WRITTEN QUESTION E-1019/02

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 April 2002)

Subject: Regional policy with particular reference to Slovakia and other applicant countries

A number of Member States are constitutional monarchies, and a number of Member States are republics. Both forms of government are perfectly consistent with the European treaties.

Similarly, some Member States, such as Germany and Spain, have chosen to formalise in their constitutions highly regionalised structures of government, whilst others, such as France and the United Kingdom, have preferred to maintain more traditional, centralised structures. These are matters of national choice, with Portugal, for example, choosing several years ago to reject a more regional structure in a referendum.

It has recently been reported that the Slovak Prime Minister, Mr Mikulá Dzurinda, has told the Slovak people that preparation for accession to the European Union requires not only the establishment of territorial units (NUTS) for the purposes of allocation and distribution of structural funds as required by the acquis but also the setting-up of regional governments. Can the Commission confirm whether or not these reports are correct, and, if so, whether the Commission has in any way suggested to Mr Dzurinda or the leader of any other applicant country that that is the case?

The UK, with a population of sixty million, has ten regions (but not ten regional governments). With regard to the requirements for territorial units, could the Commission indicate whether it believes that the national territory of Slovakia, with a population of only five and a half million, could double as a region for the purposes of the acquis, and what area and population size the Commission believes is optimal for a region under the NUTS classifications?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(6 June 2002)

Questions of decentralisation and the internal political and administrative organisation of a Member State are matters for that country alone. The Commission has never suggested to any of the candidate countries that they should establish regional governments.

However, the Union does require an appropriate framework based on objective statistical criteria within which to implement the regional policy financed by the Structural Funds. The Commission set up the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) in order to have a single coherent and comparable method of classifying the regions of the Union and drawing up Community regional statistics. This nomenclature has been used since 1989 to identify target regions in order to ensure the concentration of Community assistance.

Accordingly, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds(1), the regions eligible under Objective 1 in 2000-2006 are the NUTS level 2 regions whose per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is less than 75 % of the Community average. The managing authorities are designated by the Member State at national, regional or local level.

In order to provide a solid and transparent legal basis, on 14 February 2001 the Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a common classification of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS)(2) on which Parliament has adopted a report. It is now being discussed by the Council. Under this proposal for a Regulation, the average size of NUTS level 2 territorial units would lie between 800 000 and three million people.

The NUTS was extended to the candidate countries by agreement between the country concerned and the Commission. The whole of the territory of Slovakia is regarded as a NUTS level 1 region. Four territorial units are regarded as being at NUTS level 2.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2) OJ C 180 E, 26.6.2001.