WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1594/97 by Ludivina GARCÍA ARIAS to the Commission. Support for activities of associations of maritime, coal and textile industry regions
Date: 1997-05-06
Institutions: European Parliament, GARCIA ARIAS
Subjects: Community budget, EU policy, association, coal industry, coastal region, competitiveness, economic support, industrial policy, textile industry

10. 2. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 45/57

(98/C 45/67)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1594/97

by Ludivina Garc(cid:14)·a Arias (PSE) to the Commission

(6 May 1997)

Subject: Support for activities of associations of maritime, coal and textile industry regions

Every  year,  as  part  of  the  budgetary  debate,  the  European  Parliament  repeats  an  amendment  to  Item  B5-411
(cid:145)Industrial  competitiveness  policy  for  the  European  Union(cid:146)  (Section  III  ›  Commission  ›  Part  B:  Operating
appropriations) to provide support for the activities of associations of maritime, coal and textile industry regions,
such as Euroacom and ACTE.

Can the Commission give detailed figures of the expenditure it has authorized in the past three years (1995, 1996
and  1997),  the  activities  authorized,  the  criteria  used  by  the  Commission  for  granting  authorization  and  the
procedure for applying for such funding?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(30 June 1997)

The Commission, in its capacity as disburser of funds under budget heading B5-411, has since 1995 carefully
noted Parliament(cid:146)s amendments to the remarks in the budget, and has taken them into consideration in allocating
funds. As a result, it has each year responded favourably to the request from the Association of Maritime Regions
in Europe (AMRIE), granting a subsidy of ECU 100 000 in 1995 and ECU 100 000 in 1996. For 1997, the amount
to be granted is currently under discussion between AMRIE and the Commission, but could possibly be higher
than in previous years.

As regards the textile and clothing sector, the Commission has over the past three years spent approximately
ECU 140 000 in cofinancing four projects initiated by ACTE and its local authority members.

As to the other area covered by the amendment, i.e. coal-mining regions, the Commission has yet to receive any
applications from such bodies. Each year, however, it awards a number of grants relating to (cid:145)coal-mining issues(cid:146).

(98/C 45/68)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1601/97

by Ba·rbara Du¤hrkop Du¤ hrkop (PSE) to the Commission

(5 May 1997)

Subject: New fisheries agreements

Does  the  Commission  have  any  plans  to  conclude  fisheries  agreements  with  South  Africa,  Namibia,
Mozambique, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, New Zealand and the overseas territories of
the United Kingdom? What steps has it taken in relation to each of these countries?

What stage has been reached in the renegotiation of fisheries agreements with Cape Verde, Guinea, Equatorial
Guinea, the Comoros, Co(cid:136)te d(cid:146)Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Poland, Russia and the United States?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(9 July 1997)

The Council has given new negotiating instructions for concluding second-generation fisheries agreements with
non-Community countries bordering the Baltic, and two rounds of consultations took place recently with Poland
and one with the Russian Federation. The main stumbling block for a successful conclusion is the geographical
scope of the agreement, as both countries seek access to Community waters in the North Atlantic, while the
negotiating  instructions  limit  the  application  of  a  future  agreement  to  the  Baltic  Sea  area  only.  Further
consultations are foreseen.

There is presently no fisheries agreement with the United States. The Commission is investigating the possibility
of such an agreement in the future.