WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3917/97 by José APOLINÁRIO to the Commission. Measures eligible for funding under INTERREG II C
16. 6. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 187/89 (98/C 187/135) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3917/97 by Jose· Apolina·rio (PSE) to the Commission (28 November 1997) Subject: Measures eligible for funding under INTERREG II C Following the resolution which was unanimously adopted by Parliament at its sitting of 20 November 1997 (resolution B4-0932/97) and the Commissionís answer to my question H-853/97 (1), which is clearly a purely technical answer, is the Commission considering submitting an amendment to the eligibility criteria for expenditure under the INTERREG II C initiative so as to allow for intervention in Spain and Portugal in the event of storms and floods (as is possible in certain EU Member States) and not just in respect of drought? (1) European Parliament debates (November 1997). Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (19 January 1998) The Commission does not envisage amending the eligibility criteria for expenditure under the Community initiative Interreg II C, for three reasons. Firstly, the objective of the Interreg II C initiative is to support transnational cooperation in the field of spatial planning. Measures and actions to be promoted must have a structural or preventive character and be justified by the economic development of the area concerned. It has not been envisaged to use funding under Interreg II C to provide support in the case of natural hazards or catastrophes. Secondly, Interreg II C was adopted by the Commission in May 1996 and its guidelines were published in July 1996 (1). For the period 1997-1999 no allocation was made for either Spain or Portugal for flood prevention since no such request was made by those Member States. The proposals for operational programmes were submitted to the Commission in the first half of 1997. The Portuguese drought programme was approved on 29 September 1997 and the Spanish programme should be approved in the coming months. It should be noted that, whereas the flood programmes are joint transnational programmes, the drought programmes have a national character. Finally, existing drought programmes can contribute (although only indirectly) to improving water management and therefore also to flood prevention to the extent that they support, among other actions, the hydrological study of river catchment areas, studies on water resources and the ecological balance of specific areas, the development of strategies, planning actions and measures on land use and sustainable hydrological management. (1) OJ C 200, 10. 7. 1996. (98/C 187/136) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3919/97 by Edouard des Places (I-EDN) to the Commission (28 November 1997) Subject: Situation of the dried vegetables branch of the agri-foodstuffs sector According to the regulation setting out the arrangements for aid to vegetable growing, aid is granted in respect of vetches (Vicia sativa), ref. No 07 13 90 90 in the Common Customs Tariff published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 19 September 1996 (1). This heading of the Common Customs Tariff comprises other ádried leguminous vegetables, shelled, whether or not skinned or splití in a chapter on edible vegetables for human consumption