WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2309/97 by Roberta ANGELILLI to the Commission. ESF funding for the 'European Academy of Special Effects'
Date: 1997-07-03
Institutions: ANGELILLI, European Parliament
Subjects: European Social Fund, Italy, Umbria, action programme, eligibility criteria, higher education, self-employed person, student, visual arts, vocational training

11. 3. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 76/95

(98/C 76/191)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2309/97

by Roberta Angelilli (NI) to the Commission

(3 July 1997)

Subject: ESF funding for the (cid:145)European Academy of Special Effects(cid:146)

On 15 October 1996 the regional authorities of Umbria, by Decision 7339 of the regional executive, approved
funding for a training project, called (cid:145)European Academy of Special Effects (First year)(cid:146), for 30 trainees as part
of the 1994-96 regional SPD for Objective 2 (Axis 2, Sub-Axis 2.7 (cid:145)Advanced Training(cid:146)). The project, which is
intended to enable the trainees to qualify as (cid:145)special effects supervisors(cid:146), was proposed by the Societa‘ Consortile
Parco Scientifico-Teconologico di Terni a.r.l. with a total cost of LIT 1 243 million, broken down as follows:

›  LIT 740 million to be paid for out of the regional budget (of which LIT 333 million would be funded by the

ESF);

›  LIT 240 million to be paid for by the trainees;

›  LIT 263 million in sponsorship.

The project appears vague in terms of both its actual objectives and its possible employment spin-off. Moreover,
the criteria on which the regional executive of Umbria based its decision to approve the planned expenditure on
the activities of some of the teaching staff appear to be incomprehensible.

In the light of these considerations, and in view of the substantial proportion of ESF co-financing for the project
in question and the fact that each trainee on the course will be required to pay LIT 8 million:

1.  Does  the  Commission  not  believe  that  it  should  check  the  criteria  on  which  the  decision  to  approve  the

financing in question was based and the appropriateness of the various expenditure items?

2.  Does the Commission consider that these criteria are compatible with the more general criteria governing the

activities of the European Social Fund?

3.  Does  the  Commission  believe  that  the  financing  of  a  course  which  requires  trainees  to  come  up  with

LIT 8 million is compatible with the activities of the ESF?

4.  Can the Commission give its general views on this matter?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(24 September 1997)

The  administration  of  the  European  Social  Fund  (ESF)  is  based  on  the  general  programming
1. and 2.
documents (Community support frameworks, Community programmes), which are negotiated and decided upon
in partnership between the Member States and the Commission. The Commission participates in the monitoring
committees for the individual vocational training/development of human resources programmes, establishing the
general criteria to be followed by the national authorities in selecting and implementing specific projects, for
which the said national authorities have sole competence.

The list of regional and central services responsible for administering the European Social Fund in Italy has been
sent to the Honourable Member as well as to the European Parliament Secretariat.

3. and 4.
The  Commission  sought  information  from  the  Member  State  in  question  concerning  the  case
described  by  the  Honourable  Member.  The  contribution  payable  by  each  student  participating  in  the  course
served to cover costs and expenditure not admissible under the Social Fund regulations: the training of experts in
special  effects  necessitated  the  use  of  advanced  technologies,  highly  qualified  teaching  staff  and  complex
management arrangements, having regard to the specific needs in this field.