WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2497/97 by John IVERSEN to the Commission. Stabex system
Date: 1997-07-11
Institutions: European Parliament, IVERSEN
Subjects: ACP countries, EU initiative, Stabex, diversification of exports, export revenue

C 134/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30. 4. 98

›  Holding  back  30%  of  the  grant  until  a  period  long  after  the  end  of  the  programme(cid:146)s  financial  year
(30 June 1998) forces universities to engage in prefinancing into a third financial year. Since the final report
will not be drawn up until 15 November 1998, the remaining funds are unlikely to be allocated before early
1999. However, the internal administrative expenditure on prefinancing the remaining appropriations will be
out of all proportion to the size of the total sum. This is, in fact, an unnecessary and additional burden on the
administrative  bodies  which  already  have  far  too  much  to  do  (offices  in  other  countries,  Socrates
coordinators etc.), particularly as › thanks to the planned reduction › the Youth Technical Assistance Office
in Brussels will scarcely be in a position to evaluate the final reports within an appropriate period of time and
arrange for the final payments to be made.

1.  Why does the new Socrates programme differ from its predecessors in terms of details of how aid is granted

and the breakdown of money allocated?

2. 

Is the Council aware of the serious disadvantages this will cause universities and the relevant administrative
bodies and, if so, how does it intend to reduce this additional bureaucracy?

Answer

(22 December 1997)

Management of the Socrates Programme is the responsibility of the Commission. Articles 4 and 5 of the basic
Decision (No 819/95/EC) stipulate that the Commission shall be responsible for implementing the programme
with the assistance of a committee composed of two members designated by each Member State and chaired by
the Commission representative.

The Commission, to which the same question has been put, will provide the desired information.

(98/C 134/14)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2497/97

by John Iversen (PSE) to the Commission

(11 July 1997)

Subject: Stabex system

Will  the  Commission  take  the  initiative  to  ensure  that  countries  that  receive  money  via  Stabex  abandon
single-crop farming?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(4 September 1997)

The aim of Stabex is to stabilise receipts for key exports from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries as
part of a strategy to support their development efforts. Diversification is also encouraged; Article 186 (2) of the
Lome· IV Convention stipulates that resources transferred under Stabex are to be devoted, in accordance with a
framework of mutual obligations to be agreed between the ACP state concerned and the Commission, either to
the  sector  that  recorded  the  loss  of  export  earnings  or,  where  appropriate,  to  diversification,  for  use  in  other
appropriate productive sectors, mainly agriculture.

During  discussions  on  the  framework  of  mutual  obligations,  consideration  is  given  to  the  appropriateness  of
operations aimed at diversifying exports of primary products and supporting processing activities in the producer
countries and to their importance for the country(cid:146)s macro-economic framework. Appropriate operations are then
integrated into the framework of mutual obligations under preparation.