WRITTEN QUESTION P-0575/00 by Carlos Ripoll y Martínez de Bedoya (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Structural Funds.
C 374 E/110 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 12. 2000 (2000/C 374 E/127) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0575/00 by Carlos Ripoll y Martínez de Bedoya (PPE-DE) to the Commission (23 February 2000) Subject: Structural Funds On the basis of the Commissionís estimates and in accordance with the relevant criteria, how much are the Balearic Islands due to receive form the Structural Funds in the 2000-2006 period, and what will the breakdown of the amount be? Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (21 March 2000) On 22 December 1999 the Commission took a decision of principle on the list of the areas of Spain eligible under Objective 2 during the 2000-2006 programming period. Following consultation of the three committees at the end of January, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (1), the Commission will shortly take a final decision on this list. The Balearic Islands will appear in part on this list and will therefore benefit from Objective 2 appropriations. On 1 July 1999 the Commission adopted the indicative distribution among the Member States concerned of the commitment appropriations for Objective 2 for the 2000-2006 programming period. The appropriations allocated to Spain comprised EUR 2 553 million for the eligible areas and EUR 98 million for the Objective 2 areas receiving transitional support. Immediately it has taken a final decision on the list of areas eligible under Objective 2, the Commission will send the Spanish authorities a proposal for the distribution among the regions concerned of the appropriations available under this Objective using the method it employed to distribute the Objective 2 appropriations among the Member States. However, it should be stressed that this proposal is indicative in nature. Final distribution will be decided by mutual agreement between the Member State and the Commission, when the various single program- ming documents concerned are adopted. It is therefore impossible at this stage to assess the amount which the Balearic Islands will receive under Objective 2. This is also true of the other structural assistance which the Balearic Islands could receive, Objective 3, the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance and the Interreg, Urban, Equal and Leader Community Initiatives. (1) OJ L 161, 26. 6. 1999. (2000/C 374 E/128) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0576/00 by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission (23 February 2000) Subject: Community promotion of the cider industry within the European Union Cider has become the hallmark of various Community regions, especially the Spanish region of Asturias, which is widely recognised as a leader in the production of cider, the marketing and consumption of which are expanding beyond the Spanish domestic market to reach every part of Europe and North America. However, even such a universal beverage as cider currently needs a boost to its potential sales and consumption levels, particularly within the EU market, for which reason producers would like to know whether they could be granted Commission aid for the purpose of developing programmes which would encourage consumers to choose cider over other more harmful beverages. Could the Commission say whether it could devise programmes to increase sales and consumption of cider within the EU market, along the lines of the various campaigns which it has organised in order to increase the consumption of other agricultural products such as olive oil, wine and oranges?