WRITTEN QUESTION E-2435/99 by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission. Possible misuse of European Union funding.
C 203 E/172 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 7. 2000 (c) against direct subsidies for nuclear energy, (d) against indirect subsidies for nuclear energy? If no action has been taken, can the Commission say in what time frame practical steps will be 2. taken? 3. Can the Commission explain why numerous complaints about direct and indirect subsidisation of nuclear energy, e. g. the complaint about EdF and untaxed reserves of the German nuclear industry and references to unnotified aid, are not followed up and penalised by the Commission? Does the Commission agree that continued failure to meet 4. to terminate the subsidisation of coal and nuclear energy will signify a distortion of competition and an infringement of the Treaty and that the public are beginning to feel that the Commission is deliberately making the conditions of competition difficult for renewable energy? the requirement Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (20 December 1999) With regard to coal, on 28 December 1993 the Commission approved the Community rules for State aid industry (Decision No 3632/93/ECSC) (1) which lay down for the period 1994-2002 a to the coal reduction of aid as part of plans for restructuring and reducing activity. In most cases, the pace of restructuring is governed by the need to find solutions to the associated social and regional problems. Indirect aid systems have been abolished. With regard to nuclear energy, the Euratom Treaty has no provisions concerning competition and State aid. Complaints about State aid being awarded for electricity production using nuclear energy within the Community have never been substantiated. The Commission is aware of the need to strengthen the promotion of renewable energy in order for the Community to reach its indicative target of 12 % for the contribution from renewable sources of energy to the Communityís energy consumption by 2010. The Commission recently launched the campaign for take- off aiming to stimulate private investment in this sector with an emphasis on near-market technologies, notably solar, wind and biomass. The Commission is currently considering further initiatives for promoting renewable energy, in particular measures related to the operation of the internal market for electricity. As indicated in the White Paper on renewable sources of energy (2), mentioned by the Honourable Member, a significantly increased market penetration for renewable energy is of key importance for achieving the Kyoto commitments on greenhouse emissions. As announced in the White Paper, the Commission is currently considering modifications to the Community guidelines for State aid for environmental protection so that they can take appropriate account of the need to strengthen the competitive position of renewable energy sources and their specific characteristics. (1) OJ L 329, 30. 12. 1993. (2) COM(97) 599 final. (2000/C 203 E/223) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2435/99 by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission (16 December 1999) Subject: Possible misuse of European Union funding According to an article published in the Sunday Times on 7 November 1999, young ravers are to be sent to Amsterdam, courtesy of the National Health Service and the European Union, for what critics claim is a course on drug cocktails. 18. 7. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 203 E/173 The NHS and John Moores University, Liverpool, are jointly paying £ 10 000 to send 40 lecturers and 20 students to attend a conference on drug culture and clubs in the Dutch city this week. The EU is also subsidising the visitors. Apart from lectures about the supposed health benefits of drug-induced átrance dancingí the programme also includes visits to nightclubs where drugs illegal in Britain are tested for purity at the door rather than confiscated. What does the Commission know about this, and is it true that EU funds are being used to cofinance the project? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (13 January 2000) Following detailed internal involvement in the activities cited by the Honourable Member. inquires, the Commission has been unable to discover any Community (2000/C 203 E/224) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2442/99 by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission (13 December 1999) Subject: Beijing + 5 UN conference Will the Commission financially support NGOs which will want to attend Beijing + 5 meetings next year in New York? What criteria will these NGOs have to fulfil to receive such support? Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (5 January 2000) The special United Nations (UN) session Women 2000, Gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century ü Beijing 2000í will serve as a forum to reaffirm the commitment and assess the progress achieved by governments in the implementation of the forward-looking strategies from 1985 and the Beijing declaration and platform for action from 1995. The Member States of the UN appoint their delegations for participation at UN world conferences and meetings. Governments are not requested formally to include non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in their national delegations but, in view of the unanimous recognition of the important role played by womenís NGOs in the Beijing follow-up process, NGO representatives are increasingly included in national delegations. The responsibility for funding NGOsí participation lies first of all with the voluntary sector itself and then with government at national level. The Commission does not have at its disposal resources for funding NGOs wanting to attend the Beijing + 5 meeting. The Community, represented by the Commission, in spite of being a signatory of the Beijing declaration and platform for action, has the status of observer before the UN