WRITTEN QUESTION E-1918/02

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: Europe Houses

The International Federation of Europe Houses includes a number of associations, some of them Portuguese, which have acquired considerable experience in the area of information and debate on Community-related matters.

However, those responsible for the Europe Houses in Portugal state that they have been encountering difficulties in obtaining funding for their activities, in view of the excessive time taken by the services concerned to evaluate proposals and the delays in replying, which are in practice making it impossible to organise initiatives, thus leading to projects being frozen.

1. What is the Commission's position with regard to the initiatives organised by the International Federation of Europe Houses?

2. What role has been reserved for the Europe Houses in the context of the future shape of the Commission's information policy?

Reply given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2002)

The Commission believes that it is vital for the Community institutions to make every effort to guarantee that their information and communication policy is reliable, objective and effective, and that it meets people's real needs. In this context, independent networks like the International Federation of Europe Houses (FIME) certainly have a role to play in helping to provide individuals with clear, accessible information, as the many years of cooperation between FIME and the Commission testify.

Accordingly, the Commission examines with particular interest the projects presented each year by FIME's General Secretariat under budget item B3-301, Information outlets; both FIME and the Commission are concerned that Community funds should be impeccably administered. Once the projects have been selected, an agreement covering them is drawn up between the Commission and FIME's the General Secretariat, which is responsible for collating the projects submitted by its affiliates and presenting them to the Commission in groups. The Commission provides the Federation's General Secretariat with an annual grant towards the operating costs associated with these tasks.

However, the Commission has no contractual link with individual Europe Houses.

The Commission's recent communication on an information and communication strategy for the European Union(1), which it adopted on 2 July, states that there is a need to define a new framework of action for the information centres and networks set up by the Commission, so as to reinforce their role under the new strategy and prepare for their extension to new Member States.

The Communication also stresses that this new framework of action for Commission networks must take account of the potential of other organisations disseminating information which work together with the Commission, such as independent information networks.

As regards the difficulties which certain Europe Houses have encountered in obtaining funding for their activities, the Commission has a duty to examine projects presented by FIME's General Secretariat, after which it decides whether they are eligible for funding. FIME has contested the Commission's decisions rejecting certain projects, advancing arguments and providing additional information; this has inevitably led to delays. The absence of agreement on the number of projects eligible for funding per group has made it impossible to make commitments on a group-by-group basis, to sign individual contracts and, lastly, to pay advances. This situation clearly has an impact on the activities planned by the Europe Houses, and notably in the case of Portugal.

The Commission is regretfully aware of the situation. However, it cannot simply abdicate responsibility for the sound management of the funds entrusted to it by the Budgetary Authority. Solutions which reconcile the Commission's responsibilities with the plans of FIME and its affiliates are currently being examined.

(1) COM(2002) 350 final.