WRITTEN QUESTION No. 754/98 by Angela SIERRA GONZÁLEZ to the Commission. REGIS Initiative cuts for the outermost regions under Agenda 2000
Date: 1998-03-18
Institutions: European Parliament, SIERRA GONZALEZ
Subjects: EU aid, EU initiative, Structural Funds, aid programme, gross domestic product, operational programme, peripheral region, terms for aid

C 323/68

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

21. 10. 98

(98/C 323/90)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0754/98

by Angela Sierra Gonza·lez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: REGIS Initiative cuts for the outermost regions under Agenda 2000

The Commission(cid:146)s Agenda 2000 plans to maintain the outermost regions as Objective 1 regions, despite the fact
that their GDP is higher than 75% of the Community average.

However, when the Commission(cid:146)s same Agenda 2000 speaks of reducing the number of Community initiatives it
excludes  the  REGIS  Initiative  for  outermost  regions  from  the  new  objectives,  though  they  were  included  in
earlier  planning  periods.  As  the  Commission  knows,  the  REGIS  Initiative  is  the  second  largest  investment
programme in the Canary Islands, after the Canaries Operational Programme (ERDF), and provides substantial
funds for local development or promoting renewable energies, to mention but two examples.

On the other hand, the special treatment set out in the Treaty of Amsterdam for the outermost regions, which
mentions  special  measures  for  the  conditions  of  access  to  the  Structural  Funds  and  Community-wide
programmes, suggests a need for a special Community initiative for these regions such as the REGIS Initiative
has been up to now.

Does the Commission consider there is a need to include a Community initiative for the outermost regions in the
next planning period, as was the case in the REGIS I and REGIS II programmes?

In what way has the Commission made provision to offset a possible disappearance of the REGIS Initiative,
bearing in mind the importance of its financial contribution to the Canary Islands(cid:146) economy and people?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(21 April 1998)

The Commission plans to pay close attention to the most remote areas. Its proposal of 18 March 1998 for new
Structural Funds Regulations (1) specifically includes making these regions eligible under Objective 1, even if
their per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is higher than 75% of the Community average.

The Commission plans to integrate the measures hitherto carried out under Regis I and II into the Objective 1
programmes in order to promote thematic concentration, simplify management and administration and increase
their effectiveness.

With regard to the intensity of Community aid, like the other regions eligible under Objective 1, the most remote
areas should benefit from the effort to concentrate budgetary resources on this Objective.

(1)  COM(98) 131.

(98/C 323/91)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0762/98

by Georg Jarzembowski (PPE) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: De facto non-implementation of simplified transit procedure in Greece

The customs authorities in Greece are unjustifiably denying shipping companies the option of processing goods
destined for landing in the ports of Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Herakleion under the simplified transit procedure
pursuant to Article 448 of Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 (1).

The authorities have designated the above three ports in their entirety as (cid:145)free zones(cid:146). This means that shippers
using  those  ports  are  required  to  comply  with  the  formalities  pertaining  to  (cid:145)free  zones(cid:146),  and  to  do  so
independently  of  whether  or  not  goods  are  transported  in  containers.  The  formalities  comprise  up  to  fifteen
procedural stages and are extremely time-consuming and costly to complete.