WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2483/97 by Luciano PETTINARI to the Commission. INTERREG II and the port of Monopoli
Date: 1997-07-16
Institutions: European Parliament, PETTINARI
Subjects: Albania, Apulia, EU financing, EU programme, Italy, harbour installation

C 102/48

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

3. 4. 98

(98/C 102/67)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2482/97

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

(16 July 1997)

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

industry

Each  year  in  the  debate  on  the  budget,  Parliament  repeats  an  amendment  to  line  B5-411:  Industrial
competitiveness  strategy  for  the  European  Union  (Section  III  ›  Commission  ›  Part  B  ›  Operating
appropriations)  adding  the  words  (cid:145)to  support  the  activities  of  the  associations  of  maritime  regions,  the  coal
industry and the textiles industry, such as EURACOM and ACTE(cid:146).

Can the Commission provide detailed information on the expenditure which it has authorized in the past three
years  (1995,  1996  and  1997),  the  activities  authorized,  the  criteria  applied  by  the  Commission  in  granting
authorization and the procedure to be followed in requesting such funding?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(29 September 1997)

The Commission, in its capacity as the institution responsible for authorising appropriations shown under budget
heading B5-411, is indeed aware of the Parliamentary amendment tabled since 1995 in the debate on the budget
and has taken this into account when using the funds allocated. Accordingly, the Commission has responded
favourably each year to the request from the association of European maritime regions by allocating a subsidy of
ECU 100 000 in 1995 and ECU 100 000 in 1996. The amount to be allocated for 1997 is currently being examined
in the course of discussions between the association and the Commission. The amount of the subsidy could be
higher than for previous years.

As regards the textile and clothing industry, the Commission has provided cofinancing, over the last three years,
amounting to some ECU 140 000 in respect of four projects conducted by the association of European textile
corporations (ACTE) and the local authorities affiliated to ACTE.

As regards the other aspect of the amendment applicable to the coalmining areas, the Commission is ready to
give  favourable  consideration  to  requests  for  financing  in  support  of  actions  organised  by  the  European
association for coalmining areas (EURACOM) between now and the end of 1997.

(98/C 102/68)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2483/97

by Luciano Pettinari (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(16 July 1997)

Subject: Interreg II and the port of Monopoli

The Apulian port of Monopoli is one of the most important points of contact between Italy and Albania and thus
serves as a major link between the territory of the European Union and Tirana. Precisely for that reason the port
of  Monopoli  was  included  among  the  sites  that  would  benefit  from  the  Interreg  2  development  programme
(Italy-Albania) and receive considerable Community funding. Following a series of high-level contacts between
the commune of Monopoli, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic and the region of
Apulia the port was definitively selected as a beneficiary project of Interreg 2; but for no apparent reason the
Commission informed the commune of Monopoli on 22 May 1997 that the port was to be excluded from Interreg
2. This appears to be undue interference in the autonomous choices that are the preserve of political bodies; given
the natural and obvious value of the port of Monopoli in the development of EU-Albania relations, why is the
Commission excluding the port of Monopoli from the list of beneficiaries of Interreg 2? Does the Commission
not intend to grant the port at least part of the funds available since if the entire amount were given to Bari it
would undoubtedly exceed requirements? What sites in the region of Apulia have been selected as recipients of
Interreg 2 funds and what were the selection criteria?