WRITTEN QUESTION No. 304/98 by Maartje van PUTTEN to the Commission. Impact of a Community biodiversity strategy on other policy areas
Date: 1998-02-17
Institutions: European Parliament, VAN PUTTEN
Subjects: EU programme, Structural Funds, action programme, biodiversity, common agricultural policy, environmental policy, environmental protection, reform of the CAP

C 223/162

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

17. 7. 98

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(24 March 1998)

The Community(cid:146)s programmes on reproductive health and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in developing countries have been reorganised and after a tender procedure, a
consortium was selected to assist in this task. This consortium has a small office in Brussels and also has experts
in several institutions in Europe and in developing countries.

The purpose of the change is to improve and increase the financing of policies and activities in HIV/AIDS and
reproductive health in the different regions of the developing world.

This also complements the reorganisation which was started already in 1993 by the establishment of a Health,
AIDS and family planning unit in the Directorate general for development. The strengthening of the Commission
in relation to those issues continues.

Thus, it will be also possible for the Commission to keep its promise to commit 300 MECU for reproductive
health.

(98/C 223/211)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0304/98

by Maartje van Putten (PSE) to the Commission

(17 February 1998)

Subject: Impact of a Community biodiversity strategy on other policy areas

Can the Commission answer the following questions?

1.
The Commission recently deliberated internally on the Community biodiversity strategy proposed by DG
XI.  Can  the  Commission  indicate  what  impact  that  strategy  would  mean  for  other  EU  policy  areas  and,  in
particular, what its impact would be on the common agricultural policy?

Does the Commission feel that a Community biodiversity strategy could contribute to the promotion of

2.
forms of agriculture within the EU which are more environmentally friendly? If so, in what way?

Does  the  Commission  feel  that  a  Community  biodiversity  strategy  may  constitute  a  framework  for  the

3.
assessment of Agenda 2000?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(24 March 1998)

The  Commission  adopted  on  4  February  1998  a  communication  to  the  Council  and  to  the  Parliament  on  a
Community  biodiversity  strategy (1).  This  strategy  defines  a  framework  for  actions  to  achieve  integration  of
biodiversity concerns into relevant Community policy areas.

The implementation of the Convention on biological diversity by the Community calls for a two-step process.
The  adoption  of  this  strategy  containing  the  general  policy  orientations  is  the  first  step.  The  second  is  the
development and implementation of action plans and other measures for the policy areas concerned.

The  strategy  defines  how  biodiversity  concerns  will  be  taken  into  account  in  the  current  review  of  the
arrangements for the structural funds, in the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform process announced in
Agenda 2000 (2), and in the new framework agreement between the Community and the African, Caribbean and
Pacific  countries  (ACP)  beyond  the  year  2000.  The  development  of  these  action  plans  should  be  completed
within the next two years. Progress in the implementation of the strategy and the performance of the action plans
and other measures will be monitored and assessed using biodiversity indicators and measurable targets.

In due course the Parliament will have the opportunity to consider the technical details of this proposal, and the
specific objectives set out for each policy sector.

(1)  COM(98) 42 final.
(2)  COM(97) 2000 final.