WRITTEN QUESTION E-3599/00

by Luciano Caveri (ELDR) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: Signature of Protocols by the Commission

The Alpine Convention, which the European Union signed in 1991 and ratified in 1996, entered into force in 1998 (while the subsequent protocol on Monaco's accession entered into force in 1999). The European Union has also signed three implementing protocols (regional planning and sustainable development, mountain farming, conservation of nature and the countryside), but has not signed the four other protocols (mountain forests, tourism, soil conservation, energy) and, by the end of October, had not yet signed the new transport protocol. At the Sixth Alpine Conference in Lucerne (Switzerland) on 30 and 31 October 2000, the Commission was notable by its absence.

What was the significance of the Commission's failure to attend the conference? What is the explanation for the Commission's failure to sign any protocols since 1994? Is the Commission interested in the Alpine Convention? Does the Commission anticipate that the protocols that have already been signed will be ratified? In future, will the Commission be actively involved in the work of the standing committee and of the Conference? What is the Commission's opinion of the European Charter of Mountain Regions?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(26 January 2001)

The Community has not signed the protocols on tourism, mountain forests, soil conservation and energy as it believes that implementing the Alpine Convention and in particular, the above protocols, should be carried out by the Alpine Member States and regions involved rather than at Community level.

However, the Community has played an active role in negotiating the transport protocol, which was only opened to signature by the parties to the Alpine Convention at the most recent ministerial meeting held on 31 October 2000. It was unable to add its signature during that meeting since the procedure for signing the protocol by the Community had not yet been completed.

The Commission's absence from work carried out in the context of the Alpine Convention and from the last ministerial meeting should not be attributed to a lack of interest in the implementation of the Convention. Budgetary and human resource limitations mean that the Commission cannot attend every meeting convened by the Standing Committee of the Convention and the Commission does not have any immediate plans to ratify the protocols that have been signed. Nonetheless, issues regarding mountain life are taken into account in the EU's structural policies and the regional and rural development programmes.

Regions facing difficulties and economic conversion are the main priority of European regional policy, which allocates Community aid to most mountainous regions on this basis. Moreover, certain Community initiatives such as Interreg II and Leader+ take special account of mountain issues. Leader+ in particular represents an opportunity for mountainous rural regions.

During the new programming period (2000-2006) for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), there will be for the first time a programme for the Alpine region covering the whole Alpine area and areas covered by the Alpine Convention. France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Liechtenstein are all involved in the programme. The overall budget is expected to total at least 120 million, 60 million of which will come from the ERDF to build on the cross-border cooperation that began in the previous period.

Concerning rural development, the general framework proposed by the Commission appears to be suitably adapted to the multi-functional role and diversity of mountainous regions. Reorganising rural development policy should foster enhanced integration of existing instruments and considerable decentralisation of the ways in which these instruments are used. Setting up specific regional programmes will be particularly important in terms of focusing on the specific needs of regions in the EU, and mountainous regions should especially benefit from this on account of their distinctive characteristics.

Moreover, the Commission's participation in the first World Mountain Forum(1) in June 2000 confirms its interest in tackling the specific needs faced by these regions.

Lastly, a booklet on structural policies and mountain areas was published recently. It is the first document for eleven years produced by the Commission exclusively dedicated to mountainous regions.

The European Charter of Mountainous Regions was drawn up by the Council of Europe with the aim of encouraging the development of specific policies for these areas. Representatives of Member States and non-governmental organisations are involved and have approved the Charter. The Commission encourages such initiatives but is not actively involved.

(1) ISBN No 92-828-8977-7. Catalogue No OPOCE KN-28-00-204-FR-C.