues about the Community. (98/C 310/184) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0832/98 by Jesu· s Cabezo·n Alonso (PSE) to the Commission (26 March 1998) Subject: Application of Cuba to join the group of ACP countries under the Lome· Convention Can the Commission confirm that Cuba has officially applied to join the group of ACP countries which are signatories to the Lome· Convention? Is it appropriate that Cuba should wish to join the group of ACP countries signatories to the Lome· Convention, given that two years ago the Commission stated that it was not possible to sign a bilateral cooperation agreement between the European Union and Cuba? Answer given by Mr Mar ·n on behalf of the Commission (7 April 1998) The Commission has been informed that the Cuban government has formally applied for membership of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of countries (ACP) signatory to the Lome· Convention. However, the ACP group must first give its opinion on this request. The Lome· Convention partners (ACP and the Community) will then, where appropriate, examine the application jointly in accordance with the objectives and principles laid down in the Convention and with the procedures in force