WRITTEN QUESTION E-2454/97 by Frank Vanhecke (NI) to the Commission (16 July 1997)

Subject: Community subsidies

Under budget item B96 B3-4110 (transaction SOC96100255) the association or project 'Magie des Mots' received a subsidy of ECU 11 598 in Belgium in 1996. The aim of the subsidy was: 'Establishment of a programme of educational support and active language workshops in primary schools in Schaerbeek to combat educational failure.'

The application shows this to a French-language project. Brussels is officially bilingual.

Can the Commission provide more precise information on the association (?) Magie des Mots? Is it a non-profit association? What are the names of the people who submitted the application?

Has the Commission checked to see if Dutch-language tuition is also provided in the language workshops mentioned?

Does the Commission not feel that it should refrain from assisting monolingual projects in Brussels, since this amounts to unacceptable discrimination against Dutch-speakers?

Does the Commission check to see if the organization of projects subsidized in Belgium is not inconsistent with the Belgian language legislation?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2451/97, E-2452/97, E-2453/97, E-2454/97, E-2455/97, E-2456/97, E-2457/97, E-2458/97, E-2459/97 and E-2460/97 given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (18 September 1997)

Budget line B3-4110 supports measures to encourage the integration of migrants and their families in the Member States. This support is granted in the form of co-funding, i.e. these actions must be part-financed by national, regional or local public or private authorities. Hence Community support is not a substitute for support which might be provided by the above-mentioned authorities, but supplements such support with a view to implementing a specific measure. The measure supported must be innovative, have a multiplier effect, and clear visibility and added value at Community level.

Funding applications are submitted by the interested bodies using a standard form. The eligibility conditions are described in a practical guide. A copy of this practical guide, including the standard form, has been sent directly to the Honourable Member as well as to the Secretariat-General of the Parliament.

There is no a priori breakdown between the Member States of the appropriations available under Budget line B3-4110. The Commission makes a selection from the numerous applications purely on the basis of quality considerations, bearing in mind the criteria and guidelines set out in the practical guide. The breakdown of appropriations which may emerge a posteriori between Member States varies greatly from year to year * a fact which should be interpreted with the utmost prudence, all the more so since a growing number of projects with a promoter established in one Member State have a transnational dimension, and so it would be unfair to consider that only one Member State stands to benefit from the appropriations for this project.

There is no a priori definition of the amount which may granted for a project. This amount is determined on the basis of the requests received and the rules of good financial and administrative management, and so it varies from project to project.

Funding requests addressed to the Commission are not public domain documents, and so the Commission cannot provide copies of them, just as it cannot provide copies of their annexes, such as the applicant bodies' articles of association. Generally speaking, the articles of association and the membership of the board of directors of non-profit associations are published in the official journal of the Member State concerned.

The application form and practical guide are available in the 11 Community languages. Requests may be submitted to the Commission in the language of the applicant's choice.

Actions supported under Budget line B3-4110 are subject to internal evaluation, as well as to an ex-post audit by the Commission, based on the reports received from the promoters and, where appropriate, on-the-spot visits.