WRITTEN QUESTION P-3725/98

by Carlos Carnero González (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(25 November 1998)

Subject: Continued eligibility of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria (Spain) under Objective 1 of the Structural Funds

Over the past few days various sections of the Spanish media have given coverage to the statistics released by Eurostat on the average income of EU regions over the three-year period 1994-1996, which apparently reveal that the figure for the Autonomous Community of Cantabria is slightly higher than 75 % of the Community average.

According to several daily newspapers, these results have led the Spanish Government and the regional authorities in Cantabria to assert that the region will no longer be covered by Objective 1 of the Structural Funds in the new programming period.

Does the Commission believe that, in the light of these statistics, there are grounds for such an interpretation?

If so, does it not regard it as premature at this stage in the legislative debate for the central and regional governments to draw the above conclusions, given the European Parliament's request in a recent resolution for more flexible criteria to be employed when it comes to drawing up the list of regions covered by Objective 1 of the Structural Funds?

Does it take the view that purchasing power parity, the criterion employed by Eurostat, gives the most satisfactory indication of a region's real degree of wealth, or does it see the need rather to establish more objective yardsticks, such as the average GDP of a region's working population?

Does it not believe that in employing the latter criterion, Eurostat's statistics would yield different results, reflecting more accurately the true wealth of each EU region?

Lastly, regardless of Cantabria's eligibility under any given Structural Funds Objective, how does the Commission intend to ensure that the said region continues to benefit from sufficient structural assistance to enable it to tackle its imbalances through an effective regional development plan acceptable to the most prominent political and social bodies?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(6 January 1999)

For the period 2000-06, the Commission has proposed determining the eligibility of regions under Objective 1 by strict application of the criterion of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and a threshold of 75 % of the Community average. Per capita GDP will be calculated in purchasing power parities at NUTS II level. The list of regions eligible under Objective 1 will be drawn up by the Commission, using data for the last three years available, once the Rgulation laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds has been adopted(1). This proposal is currently being considered by the Council and Parliament.

The data for the years 1994, 1995 and 1996 show that the region of Cantabria has a per capita GDP of 76,66 % of the Community average. Under the Commission's proposal it would therefore cease to be eligible under Objective 1 from 1 January 2000. It would, however, receive tapering transitional support from the Structural Funds for six or possibly seven years.

The criterion of per capita GDP in purchasing power parities and calculated at NUTS II level has been used since 1988 to determine the eligibility of regions under Objective 1. The Commission regards it as a good measure of the level of economic development of regions.

(1) OJ C 176, 9.6.1998.