WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4114/97 by Yves VERWAERDE to the Commission. Social policy in the context of EU-ACP relations
Date: 1998-01-16
Institutions: European Parliament, VERWAERDE
Subjects: ACP countries, EU policy, aid to disadvantaged groups, indigenous population, job creation, poverty, social policy

C 196/80

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

22. 6. 98

(98/C 196/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-4109/97

by Mirja Ryyna¤nen (ELDR) to the Commission

(18 December 1997)

Subject: Support for organizations receiving operational grants

The Commission allocates operational grants to numerous organizations. The problem for the organizations is
that they only receive information about the size of their grant at a late stage, in the middle of the year or in the
autumn. This situation makes it impossible for them to plan activities sensibly and makes them uncertain about
initiating projects which will cost money.

It would facilitate matters if organizations which had proved to be serious cooperation partners were paid half the
operational grant for the coming year with the amount for the rest of the year being varied to take account of any
changes in the amount for the whole year.

What is the Commission doing to enable operational grants to function better from the point of view of their
users?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(18 February 1998)

The Community budget is not implemented by prior apportionment of operational appropriations among a large
number  of  organisations.  An  organisation  may  obtain  financial  support  from  the  Commission  if  it  puts  up  a
project which, firstly, matches a measure included in the general budget by the budgetary authority and if, then,
that  measure  meets  the  specific  requirements  of  the  Community  rules  governing  the  implementation  of  the
specific measure.

Hence the need for a specific review of the application from the future recipient by the Commission.

Proportionate  allocation  of  appropriations  as  envisaged  by  the  Honourable  Member  would  not  allow  the
Commission to comply with the requirements of (Article 2) of the Financial Regulation designed to ensure that
public funds are used in accordance with the principles of sound financial management, and in particular those of
economy and cost-effectiveness.

As  to  enhancing  the  efficiency  with  which  operational  appropriations  are  put  to  use,  the  (cid:145)specific  review(cid:146)
mentioned  earlier  is  increasingly  spread  uniformly  over  the  entire  year  in  order  to  ensure  that  the  budget  is
executed in a way and to reduce delays between the lodging of an application and the Commission(cid:146)s response.

(98/C 196/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4114/97

by Yves Verwaerde (PPE) to the Commission

(16 January 1998)

Subject: Social policy in the context of EU-ACP relations

What  policy  and  actions  does  the  Commission  intend  to  pursue  to  support  social  policies  in  the  context  of
combatting poverty and increasing employment in the ACP countries?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(17 February 1998)

On the work that the Commission has done for the campaign against poverty in African, Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP)  countries,  the  recent  report  on  Community-ACP  cooperation  in  1996  is  sent  direct  to  the  Honourable
Member  and  to  the  Parliament(cid:146)s  secretariat.  This  sets  out  the  various  types  of  action  at  the  level  of  the
macroeconomy, sectors, and projects. It is the intention of the Commission to continue the work already started,
both in policy and in operations.