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WRITTEN QUESTION No. 245/96 by Nel van DIJK to the Commission. ERDF support for the Maastricht-Aachen airport
Date: 1996-02-09
Institutions: European Parliament, VAN DIJK
Subjects: European Regional Development Fund, Limburg, airport, co-financing, cost analysis, economic development, modernisation aid, project evaluation, regional aid













EUR-Lex - 91996E0245 - EN






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91996E0245

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 245/96 by Nel van DIJK to the Commission. ERDF support for the Maastricht-Aachen airport  


Official Journal C 217 , 26/07/1996 P. 0014 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0245/96 by Nel van Dijk (V) to the Commission (9 February 1996)Subject: ERDF support for the Maastricht-Aachen airportFrom the Commission's answer of 20 December 1995 to my written question 3050/95 ((OJ C 109, 15.4.1996, p. 19. )) of 15 November 1995 it is not clear to me whether it shares my view that 'the prospects of Beek airport particularly from the financial point of view are extremely poor'. An evaluation report on the Maastricht-Aachen airport published by the Stichting De Rentmeesters on 16 January 1996 has once again raised the question of the airport's viability.Does the Commission also share the view expressed in the Stichting De Rentmeesters evaluation report on the Maastricht-Aachen airport that even with expansion involving an east-west runway and night flights, a viable operation of the airport is extremely unlikely and questionable because of the costs ignored in the official forecasts?In the light of this report and the studies listed in my question 3050/95, is it reasonable to grant further ERDF funds to the Maastricht-Aachen airport and the areas of wasteland for airport-linked activities?Will this financially dubious undertaking not be used in the Netherlands as an argument for subsidizing the continued existence or even expansion of Maastricht-Aachen airport, contrary to the efforts to limit noise and environmental pollution caused by air traffic in this densely-populated area?Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (7 March 1996)When the contribution of the European regional development fund (ERDF) to the joint development of the business site was assessed, the conclusion was that even without further developing the airport, the site could be developed into a successful business site. This was because of the good location and the limited number of high quality business sites in South Limburg.As a consequence, the projections of the different studies of the financial expectations regarding the expansion of the airport are less relevant. The ERDF contribution has, however, been awarded conditionally. The conditionality concerns the availability of cofinancing for the intended business site by other parties. The contribution has not been made dependent on whether or not the airport will be developed. One cannot therefore speak of a contribution towards the maintenance or expansion of the airport.