WRITTEN QUESTION E-1433/99

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(1 September 1999)

Subject: Allocation of Structural Fund resources within Spain

The Structural Fund and, in particular, the ERDF resources earmarked for investment and received by the Spanish Government for allocation to the country's Objective 1 Autonomous Communities have not been distributed fairly (not even over such a long reference period as 1994-1999) on the basis of objective criteria such as population size and per capita income. The reason for this is that the government assumes responsibility for directly allocating over 50 % of the resources, which it subsequently invests in accordance with criteria which do not correspond to the purposes which justify the existence of the Structural Funds. The result is a geographical distribution which prevents the resources from achieving the objective assigned to them under Community law. This state of affairs is particularly detrimental to autonomous communities such as Galicia.

What reasons could there be under Community regulations to account for the pursuit of such a policy by the Spanish Government?

Of the Structural Fund (especially ERDF) resources earmarked for productive investment or infrastructure projects, what proportion out of the total allocated to Spain and in relation to the population of Spain's Objective 1 Autonomous Communities was assigned to Galicia during the 1994-1999 period?

What criteria are to be followed during the 2000-2006 period as regards the distribution of the Structural Fund resources to be allocated to Spain and earmarked for the Objective 1 Autonomous Communities?

Supplementary answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(21 December 1999)

Both the Structural Fund regulation in force until the end of 1999, Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/93 of 20 July 1993 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88 on the tasks of the Structural Funds and their effectiveness and on coordination of their activities between themselves and with the operations of the European Investment Bank and the other existing financial instruments(1), and Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds(2), which will apply for 2000-2006, state that the Commission, using transparent procedures, is to determine indicative distributions of the commitment appropriations available for Objective 1, taking into account the following criteria: eligible population, regional prosperity, national prosperity and the relative seriousness of the structural problems, in particular the level of unemployment.

On the other hand, it is not for the Commission to decide on the distribution of the appropriations, within a Member State, between eligible regions or between national programmes and regional programmes. In line with the principle of subsidiarity, this is the responsibility of each Member State.

Nevertheless, as a guide for the next programming period, 2000-2006, the Commission has informed the Member States concerned what would be the allocation for each eligible region if they applied at national level the method used by the Commission to distribute the Objective 1 appropriations among the Member States.

During the current programming period, 19941999, the European Regional Development Fund has allocated EUR 370,46 million to Galicia for part-financing productive investment, which represents 12,09 % of the total allocated to all the Objective 1 autonomous communities in Spain (EUR 3 064 million), and EUR 1 183,4 million for creating infrastructure, which also represents 12,09 % of the total allocated to all the Objective 1 autonomous communities in Spain (EUR 9 788 million).

In population terms, Galicia represents 11,67 % of all the Objective 1 autonomous communities in Spain and 6,95 % of Spain as a whole.

(1) OJ L 193, 31.7.1993.

(2) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.