EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 65/164

(2004/C 65 E/180)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2506/03

by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission

(29 July 2003)

Subject: Governance: tripartite environmental contracts

Knowing that:

— on 11 December 2002 the Commission issued a communication entitled A framework for target-based tripartite contracts and agreements between the Community, the States and regional and local authorities, dealing with the subject of tripartite contracts;' (1)

— this communication does not wholly achieve its intended aim;

— despite the Commission's verbal undertakings, the subsequent plans of the Commissioner and DG responsible appear to point in the opposite direction;

— the Commission selected two initiatives with a view to drawing up environmental pilot contracts by the end of 2002;

— this venture, which is to be applauded, will require substantial support in terms of funding and human resources.

The Commission:

— how will the Commission involve the EP where tripartite contracts are concerned?

— given that the White Paper assigns a key role to central government in laying down and implementing tripartite contracts, how will it involve the Member States?

— how will it pursue its activities at the practical level? Specifically, which directorates-general and units will be involved for that purpose?

— how will it allocate responsibilities and human resources among the directorates-general and units so as to enable all the parties concerned to obtain assistance?

— when will it act on the verbal undertakings that it gave to Parliament's Environment Committee at the meeting of 2 October 2002?

— how will it cover the projects from the financial point of view?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(19 August 2003)

Since the Commission launched the idea of target-based tripartite contracts and agreements in its White Paper on European governance (2) and set it out in detail in the communication of December 2002 to which the Honourable Member refers, it has been for the Member States and their regions and towns to put forward initiatives to implement it. As for the Community bodies and institutions, the Committee of the Regions has already clearly expressed its support for the idea, Parliament is preparing a resolution on the December 2002 communication and the Council is said to be preparing to deal with the subject in the second half of 2003.

With regard to Parliament in particular, the forthcoming resolution will be examined by the Commission when the time comes, and Parliament can tell the Commission how it intends to be involved in implementing the idea. The same goes for the Member States, which will be able, either within the Council or individually, to express their interest and readiness to take part in the plan.

As far as the Commission is concerned, according to the White Paper on European governance it is the Directorates-General responsible for policies with a strong territorial impact which are most concerned by projects for tripartite agreements or contracts. The allocation of responsibilities and human resources among Directorates-General and any financial cover of these projects must follow the guidelines referred to in the White Paper and the communication of December 2002.

With regard to the environment, the Commission intends to adopt a position on the various projects already submitted by certain bodies by the end of 2003.

(1) COM(2002) 709 final.

(2) OJ C 287, 12.10.2001.