WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2144/98 by Barry SEAL to the Commission. Review of eligible areas under RETEX Community initiative
Date: 1998-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, SEAL
Subjects: EU initiative, EU programme, aid to industry, application of EU law, eligibility criteria, eligible region, job cuts, operational programme, textile industry

15.10.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 297/5

3. Will the Commission take the initiative to ban this breed if Sweden wins its case in the EU Court of
Justice?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(22 September 1998)

All surgical operations carry a certain risk, but if performed correctly by a veterinarian, caesarian section

1.
is a safe procedure, even if performed repeatedly.

2. and 3.
The Community has legislation covering various aspects of the rearing, transport and slaughter of
farm animals. Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for
farming purposes (1)
includes amongst other things a special paragraph on mutilations and breeding
procedures.

The Commission has no plans at present to propose additional legislation concerning any particular breed of
cattle.

(1) OJ L 221, 8.8.1998.

(1999/C 297/007)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2144/98

by Barry Seal (PSE) to the Commission

(13 July 1998)

Subject: Review of eligible areas under RETEX Community initiative

In view of the serious and continuing losses in textiles and clothing jobs in the Yorkshire region, particularly in
those parts of the region excluded from the current RETEX programme, is the Commission prepared to review
the RETEX regulations to allow greater flexibility in the choice of eligible areas?

As the Commission knows, the European Parliament has previously expressed its wish to see at least the same
level of flexibility applied to RETEX as is currently applied to the Konver Community Initiative. This flexibility
is especially desirable since so many of the people losing jobs in the textile and clothing industries are women
and are from ethnic minority communities which experience the greatest difficulty in finding alternative
employment.

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

(15 September 1998)

The RETEX Community Initiative, launched in 1992, was originally planned to run until 1997 but has been
extended, with extra funding, to 1999. Under the guidelines for operational programmes under RETEX,
eligible areas have to be situated in objective 1, 2 or 5b areas heavily dependent on the textile and clothing
sector. Special emphasis must be given to concentrating on the zones within the eligible regions where the
present or anticipated difficulties are the greatest. This has been particularly important for beneficiaries
situated in the most disadvantaged regions of the Community. In the 1994 guidelines for RETEX the
Commission maintained this definition of eligible areas.

The guidelines for Konver, also adopted in 1994, define the eligible areas in a more flexible way due to the
different scope and relative importance of the defence industry in areas outside objective 1, 2 and 5b areas.
This has allowed the inclusion in Konver programmes of zones that are not part of the latter areas.

the current programming period approaching,

With the end of
the new regulatory framework for
interventions under the structural funds is being prepared. Considerable parts of current RETEX areas will
be covered by the new regional objectives. In these circumstances the Commission does not consider it
appropriate to review the definition of eligible areas for this initiative.