WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1507/98 by Daniel VARELA SUANZES- CARPEGNA to the Commission. The information society and social and economic cohesion
C 31/46 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 5. 2. 1999 considerably reduce social and regional equality within the EU and, in general, a two-speed information society. Parliamentís Committee on Regional Policy has also expressed similar views in its report A4-0399/97. Could the Commission say how this consideration has been incorporated into its final proposals on the reform of the Structural Funds for the new 2000-2006 period (proposals which were adopted by the College of Commissioners on 18 March 1998), with particular reference to SMEs and, in general, less-favoured (i. e. rural, island and outlying) regions? (1999/C 31/060) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1506/98 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE) to the Commission Subject: The information society and social and economic cohesion (13 May 1998) The Commission Communication on cohesion and the information society (COM(97) 7 final of 22 January 1997) describes (on page 17) the greater difficulty experienced by the more backward regions in securing access to, and exploiting the potential of, the information society. At the same time a sound telecommunications infrastructure can restrict or even do away with the need for people to travel and for goods to be transported, which would have less impact on the environment and be less demanding in terms of financial and energy resources. Can the Commission say whether this consideration has been incorporated into its final proposals concerning the reform of the Structural Funds for the new 2000-2006 period, proposals which were adopted by the College of Commissioners on 18 March 1998? (1999/C 31/061) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1507/98 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE) to the Commission Subject: The information society and social and economic cohesion (13 May 1998) In its report A4-0399/97 of 9 December 1997, Parliamentís Committee on Regional Policy called on the Commission to take due account of the specific needs of the less-developed regions, the cohesion requirements of the existing Member States and the challenges arising from enlargement when formulating its policy on the information society. Could the Commission say to what extent it has taken this request into account in its final proposals for reform of the Structural Funds during the new 2000-2006 planning period, proposals which were approved by the College of Commissioners on 18 March 1998? Joint answer to Written Questions E-1499/98, E-1503/98, E-1506/98 and E-1507/98 given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (13 July 1998) In the Commissionís proposal for new regulations for the structural funds (1), technological innovation (in particular the dissemination of information and communication technologies) is listed among the objectives of the fundsí intervention. More specifically, Article 2, paragraph 2 of the proposal for a Council regulation of the European regional development fund (ERDF) clearly states that the development of the information society is considered as a priority area. Such priority is supported by investments in telecommunications, assistance towards services for enterprises and technological development with a view to introducing new technologies and innovation in firms. The guidelines that the Commission is due to produce after the entry into force of the new regulation (current article 9, paragraph 4 of the Commissionís proposal for a Council regulation laying down general provisions on the structural funds) will elaborate and provide additional details on how to integrate the information society into the fundsí intervention