WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2460/97 by Frank VANHECKE to the Commission. Community subsidies
Date: 1997-07-16
Institutions: European Parliament, VANHECKE
Subjects: Belgium, Community budget, EU aid, aid system, balance of payments assistance, distribution of aid, form, integration of migrants, project evaluation, terms for aid

17. 3. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 82/85

How does the Commission explain that such large countries as France, Spain and the United Kingdom receive
smaller subsidies for measures to benefit migrants than a small country like Belgium?

Are these amounts divided up for each country in the budget beforehand?

If so, what amounts are provided for (cid:145)measures to benefit migrants(cid:146) in each country?

If not, what is the maximum amount provided for each country in the budget?

(98/C 82/145)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2460/97

by Frank Vanhecke (NI) to the Commission

(16 July 1997)

Subject: Community subsidies

In 1996, 53 applications for subsidies relating to measures to benefit migrants in Belgium were approved. The
total amount involved was ECU 1 767 726.40 (budget item B96 B3-4110).

Can the Commission say how many of these 53 applications were received from Flemish applicants, how many
from  Walloon  applicants,  how  many  from  Dutch-speaking  applicants  in  Brussels  and  how  many  from
French-speaking applicants in Brussels?

Can the Commission state how much money in absolute terms was allocated to projects of the French-speaking
community and how much to projects of the Dutch-speaking community?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2451/97, E-2452/97, E-2453/97, E-2454/97, E-2455/97,
E-2456/97, E-2457/97, E-2458/97, E-2459/97 and E-2460/97
given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(18 September 1997)

Budget  line  B3-4110  supports  measures  to  encourage  the  integration  of  migrants  and  their  families  in  the
Member States. This support is granted in the form of co-funding, i.e. these actions must be part-financed by
national, regional or local public or private authorities. Hence Community support is not a substitute for support
which  might  be  provided  by  the  above-mentioned  authorities,  but  supplements  such  support  with  a  view  to
implementing a specific measure. The measure supported must be innovative, have a multiplier effect, and clear
visibility and added value at Community level.

Funding applications are submitted by the interested bodies using a standard form. The eligibility conditions are
described in a practical guide. A copy of this practical guide, including the standard form, has been sent directly
to the Honourable Member as well as to the Secretariat-General of the Parliament.

There is no a priori breakdown between the Member States of the appropriations available under Budget line
B3-4110.  The  Commission  makes  a  selection  from  the  numerous  applications  purely  on  the  basis  of  quality
considerations,  bearing  in  mind  the  criteria  and  guidelines  set  out  in  the  practical  guide.  The  breakdown  of
appropriations which may emerge a posteriori between Member States varies greatly from year to year (cid:150) a fact
which should be interpreted with the utmost prudence, all the more so since a growing number of projects with a
promoter established in one Member State have a transnational dimension, and so it would be unfair to consider
that only one Member State stands to benefit from the appropriations for this project.

There is no a priori definition of the amount which may granted for a project. This amount is determined on the
basis of the requests received and the rules of good financial and administrative management, and so it varies
from project to project.

Funding requests addressed to the Commission are not public domain documents, and so the Commission cannot
provide copies of them, just as it cannot provide copies of their annexes, such as the applicant bodies’ articles of
association.  Generally  speaking,  the  articles  of  association  and  the  membership  of  the  board  of  directors  of
non-profit associations are published in the official journal of the Member State concerned.