WRITTEN QUESTION E-2625/98

by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Procedures for improving the provision of information to local councils concerning Community aid

The complaints by certain local authorities about the lack of information provided to many local councils concerning the aid available under European Union programmes (including the aid specifically intended for such councils) once again highlight the need for effective procedures to make good the information shortage affecting local bodies.

Could the Commission say what proposals should be considered in order to enable local councils' ignorance of such an important topic as Community support to be overcome by means of campaigns and other procedures of proven effectiveness?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(13 October 1998)

The Commission would draw the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact the majority of Community support programmes are published in the Official journal. Information packages on most of the support programmes are available and the Commission in general distributes those packages to interested parties. At the same time electronic dissemination of that information is effected by the Commission through Europa on the world wide web (WWW) and through specific information services such as Cordis and Inforegio. The latter is especially devoted to the European regional development fund and the Cohesion fund. Much of that information is also distributed through the more traditional means on paper and on disk.

The Commission has launched since 1994 a vast and comprehensive information campaign on regional policy and cohesion. The objectives are transparency and visibility. The targeted categories of people are local, regional and national authorities and local, regional, national and European business, the media and study centres. Its catalogue consists of more than 100 titles, of general or technical nature, about specific questions or specific regional areas. A monthly newsletter publishes news on regional policy of the Community. Its publications are regularly distributed in the 11 Community languages and sent to 40 000 addresses, of which 45 % represent local authorities (this is all the local authorities and some 5 000 other interested parties).

On the Internet site relating to the regions (http://www.inforegio.cec.eu.int) a database is to be found containing data about all the objective 1, 2 and 5b development programmes as well as the regionalised community initiatives.

In the Member States the Commission's representations in close collaboration with the general and specific information relays, of which a large number are established with the co-operation of local or regional authorities or by them, complement these information flows as much as possible. At national level the Member States existing information channels regarding the support programmes of the Community are used to ensure proper and effective dissemination of relevant information.

The Commission makes great efforts to create more synergy of all these information means in order to improve the knowledge of the public at large, including the various levels of public organisation and the business community, of support programmes in force.

The Commission is of course open to study any proposal to improve the system which the Honourable Member would suggest.