WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1384/99 by Per GAHRTON EU defence policy - implications of the Cologne Summit
Date: 1999-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, GAHRTON
Subjects: common foreign and security policy

C 27 E/36

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.1.2000

(2000/C 27 E/040)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1383/99

by Pedro Aparicio SÆnchez (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Information on the Structural Funds

(1 September 1999)

Following the adoption and publication of the new regulations laying down general provisions for the
Structural Funds and of the regulations for the individual Funds, pursuant to Article 7(3) of EC (Council)
Regulation No 1260/99 (1), the Commission should have established the breakdown by Member State of
the available commitment appropriations.

Can the Commission provide information on the notification made to the Kingdom of Spain, in the form
of the full text, including, for Objectives 1 and 2, the distinction between appropriations allocated to the
regions and those allocated to areas eligible for transitional aid?

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 1.

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

(6 September 1999)

In accordance with Article 7(3) of the Regulation laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds,
on 1 July 1999 the Commission fixed indicative breakdowns by Member State of the commitment
appropriations available for the programming under Objectives 1, 2 and 3 and for assistance under the
Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance outside Objective 1 regions. The Decisions in question were
published in Official Journal L 194 of 27 July 1999. The relevant extract from the Official Journal has
been sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament Secretariat.

As provided under Article 7(3), for Objectives 1 and 2 these breakdowns distinguish allocations of
appropriations to regions and areas benefiting from transitional support.

(2000/C 27 E/041)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1384/99

by Per Gahrton (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(1 September 1999)

Subject: EU defence policy (cid:129) implications of the Cologne Summit

Controversy has arisen in Sweden over the interpretation of some of the decisions taken by the European
Council at the summit held in Cologne on 3-4 June 1999 concerning the further development of the
common foreign, security and defence policy. Will the Council therefore say whether the Cologne decision
means that the WEU is to be integrated to some extent into the EU? Does the Cologne decision mean that
the EU will be able to carry out military operations only following a UN Security Council resolution or
could situations arise in which the EU also intervenes militarily without a UN mandate? Does the Cologne
decision represent a step in a process towards a common EU defence policy and a common defence or is it
the absolutely final step in giving the EU a (cid:145)military capability(cid:146)?

Reply

(22 October 1999)

The Treaty on European Union provides for closer institutional relations between EU and WEU, with

1.
the possibility of (cid:145)the WEU integration into the EU, should the European Council so decide(cid:146).

2.
The Cologne European Council addressed the capacity of the Union to effectively undertake crisis
management and tasked the General Affairs Council to prepare the conditions and the measures necessary