WRITTEN QUESTION E-0336/00 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Exclusion of the prefecture of Arta from assistance under the Community Interreg 2000-2006 initiative.
20. 2. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 53 E/1 I (Information) EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WRITTEN QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER (2001/C 53 E/001) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0150/00 by Emmanouil Mastorakis (PSE) to the Commission (31 January 2000) Subject: Community Interreg Initiative Despite the increase in Interreg funding for the period 2000-2006 compared with the previous period, efforts have clearly been made not to alter the list of Group A recipients, with very few exceptions, the obvious aim being to concentrate the funds as effectively as possible. However, the fact that exceptions have been made prove that there was a need to remedy previously existing injustices and omissions. Notable omissions from the list of recipients in Greece are the prefectures of Arta and Ilia and this despite the inclusion of neighbouring prefectures which could be regarded as falling within the same category. Can the Commission show understanding in this matter and reconsider the possibility of including these two prefectures, which were unjustly omitted? (2001/C 53 E/002) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0229/00 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission (4 February 2000) Subject: Failure to include the Prefecture of Arta in the Community initiative Interreg It appears from information I have received that the Prefecture of Arta has not been included in the operational programmes announced by the Commission for part A of the Community initiative Interreg, despite the fact that the basic criterion for inclusion, namely the existence of external land or sea borders, is met by this prefecture, since the Gulf of Ambrakia lies at its southern extremity and is also part of the Ionian Sea. Will the Commission say what the situation is and whether or not the Prefecture of Arta will finally be included in the Community initiative Interreg like all the rest of north-western Greece? (2001/C 53 E/003) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0336/00 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (14 February 2000) Subject: Exclusion of the prefecture of Arta from assistance under the Community Interreg 2000-2006 initiative The Commission recently forwarded a draft notification to the EU Member States concerning the Communityís Interreg 2000-2006 initiative. C 53 E/2 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 2. 2001 From this it emerges that, although it meets the necessary criteria, the prefecture of Arta has not been included in a list of regions eligible for assistance under the cross-border cooperation arrangements (Section A), which will take up most of the funding. Since this effectively amounts to discrimination against the prefecture of Arta: 1. Can the Commission give the reasons for its decision to exclude Arta from the list of regions eligible for funding within the framework of cross-border cooperation? 2. Will the Commission remedy this injustice against the prefecture of Arta and include it in the list of regions selected in its final draft? Supplementary joint answer to Written Questions E-0150/00, E-0229/00 and E-0336/00 given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission (7 June 2000) The Commission does not consider that Arta and Ilia are cross-border areas in the meaning of the term under the Interreg III Community initiative and therefore does not feel that they were unjustly omitted from the list of eligible areas. The guidelines for Interreg III were adopted by the Commission on 28 April 2000 (1). Under the cross- border strand of the initiative, eligible areas include all areas along the internal and external land borders of the Community and certain maritime areas as set out in Annex 1 of the guidelines. However, up to 20 % of a programmeís total budget may be spent in areas adjacent to eligible areas. As both Arta and Ilia are adjacent to eligible areas, the flexibility exists for the authorities to include them in future cross-border programmes under Interreg III. (1) OJ C 143, 23. 5. 2000. (2001/C 53 E/004) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0288/00 by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission (11 February 2000) Subject: Furniture for Commissioners According to reports in the press, Commissioner Nielson has said that he still cannot do his job properly because the Commission administration has not yet supplied him with new furniture for his office. 1. Did Commissioner Nielson really say this? Does the Commissioner not have any furniture at all, or is it that he has not yet received some 2. different furniture which he wishes to have? 3. 4. Does each new Commissioner have a right to new furniture? If so, what is the cost of this? 5. What happens to the old, discarded furniture? 6. What is the Commissionís view of the suggestion by Commissioner Nielson that the failure to supply him with furniture is indicative of the old-fashioned character of the Commission?