WRITTEN QUESTION E-0440/03

by Ulrich Stockmann (PSE) to the Commission

(18 February 2003)

Subject: Support to promote town-twinning actions

On 17 September 2002, the Commission published a Call for Proposals (GD EAC No 50/02) on support to promote town-twinning actions(1). Amongst other measures, it increased the minimum grant for projects to EUR 2 000. At first glance this increase may seem a positive step, but many municipalities find it difficult even to reach this figure and thereby qualify for financial support. A four-day meeting involving 12 people travelling from Magdeburg to Warsaw, 750 km away, for example, would not be subsidised, as the costs eligible for financial assistance would only come to EUR 909,84.

A further problem is posed by the requirement that a minimum of ten participants from each municipality take part, a figure that is rarely reached, particularly in preparatory discussions for international twinning relations.

In the process of EU enlargement to the east, these problems may have a negative effect on the development of town-twinning actions in Central and Eastern European countries. The low correction coefficients of applicant countries would make it necessary to constitute abnormally large groups or to undertake unrealistically long visits in order to fulfil the criteria for financial assistance.

Is the Commission aware of these difficulties in meeting the minimum requirements for financial assistance? Can the Commission say whether, and in what form, changes in the calculation of financial assistance are planned for international town-twinning actions? Does the Commission feel it would be useful to provide financial assistance for a preparatory discussion involving three to four people?

(1) OJ C 220, 17.9.2002, p. 6.

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(14 March 2003)

The Commission attaches the utmost importance to town-twinning and continues to maintain and improve its support for it.

Two kinds of actions are currently funded under the Community action:

- meetings of citizens of twinned towns and municipalities,

- conferences on European themes relating to twinning, training and information seminars for town-twinning officers.

The question of the Honourable Member concerns the category meetings of citizens for which a simplified grant system is applied since the year 2002. The key element of the new system is the calculation of grants for organisation and travel expenses on the basis of fixed rates.

In 2002 the minimum grant was EUR 1 000 per project. During that year the Commission received 2 090 applications in the category of citizens meetings. Only 118 applications (5,7 %) concerned projects for which the calculated grant was lower than EUR 2 000. For the Candidate Countries the respective figures were 251 applications received and only 20 (7,7 %) projects with a calculated grant under EUR 2 000. In view of these statistics and taking into account the fact that for meetings of citizens the grant is divided between the host town and the invited town(s) and paid separately to them the Commission considered it useful to increase the minimum grant per project to EUR 2 000. This change affects only a small part of the projects but improves clearly the cost effectiveness ratio of the Community action.

The idea is that meetings of citizens involve directly habitants of twinned towns and municipalities. Therefore, involvement of at least 10 participants from each municipality is required for events involving more than five municipalities this figure is of at least five participants from each municipality. The high number of eligible applications shows that these requirements are not difficult to meet.

The Commission will continue to have a close dialogue with the interested parties in the town-twinning area in order to assess and improve the functioning of the system, but does not consider that the minimum grant or the minimum number of participants would be an actual problem.