WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3808/97 by Ernesto CACCAVALE to the Commission. Loss of Community funds
Date: 1997-11-17
Institutions: CACCAVALE, European Parliament
Subjects: EU initiative, EU programme, European Social Fund, fund (EU), less-favoured region, operational programme, use of aid

C 158/192

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 5. 98

(98/C 158/260)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3808/97

by Ernesto Caccavale (UPE) to the Commission

(17 November 1997)

Subject: Loss of Community funds

The  Community  Initiatives  such  as  Horizon,  Adapt,  Now,  Youthstart  and  the  emergency  programme  for
employment in southern Europe are of considerable importance for Objective 1 regions.

Can the Commission say:

1.

2.

whether there is a deadline for the use of these funds and, if so, what it is;

if there is a deadline, whether it can be extended if projects are not launched;

whether failure to launch the activities may lead to the funds being lost, in particular as regards the region of

3.
Campania?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(15 December 1997)

1.
As regards the multi-regional Operational Programme (cid:145)Emergenza Occupazionale Sud(cid:146), the Community
initiative Employment and the Community initiative Adapt, the European Social Fund and the Member State
co-finance  actions  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  laid  down  by  the  Community  decision  concerning
allocation of the financial resources, which is addressed to the Member State.

For the period 1994-1999, the deadlines fixed by the Commission with regard to the multi-regional Operational
Programme  are  31  December  1999  for  entering  into  commitments  and  31  December  2001  for  settlement  of
payments.  With  regard  to  the  Adapt  initiative  and  the  Employment  initiative,  the  deadlines  are  in  each  case
31 December 1999 for entering into commitments and 31 December 2000 for final payments.

2.
In response to a properly circumstanciated request from the Member State, the aforementioned deadlines
may be re-negotiated within the framework of the partnership, but given that the deadlines are so far off no such
adjustment is envisaged at present.

Since the financial commitment is established for the totality of the Operational Programme, the appropriations
awarded would not be affected in any way if a particular action was not launched.

In this context, the Member State is responsible for implementing and monitoring the actions, and to this
3.
end is required to establish the arrangements with which operators must comply in carrying out their projects. In
the case of Community initiatives, it is a question of national programmes. The committees set up to monitor
these programmes may therefore propose a re-allocation between regions of any funds not used.

(98/C 158/261)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3826/97

by Roberto Mezzaroma (UPE) to the Commission

(28 November 1997)

Subject: Security in Europe

In the interests of Europe(cid:146)s own security, are the Commission and Parliament aware of the report published in the
Italian  newspaper  Il  Giornale  on  10  August  1997  to  the  effect  that  a  company  in  La  Spezia  and  another  in
Piacenza  had  provided  Libya  with  equipment  to  increase  the  range  and  enhance  the  capabilities  of  missile
launchers,  thus  posing  a  potential  threat  to  peace  prospects  in  the  Middle  East  and  indeed  to  Europe(cid:146)s
Mediterranean coastline?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 1997)

The Commission has no knowledge of the reported transaction to which the Honourable Member refers.