WRITTEN QUESTION E-1332/97 by Gerhard Botz (PSE) to the Commission (21 April 1997)

Subject: Town-twinning schemes

What is the total amount of funding from different EU programmes provided annually to promote social ties within the EU or with non-member countries (youth exchange schemes, town-twinning schemes, sporting and cultural activities, etc.)?

Can the Commission provide a detailed breakdown of the commitment and payment appropriations for such activities in the last three years?

What share of total spending in this area is taken by the Commission's administrative expenditure?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (12 June 1997)

Town twinning

Since the Community town twinning programme was launched the following appropriations were allocated in the Community budget:

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Each year the Commission reports to the budgetary authority on the management of the appropriations. The 1995 report was sent to Parliament on 24 July 1996. The 1996 report is in preparation and will be sent to Parliament as soon as it is finalized. The administrative costs associated with the programme are included in the Commission's administrative budget.

Cultural events

All the programmes and pilot projects developed by the Community in the context of its cultural action seek to promote cooperation and partnership within the Community and with non-Community countries. In the last three years the following amounts were allocated from the Community budget for these programmes and projects:

>TABLE>

Community expenditure is implemented in accordance with Parliament's comments and is subject to audit by the Court of Auditors. On 30 April each year, the Commission prepares the Revenue and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet for the previous financial year and presents it to Parliament at the beginning of May.

In addition, press releases listing the beneficiaries and amounts allocated to selected projects in the context of each programme or action are published each year. The following are the references:

- Cultural heritage

1995 IP/95/708, 7.7.1996

1996 Memo/96/99, 22.10.1996

1997 scheduled for October 1997

- Kaleidoscope (promotion of creation)

1995 IP/95/481, 15.5.1995; IP/95/764, 17.17.1995 (new Member States) (pilot project)

1996 IP/96/961, 28.10.1996 (Community programme)

1997 due out shortly

- Books and reading (Ariane)

1995 IP/95/980, 15.9.1995 (pilot project to assist translation of contemporary literary works)

1996 IP/96/1057, 21.11.1996 (including the pilot project to support projects to promote books and reading in Europe)

1997 scheduled for the end of September 1997 (action preparing for implementation of the support programme for books and reading, including through the Ariane translation).

The administrative costs are included in Volume IV of the above report in summary tables comparing expenditure and administrative costs. Volume II of the report sets out administrative costs in detail and by budget heading.

Exchanges of young people

Under the Youth for Europe programme, the Commission finances exchange projects and other activities by youth associations. Information collected from promoters of projects indicates that projects involving several organizations from twinned towns are relatively frequent. The Commission does not have precise data regarding the number of projects and amounts involved.