WRITTEN QUESTION No. 354/99 by Marco FORMENTINI Irregularities in allocating grants for Structural Fund objectives in the region of Liguria
Date: 1999-02-12
Institutions: European Parliament, FORMENTINI
Subjects: Liguria, Structural Funds, job creation, project evaluation, shopping centre, terms for aid, tourist infrastructure, urbanisation

C 325/110

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.11.1999

(1999/C 325/151)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0354/99

by Marco Formentini (NI) to the Commission

(12 February 1999)

Subject: Irregularities in allocating grants for Structural Fund objectives in the region of Liguria

On 30 March 1998 the commune of Chiavari (Genoa) asked the region of Liguria for a non-repayable
Objective 2 grant for a project to upgrade the historical centre in terms of town planning, tourism and trade.
The application was submitted within the deadlines indicated in the procedural provisions.

Managerial decree No 321 of 4 September 1998 approved the list of proposals submitted and the grant
application. The proposals submitted by the communes of Genoa, Cairo Montenotte and Sarzana were
deemed admissible although the project characteristics were inadequate according to the managerial decree.
The Chiavari proposal, which was complete both in project and formal terms, was not considered suitable.

Consequently the commune of Chiavari presented a statement to the legal authority. An inquiry is now under
way.

Does the Commission not think it should check whether the region of Liguria has adopted discriminatory
criteria contrary to the principles of objectivity, honesty and transparency in the management of Community
financial resources and initiate an inquiry into the matter?

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

(15 March 1999)

The Honourable Member’s query is primarily a matter for the Italian authorities in application of the
subsidiarity principle.

Information received from the region of Liguria, and in particular with regard to the call for projects relating to
measure 3.5 7 ‘Infrastructures to revitalise urban centres’ indicates that applications were rated according to a
points system, the principal criteria being the incidence of the proposed infrastructure on the environment and
local tourism, the improvement and conversion of existing infrastructure and employment creation. The
project from the municipality of Chiavari was not rejected but was given a lower rating than the projects from
the municipalities cited by the Honourable Member.

Applications for funding under measure 3,5 presently outstrip available resources. However a recent
reprofiling of the objective 2 programme, currently being adopted by the Commission, has assigned further
funds to the measure. The Chiavari project is the first on the list after those already funded and is therefore well
positioned to benefit from these new funds.

On the basis of the information the Commission has, it does not seem that there are grounds for initiating an
enquiry into the matter.

(1999/C 325/152)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0355/99

by Giacomo Leopardi (PPE) to the Commission

(12 February 1999)

Subject: Numerus clausus for dentistry degree courses in Italy

For three years now too many students have enrolled for dentistry courses at Italian universities; although they
failed the test for admission to the degree course they appealed against their exclusion and the regional
administrative court authorised them to enrol provisionally, postponing the final decision until a judgment
was handed down on the substance.

In order to comply with Directives 78/686/EC (1) and 78/687/EC (2) on the mutual recognition of diplomas,
the 1980 Presidential decree No 135 introduced the degree course in dentistry (odontoiatria e protesi dentaria)
and laid down the number and terms of admissibility of students. Referring to Community requirements,