WRITTEN QUESTION P-1379/00

by Ari Vatanen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 April 2000)

Subject: Cross-border cooperation between the EU and Russia

The land border between the EU and Russia makes the world's widest gap in living standards. The difference can be observed by comparing for example my home, which is 20 km from the present-day border, with the house in which my mother was born, which found itself in Soviet Karelia nearly 60 years ago. The difference in the standard of living is like a time-bomb which will fall into our lap if the Union does not invest a great deal of effort in cooperation in border areas and in ironing out the differences between them. The EU's northern border areas are one of the most remote regions of the Union, which it has a particular responsibility to develop under (Article 299(2)) of the founding Treaty.

Despite the seriousness of the problem, there are difficulties in implementing EU programmes in these borders areas. The results of the Interreg II programme from 1992 to 1999 show that it has been particularly complicated reconciling the Interreg programme with programmes relating to EU non member countries (such as TACIS). The border area authorities themselves regard the main problem as being that the Interreg programmes are project-based, with decision-making taking place at regional level, whereas decisions on the TACIS CBC programme are taken in Brussels and it is not project-based.

To resolve the problem the EU and Russian border areas have established the Karelia Euregio to coordinate border cooperation. The aim is that the Karelia Euregio would be an experimental project, in which the Euregio administrative committee would take decisions at regional level affecting both programmes on a project by project basis. The Karelia Euregio experiment would improve the impact of the EU programmes in the EU's and Russia's border areas.

In his oral hearing before the European Parliament, Commissioner Barnier said he regarded the reconciliation of the Interreg and TACIS programmes as one of the Union's central regional policy objectives. Is this the view of the Commission as a whole? How does the Commission propose to facilitate cross-border cooperation between the EU and Russia? What attitude does the Commission intend to take to the experiment proposed by the Karelia Euregio?

Answer given Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(6 June 2000)

As indicated in the communication Strategic Objectives 2000-2005(1) of March 2000, the Commission attributes special importance to reinforcing co-operation with Russia.

From the point of view of the structural funds, this concern is reflected in Article 20 of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999, laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds(2), which stipulates that due attention should be given to improved co-ordination between Interreg and the TACIS programme.

In the Interreg III guidelines, the Commission emphasises that effective co-ordination and a consistency between Interreg III and TACIS assistance have to be established, notably by way of elaborating operational guidelines. In addition, Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 99/2000 of 29 December 1999 concerning the provision of assistance to the partner States in Eastern Europe and Central Asia(3), in relation to TACIS, also makes particular reference to cross-border co-operation with Community border regions. Consequently, the Commission is currently improving the basis for further co-ordination between Interreg and TACIS, which should help facilitate co-operation between the Community and Russia.

As a result, existing co-ordination at project level will be complemented by a greater degree of coherence at programming level and by the definition of objectives and co-operation areas. In the implementation of Interreg III, the management of small projects promoting cross-border activities could be directly entrusted to cross-border co-operation initiatives, such as Euregios.

In the light of these considerations, the Commission will take into account examples of co-operation across borders, such as the Euregio Karelia.

(1) OJ C 81, 21.3.2000.

(2) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(3) OJ L 12, 18.1.2000.