WRITTEN QUESTION E-0992/00 by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (PSE) to the Commission. 'Pôles de développement rural' (PPDR) (DG VIII development project in Cameroon).
26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/139 (2001/C 26 E/173) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0992/00 by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (PSE) to the Commission (31 March 2000) Subject: Pôles de dØveloppement ruralí (PPDR) (DG VIII development project in Cameroon) With reference to the Pôles de dØveloppement ruralí project, can the Commission say: 1. whether the project will be continued? 2. If so, will its aims and guidelines be altered? On 5 May 1999 the experts commissioned to assess the project (GOPA Consultants, Bad Homburg) submitted a final study suggesting various improvements. Their proposals call for the project to revert unequivocally to its original prime task of changing modes of behaviour with a view to boosting the self- management abilities of the local population. The study also lists measures and results that might help to attain the projectís objective, including the point that the potential uptake by recipients and their skills should be taken more largely into account. In addition, it recommends that selected participants be assisted and bolstered. Could the Commission express a view on the expertsí proposals for improvement and say: ü what generally happens to assessment reports, who has access to the reports, and how they can be obtained; ü what has been done with the PPDR report in particular; ü whether the improvements proposed will be taken into consideration when the project is relaunched? If the answer to the previous question is yes, how does the Commission intend to organise cooperation with local NGOs? Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission (19 May 2000) The rural development zones project (PPDR) was launched in 1991 in the Bafut area and in late 1992 in the Saa, Ntui and SangmØlina areas, under a financing agreement worth EUR 10. 3 million under the Sixth European Development Fund (EDF). The overall approach emphasises capacity-building enabling the communities concerned to manage their own development and improve their living standards and environment. In the three zones of Saa, Ntui and SangmØlina, prior to the second, four-year phase being programmed there was an intermediate phase in the period 1997/1998, in which the viability and management of agricultural projects and socio-economic infrastructure was stressed. The Commission and the EDF National Authorising Officer agreed on a mid-term evaluation in 1995 and an evaluation at the end of the 1997/1998 intermediate phase in November 1998. The evaluations highlighted the positive popular impact of the project, the participative ethos of which had enabled the beneficiaries to take charge of their own micro-projects. However, it was found that additional work was necessary to achieve a sufficient level of participation and to build up the communityís ownership capacity. On the basis of evaluations by independent consultancies, emphasis was placed on the viability and management of agricultural projects and socio-economic infrastructure. Project activities have been planned and followed up with reference to two sub-programmes: continuation and new operations. The new programme should start in the first half of 2000. Evaluation reports financed by the EDF, and not by the Communityís own resources, belong to the Government receiving the financing. The Commission is nonetheless making evaluations available by publishing the final versions on the Europa web site of the Common Service for External Relations (SCR) (http://europa. eu. int/comm/scr/evaluation/index. htm). The report on the PPDR is still provisional and for C 26 E/140 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 the moment it is available on paper from the Commission Delegation in YaoundØ, from the relevant Commission department in Brussels and from the EDF National Authorising Officer in YaoundØ. The improvements proposed by GOPA Consultants were taken into account the programme, insofar as they were considered relevant and suited to the specific context and financing of the new phase of the project. in the new draft of Cooperation with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is governed by Articles 252 to 257 (micro- projects) and Articles 251a to 251e (decentralised cooperation) of the LomØ Convention, which lays down the objective and arrangements for its implementation. The Commission has also published a note on support for decentralised cooperation, which applies to all decentralised cooperation programmes. (2001/C 26 E/174) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0993/00 by Ioannis Souladakis (PSE) to the Council (30 March 2000) Subject: Procedures for implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) The recent adoption by the European Parliament of the Swoboda Report (1) on the negotiation of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia establishes a suitable framework guaranteeing the security and development of the country so as to allow FYROM gradually to come into the European fold. Will the Council say what steps it intends to take next to implement in the near future all the measures announced and promised in the Swoboda report for FYROM? (1) Verbatim Report of Proceedings of 17 February 2000, p. 81. Reply (26 June 2000) The Stabilisation and Association process is the centrepiece of the European Unionís policy in the Balkans. The overall objective of the Union is the fullest possible integration of the countries in the Region into the political and economic mainstream of Europe. The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) is a new type of bilateral Agreement which the European Union offers to the countries of the Region, in return for compliance with certain political and economic conditions. A negotiating directive for an SAA with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was adopted by the Council on 24 January 2000. This was the first negotiating directive for an Agreement of this kind in Region and represents a significant step forward in the development of EUís Stabilisation and Association process. Negotiations under the responsibility of the European Commission have opened in March, and the two sides have expressed their wish to aim at finishing negotiations by the end of the year. The Council is confident that the European Commission is fully aware of the recommendations in the Report by Mr Swoboda. Upon completion of negotiations, the signature and conclusion of the Agreement will take place according to the procedures foreseen by the relevant provisions of the Treaties