WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2321/98 by José APOLINÁRIO to the Commission. Interreg Community Initiative
C 96/74 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 8. 4. 1999 (1999/C 96/104) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2321/98 by JosØ ApolinÆrio (PSE) to the Commission (22 July 1998) Subject: Interreg Community Initiative With reference to the principle of social and economic cohesion and the unmistakeable impact thereof on regional policy, can the Commission say to what extent Portugalís inland areas are actually taken into account under the Interreg initiative? What resources were made available during the 1994-1999 period and what are Portugalís prospects under Interreg for the 2000-2006 period? Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (15 September 1998) The funding available to the Portuguese and Spanish authorities under the Interreg II Community Initiative for 1994-99 is approximately ECU 570 million. Of this amount, some ECU 208 million has been allocated to the subprogramme for Portugal and ECU 363 million to the subprogramme for Spain. Concentrating funding in the inland regions became an established principle when the Initiative was adopted because it was decided that it would cover only the border regions (at NUTS III level: Minho-Lima, Cavado, Alto TrÆs-os-Montes, Douro, Beira Interior Norte, Cova da Beira, Beira Interior Sul, Alto Alentejo, Alentejo Central, Baixo Alentejo and Algarve). As regards the prospects for 2000-2006, the Commission proposes reducing the Community Initiatives to three, one of which would cover interregional cooperation. The Commission also proposes that 5 % of the financial resources be allocated to the Community Initiatives. It is not possible at this stage to say how much will be allocated to each Member State. (1999/C 96/105) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2322/98 by Francesco Baldarelli (PSE) to the Commission (13 July 1998) Subject: Opening up the domestic market in the Republic of Macedonia In view of the following considerations: › the EU has well-established economic and social links with the Republic of Macedonia, › these contacts take the form of a structured dialogue which has enabled the Union to intervene directly by means of cooperation and support programmes in various sectors in that country, › the Republic of Macedonia is party to the international trade agreements, › the Government of Macedonia has repeatedly placed obstacles in the path of industrial and trade initiatives in various sectors, thus flouting the principle of cooperation with the EU and its Member States, as well as the relevant bilateral and international agreements, › the recent setting-up under Macedonian law of Apimak, a joint enterprise with a substantial (52 %) Italian holding that operates in the energy sector, › that joint enterprise is based on the principles of partnership and cooperation that are the essential basis of agreements with third countries and were initially accepted by the Government of Macedonia, › the firm has been subjected to a series of restrictive measures of various kinds designed to prevent the marketing of petroleum products and derivatives,