WRITTEN QUESTION P-2280/99 by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Promise of financial aid to Kosovo.
Date: 1999-11-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, Kosovo, budgetary power, economic reconstruction, powers of parliament

C 374 E/2

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.12.2000

activity detrimental to the Communities(cid:146) interests (1), they shall inform their Heads of service or Directors-
general or, if they consider it useful, the Secretary-general of the Commission or OLAF directly. Officials
who provided or provide such information through those means had and have the guarantee that they
shall in no way suffer inequitable or discriminatory treatment as a result of providing it. In the context of
its administrative reforms, the Commission is in the process of developing an improved system which will
ensure that, in addition to present provisions, officials who fulfil their duty to report evidence of alleged
wrongdoing have further equitable and effective means for reporting, and obtaining thorough and active
response to, their concerns and evidence.

(1) OJ L 149, 16.6.1999.

(2000/C 374 E/002)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2280/99

by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 November 1999)

Subject: Promise of financial aid to Kosovo

On Tuesday, 9 November 1999 Mrs Schleyer, speaking at a meeting of the Committee on Budgets that
was open to the public, said (cid:129) by way of elucidation of the Commission(cid:146)s proposal to make (cid:129) 500 million
available to Kosovo (cid:129) that a number of representatives of the Union had promised at various conferences
to come up with approximately half of the money needed for Kosovo.

1. Which representatives have made such promises?

2.

On what occasion?

3. What sums have been promised?

4. Were the representatives authorised to make such promises?

5. Were the promises made subject to Parliament(cid:146)s approval having to be obtained for the sums
involved?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2000)

The European Council of Cologne (June 1999) confirmed (cid:145)the European Union(cid:146)s commitment to take a
leading role in the reconstruction efforts in Kosovo(cid:146) and called on other donors to participate generously in
the reconstruction effort. In this statement, the Union recognised the importance of assisting in the
recovery of Kosovo and the responsibility the Union has in supporting the province in this process.

for the creation of

the agency (1), submitted in the context of a proposal

for the
In its proposal
modification of the Obnova Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 851/98 of 20 April 1998 amending
Regulation (EC) No 1628/96 relating to aid for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (2)), the Commission indicated for the first time
its estimates of the needs for the reconstruction effort in Kosovo. The first phase of reconstruction efforts
have been estimated between € 500 million and € 700 million per year over the three years 2000-2002.
Overall financial assistance of USD 2 300 million, on highly concessional terms, has been estimated to
support a four to five year reconstruction and recovery programme.

Based on a comprehensive assessment report:
(cid:145)Towards stability and prosperity: a programme for
jointly prepared by the World Bank and the Commission, an
reconstruction and recovery in Kosovo(cid:146)
external financing requirement of USD 1 100 million has been estimated for 2000, with housing, energy
and private sector development as being priority areas. The Commission expressed its willingness to
support this programme. During the second donors(cid:146) conference in November 1999, an indicative figure of
€ 500 million for Community assistance was pledged, in the light also of the first reading of the draft 2000
budget.

28.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/3

The 2000 budget for Kosovo is targeted to immediate needs for reconstruction. The global amount finally
agreed by the budgetary authorities for 2000 is € 360 million. It breaks down into € 270 million for the
budget line B7-546 for the reconstruction of Kosovo (including € 30 million carried over from 1999),
€ 50 million for the budget
line B7-210 for humanitariam emergency aid (including € 30 million
committed in 1999 as reserve which has to be allocated in 2000) and € 40 million for redemployment.

(1) COM(1999) 312 final.
(2) OJ L 122, 24.4.1998.

(2000/C 374 E/003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2404/99

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Uptake of funds for the RETEX Community Initiative

(16 December 1999)

Under the most recent Community support framework (1993-1999) Portugal was to benefit from the
RETEX Community Initiative for diversifying regions heavily dependent on the textile and clothing
industry.

(cid:129) What were the amounts allocated to Portugal and the other Member States and what are the figures
for funds actually paid out, broken down by Member State, under the RETEX initiative in 1993-1999?

(cid:129) What projects were funded in Portugal during this period under RETEX? What was their duration and

what funding did they receive?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(7 April 2000)

In respect of the 1994-1999 programming period, the amounts allocated and paid out to each Member
State under the RETEX Community Initiative are as follows:

Member State

Community Financing

Payments carried out

(in million euro)

Belgium

Denmark

Germany

Greece

Spain

France

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Portugal

United Kingdom

Austria

Finland

Sweden

6

(cid:129)

76

79

107

28

9

59

(cid:129)

1

176

41

3

(cid:129)

(cid:129)

2

(cid:129)

37

53

36

10

6

29

(cid:129)

1

107

4

2

(cid:129)

(cid:129)