WRITTEN QUESTION E-0608/00 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Lack of a left-luggage facility at Malaga airport.
C 46 E/18 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 13. 2. 2001 Will the Commission examine the idea that the outermost regions should be included by definition under Objective 1, without taking into account their level of income, in order to alleviate the problems posed by their extreme geographical remoteness from their respective metropolitan centres? Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (26 April 2000) When it adopted the regulations on the Structural Funds (1), the Council decided that the seven outermost regions of the Community were eligible under Objective 1 under the criterion of 75 % of average gross domestic product (GDP). At that time, the statistical data available showed that all these regions satisfied that criterion. They remain eligible throughout the 2000-2006 programming period. As regards the period from 2007, the Commission stated in the report (2) that it has just forwarded to the Council on the implementation of Article 299 (former Article 227)(2) of the EC treaty that it intends to consider how best to reflect the individual situations of these regions recognised by Article 299(2) in eligibility for the Structural Funds. (1) OJ L 161, 26. 6. 1999. (2) COM(2000) 147 final. (2001/C 46 E/022) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0608/00 by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Lack of a left-luggage facility at Malaga airport (3 March 2000) The airport at Malaga (Spain), which has received EU funding from the ERDF, has helped to boost the tourist (and, hence, the economic) development of Andalusiaís entire Costa del Sol and it provides convenient facilities for all its users, who currently number 8,5 million per year. However, those facilities do not include storage for left luggage, an essential service which many transit passengers would like to be able to use at airports, railway stations and other transport termini. Does the Commission think that such a service can be denied to passengers on safety or other grounds (which is the reason given by the Malaga airport authorities), thus inconveniencing passengers who may need such a facility? Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (6 April 2000) From a technical point of view, projects part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund are designed and developed by a Member Stateís competent authority in the context of an approved economic development strategy as agreed with the Commission. As a result, the Commission is not in a position to impose conditions for the use of the part-financed infrastructure other than those that ensure compliance with the legal framework for their operation