WRITTEN QUESTION No. 408/97 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Blocking of projects under Article 10 of the ERDF
Date: 1997-02-13
Institutions: ALAVANOS, European Parliament
Subjects: European Regional Development Fund, European integration, action programme, financing of aid, operational programme, regional development













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91997E0408

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 408/97 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Blocking of projects under Article 10 of the ERDF  


Official Journal C 367 , 04/12/1997 P. 0020 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0408/97 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (13 February 1997)Subject: Blocking of projects under Article 10 of the ERDFAccording to information from many project managers, DG XX is blocking funds on specific themes under Article 10 of the ERDF including: Information Society (30 projects), New Jobs (42 projects), Information Technology (20 projects), Cultural Cooperation and Economic Development (32 projects). These are going to be followed by: Urban Pilot Project and Terra.Although the Commission expects in many cases that work will start in January 1997, there is no guarantee when the letter of grant will be sent and the first payments follow. Delays in payments jeopardize not only the projects but also the existence of very many people and organizations, in particular small and medium-sized companies.It cannot be right that the European Union tarnishes in this way the sound reputation of the people involved, who are willing to work concretely for European integration. All these projects are highly sophisticated and require a lot of time in order to achieve positive cooperation.What is happening with regard to the letters of grant to the projects selected so far by DG XVI for implementation under the four themes mentioned above?Why is DG XX blocking these projects?Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (15 April 1997)The Commission reminds the Honourable Member that it acts collectively, even though in accordance with the financial Regulation of 21 December 1977 applicable to the general budget of the European Communities ((OJ L 356, 31.12.1977, as last amended by Council Regulation No 2333/95, OJ L 240, 7.10.1995. )), commitment proposals in each institution must be approved by the Financial Controller.This financial Regulation states: 'The purpose of the approval of proposals for commitments of expenditure given by the Financial Controller shall be to establish that:a) the expenditure has been charged to the correct item in the budget;b) the appropriations are available in the budget;c) the expenditure is in order and conforms to the relevant provisions, in particular of the budget and the regulations, and of all acts made in implementation of the Treaties and of the regulations;d) the principles of sound financial management have been applied.'120 pilot projects under the European regional development fund have been presented to the Commission's Financial Controller. A standard framework of analysis has been drawn up and applied to all these projects. As a result the bodies presenting the projects may have been asked to make some adjustments and to provide some additional financial information. The present situation is that all but four (three RIS ((Regional innovation strategy. )) and one RISI ((Regional information strategy initiative. ))) of the 120 projects have been approved. These four projects are still being considered.