WRITTEN QUESTION P-3101/00

by Daniel Hannan (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 September 2000)

Subject: Article B3-301

Article B3-301, which has an annual endowment of several million pounds sterling, funds information outlets.

Can the Commission inform Parliament of:

1. the nature of funding since 1997,

2. the type of scrutiny applied to these projects,

3. whether the Commission draws up end-of-year reports on these funds and whether they are unclassified and open to review by Parliament,

4. the safeguards put in place to ensure that the material is factual and does not express and individual opinion, in other words, that it is not used to portray the European Union and its development or politics in a particular light,

5. whether any money has ever been used in Member States to support activities of a politically controversial nature, for instance support for one side of a referendum campaign?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(7 December 2000)

1. Article B3-301 funding has been used to help set up and run outlets for information on Europe and information campaigns carried out by these outlets or relays since 1997. These centres exist at various levels. Some are set up in capital cities as a result of a partnership agreement between the Commission and the national governments (Paris, Lisbon). They are funded by equal contributions from the two founding members.

There are also centres at inter-regional level which are set up in regions given priority for socio-economic or geographical reasons (Thessaloniki, Naples). The host structure signs an agreement with the Commission, which awards an annual subsidy for the centre's activities.

Local/regional centres are set up within existing bodies. For example, there are 128 Info-Points Europe which are located in the Member States' main cities and 130 Rural Information and Promotion Carrefours which are located in rural areas or regions. The Commission awards these centres an agreed fixed annual subsidy covering, on average, 20 to 25 % of their budget.

Finally, there are the large networks the International Federation of Europe Houses (IFEH) and the European Movement. The IFEH receives subsidies for Europe-wide information seminars and other activities organised in conjunction with the Europe Houses that are members of the network. The European Movement organises many information and promotional activities on Union policies via the national sections in several Member States. Since 1997 all the various actions are covered by an annual programme which is decided, as in the case of the IFEH, following consultation of the Commission's representations in the Member States concerned.

2. The information relays at local, regional, inter-regional and national level are obliged, under the terms of the agreement, to submit a detailed activity report to the Commission every year. Annual renewal of the subsidy is dependent on a positive assessment of this report.

A detailed report is required for each action by the external information networks for which funds are provided.

A monitoring system has recently been developed for the continuous and transparent checking and evaluation of the relays' activities.

3. Figures relating to the implementation of Article B3-301 are included annually in the accounts for the preceding financial year. The Commission does not draw up a specific report on the use of appropriations under this article.

4. and 5. The information relays are accommodated within the host structures to which they belong, and these structures are independent of the Commission. The Commission is not responsible for the information they provide, nor is it responsible for managing them, with the exception of the large centres set up in capital cities (Paris and Lisbon). Article 11 of the agreement which the Commission signs with the host bodies specifies that the contracting parties shall act on their own behalf and assume full responsibility for the information they provide to the public. The information process is fully decentralised in line with the principle of subsidiarity.