WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1406/98 by Luciano VECCHI to the Commission. The co-financing of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) projects in Cuba
Date: 1998-05-11
Institutions: European Parliament, VECCHI
Subjects: Cuba, European Union, application of EU law, co-financing, commitment of expenditure, non-governmental organisation, secondary legislation













EUR-Lex - 91998E1406 - EN






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91998E1406

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1406/98 by Luciano VECCHI to the Commission. The co-financing of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) projects in Cuba  


Official Journal C 135 , 14/05/1999 P. 0003 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1406/98by Luciano Vecchi (PSE) to the Commission(11 May 1998)Subject: The co-financing of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) projects in CubaOver recent months there has been a substantial freeze in the co-financing of projects run by European NGOs working in Cuba.This situation is causing serious difficulties for non-governmental cooperation initiatives in Cuba, and is preventing NGOs from pursuing development actions which may assist social, economic and political change in Cuba.Does the Commission intend to resume the co-financing of NGO projects in Cuba and what is its attitude towards non-governmental cooperation in Cuba?Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission(17 July 1998)Community cofinancing of operations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has been suspended for the following reasons:In its judgment of 12 May 1998 in case C 106/96, the Court of Justice annulled a Commission Decision allocating grants without a specific legal basis. One of the implications of this judgment is that any expenditure relating to a Community operation must not only be entered in the budget (the budgetary authority) but must also be preceded by the adoption of secondary legislation authorising the expenditure (the responsibility of the legislative authority).No secondary legislation yet exists to cover appropriations entered in the general budget of the European Union for 1998 under heading B7-6000"Community contribution towards schemes concerning developing countries carried out by non-governmental organisations".On 11 July 1995, the Commission sent the Council and Parliament a proposal for a Regulation on cofinancing operations with European development NGOs in fields of interest to the developing countries. The Regulation is expected to be adopted shortly (by the end of July).As long as the Regulation has not been adopted, there is an obligation to adhere to the Court of Justice ruling by suspending all new cofinancing requested by NGOs under budget heading B7-6000.As to the cofinancing of projects submitted by European NGOs working in Cuba, the Commission would inform the Honourable Member that, apart from the problem outlined above, there is no freeze on such projects and it intends to continue to support the operations concerned once the Regulation on cofinancing has been adopted.In addition to granting humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba, the Commission envisages substantial project cofinancing with European NGOs working in Cuba under the 1998 budget. Pending a regulation, and given that NGOs must first submit projects for Commission appraisal, it is not yet possible to specify how much cofinancing of this type will be available in 1998.