WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2268/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Technical standards and regulations
Date: 1997-07-02
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: access to information, computer network, information network, interactive network, national law, services contract, technical regulations, technical standard

16. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 117/5

Taking into account the first report on progress made in achieving economic and social cohesion within the EU,
according to which the cohesion policy pursued to date has made a significant contribution to reducing structural
disparities between the richest and poorest countries in the Union and the Commission(cid:146)s belief, expressed in the
answer  given  by  Mrs  Wulf-Mathies  to  a  Written  Question  tabled  by  this  Member  (E-3430/96) (1),  that  it
undoubtedly remained committed to maintaining the structural policies and was still determined to ensure that
resources are concentrated in favour of the poorest regions, does the Council not consider that continued aid to
the four countries which benefit from the Cohesion Fund is essential to enable them to make more rapid progress
towards the goal of achieving the same level as their European partners?

(1)  OJ C 186, 18.6.1997, p. 87.

Answer

(4 December 1998)

In accordance with the rules of the Cohesion Fund, which determine the beneficiary countries and the financial
framework  of  the  Fund  until  the  end  of  1999,  the  Council,  acting  on  a  proposal  from  the  Commission,  will
re-examine the rules before 31 December 1999.

The Commission has not yet submitted a proposal on Fund action from 2000 onwards, but on 16 July 1997 it
submitted a communication entitled (cid:145)Agenda 2000(cid:146) on the development of the Community, in which it proposes
that  the  Cohesion  Fund  be  maintained  in  its  present  form  and  indicates  the  amount  it  considers  should  be
allocated  to  the  Fund.    On  15  September  1997  the  Council  began  a  preliminary  policy  debate  on  that
communication.

As it has not yet received a formal Commission proposal on Fund action as from 2000, the Council has not yet
adopted a position on the matter.

However,  the  foregoing  in  no  way  prejudices  the  pursuit  of  the  objective  of  economic  and  social  cohesion
between Member States, as provided for in the Treaty and the Protocol annexed thereto.

(98/C 117/06)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2268/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(2 July 1997)

Subject: Technical standards and regulations

The Commission has submitted a communication to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and
Social Committee concerning regulatory transparency in the internal market for information society services,
together with a proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive amending for the third time Directive
83/189/EEC laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and
regulations  (COM(96) 392  final  ›  96/0220  COD) (1).  The  proposed  transparency  mechanism  governs  draft
national rules on the taking up and pursuit of service activities capable of being provided electronically, at a
distance and on the individual request of the receiver (interactive services), with the exception of draft national
rules designed to transpose an existing or future Community directive.

The transparency mechanism makes use of the procedural rules laid down in Directive 83/189/EEC (2), in other
words:

›  an information procedure for draft rules and regulations concerning the services defined above;

›  a consultation procedure;

›  a committee of the kind already existing under Directive 83/189/EEC and consisting of representatives of the

Member States.

Once  the  third  amendment  to  Directive  83/189/EEC  has  been  adopted  by  the  Council,  will  the  Commission
publish the full text as soon as possible, together with a clearly-worded explanatory statement?

(1)  OJ C 307, 16.10.1996, p. 11.
(2)  OJ L 109, 26.4.1983, p. 8.