WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4094/97 by Peter TRUSCOTT to the Commission. Funding for Hertfordshire in 1994-1997 for SMUs and funding granted under PHILOXENIA
Date: 1998-01-16
Institutions: European Parliament, TRUSCOTT
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, South East (England), aid to undertakings, company research, research policy, small and medium-sized enterprises, tourism policy

21. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 323/5

In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, local taxes are the responsibility of the Member States, which are
therefore free to lay down their own rules in this area. Consequently, the only provisions of Community law that
can be invoked in respect of the above tax are the general provisions of the EC Treaty prohibiting discrimination.
The Commission takes the view that such is not the case here.

For  the  rest,  the  Commission  would  refer  the  Honourable  Member  to  the  answers  to  his  Written  Questions
E-4063/97 and E-4064/97 (1) and to Written Question P-4080/97 by Mr Florio (2) on the subject of the same tax.

(1)  OJ C 223, 17.7.1998, p. 49.
(2)  OJ C 187, 16.6.1998, p. 120.

(98/C 323/06)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4094/97

by Peter Truscott (PSE) to the Commission

(16 January 1998)

Subject: Funding for Hertfordshire in 1994-1997 for SMUs and funding granted under Philoxenia

Would the Commission please inform me of the amount of funding Hertfordshire has received for SMUs and
what funds have been granted for Hertfordshire under Philoxenia in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997?

Answer given by Mr M. Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 1998)

With regard to funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it should be noted that, as stated in the
answer to written question E-4090/97 by the Honourable Member (1), SMEs have also received some of the funds
granted to research, via the 4th Framework Programme for Research.

With regard to tourism, the Honourable Member is reminded that the Philoxenia programme has not yet been
adopted  by  the  Council.  In  application  of  the  Community  action  plan  to  assist  tourism  (Council  Decision
92/421/EEC of 13 July 1992 (2)), financing of specific measures for tourism in 1994-1995 was not granted on the
basis  of  geographical  criteria  (regional  and  local),  but  was  based  on  a  thematic  approach:  cultural  tourism,
tourism and the environment, rural tourism, social tourism, youth tourism. As a result, the question of allocating
funding to a specific region did not apply. In 1996, the budgetary authority did not grant any funds at all for
specific  measures  to  assist  tourism.  In  1997,  the  Commission  again  adopted  a  non-territorial  approach.
For further information, the Honourable Member is asked to refer to the answer given by the Commission to his
written question E-4093/97 (3).

(1)  OJ C 223, 17.7.1998, p. 52.
(2)  OJ L 231, 13.08.1992.
(3)  OJ C 196, 22.6.1998, p. 74.

(98/C 323/07)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4100/97

by David Morris (PSE) to the Commission

(16 January 1998)

Subject: The safety of the Dounreay nuclear research establishment

Revelations in the media about the decommissioning of Dounreay nuclear have raised serious questions about
the safety standards and protection of local communities in this proposed clean-up operation.