WRITTEN QUESTION E-2825/01

by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

(11 October 2001)

Subject: Diversion of ESF funding for environmental training to the Biodiversity Foundation in Spain

The Spanish Environment Ministry has just announced to the various Spanish government departments that ESP 16 billion from the European Social Fund have been diverted to the Biodiversity Foundation. In principle, this funding should have been used for the environmental education of workers, rather than civil servants, via programmes managed by the autonomous regions. In actual fact, the agreement reached envisaged that 30 % of the training costs would be borne by the regional governments and that the rest would be provided by the Environment Ministry as the catalyst for ESF aid.

Bearing in mind that:

- the period of application for the funds is 2001 to 2006;

- the objectives of the Biodiversity Foundation include the study of biodiversity and the channelling of relations with the United Nations and other specialised international organisations, but not the environmental training of workers;

- the various autonomous regional governments have already drawn up their environmental training plans for workers in the framework of the ESF,

can the Commission specify the exact nature of the aid granted to the Spanish State in this case and the terms under which it was granted, in particular as regards the actual measures to be financed?

Does the Commission consider that in the context of the ESF Regulation it is lawful for the Spanish State to divert the funds in the way described above?

What steps will the Commission take to ensure that environmental training programmes for workers agreed on the basis of Community funding continue to proceed?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(23 November 2001)

The Iniciativa Empresarial y Formación Continua operational programmes (OPs) approved by the Commission and incorporated into the Objective 1 and Objective 3 Community Support Frameworks for the 2000-2006 programming period in Spain provide for the following measures relating to environmental training:

- training schemes aimed at providing better qualifications for workers whose jobs have a direct or indirect impact on the environment and compliance with environmental policy objectives;

- training courses (initial training, specialised training and instructor-training) for workers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs, managers and other professionals whose jobs have a direct or indirect impact on the environment and compliance with environmental policy objectives;

- analysis of environmental training required in the future by creating a skills analysis network, launching specific studies by the Autonomous Community, via seminars and exchanges of experience;

- creation of an on-line platform for environmental training material, implementation of a distance-learning system using this platform as a basis, and the development and distribution of training tools in different formats, paying particular attention to each sector's guides to good practice.

Community aid for these activities is granted according to the rules and objectives laid down by Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on

the Structural Funds(1) and by Regulation (EC) No 1784/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 1999 on the European Social Fund(2). The priorities in the development of training schemes are outlined in the text of the OPs adopted by Commission Decisions C (2001) 24 of 16 January 2001 for the Objective 1 OP and C (2001) 100 of 23 January 2001 for Objective 3.

The measures and actions to be taken in order to implement the priorities are outlined in the programme complements adopted by the Monitoring Committees for the corresponding OPs on 4 May 2001.

According to Article 18(3) b) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, definition of the types of final beneficiary is done in the programme complement.

Article 9 m) of the same Regulation provides that the programme complement is drawn up by the Member State or managing authority and revised as necessary by the Monitoring Committee and sent to the Commission for information.

Thus, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, in accordance with Article 9, it is the duty of the Spanish authorities to define the final beneficiaries.

As final beneficiaries responsible for environmental training schemes in the Iniciativa empresarial y formación continua programmes, the Spanish authorities have identified the Ceneam (Centro Nacional de Educación Ambiental) for actions started in 2000 and the Fundación Biodiversidad for actions started in 2001.

The Commission will ensure that the aid granted will be monitored and assessed in line with the rules set down by Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999. In this particular case, the Commission will check that the objectives relating to environmental training laid down in the operational programmes are respected.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2) OJ L 213, 13.8.1999.