WRITTEN QUESTION E-1930/00 by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Equal Initiative in the Netherlands.
Date: 2000-06-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, Netherlands, cross-border cooperation, job access, refugee

6.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 72 E/151

3.

Have any reports or studies led the European Union to take this view?

If so, will the Commission make the relevant reports or studies available?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(18 July 2000)

The Commission has made no recommendation to the Government of the Balearic Islands regarding the
most appropriate technical solution for bringing natural gas to the islands. As a rule, it falls to the Member
States and operators concerned to choose among the options for implementing energy projects.

The Commission does favour the introduction of natural gas in regions which do not have it, and
therefore favours the project to introduce it in the Balearic Islands, in an economic and environment-
friendly manner. Accordingly, and in line with a request from the Spanish Government, the Commission
will, when the Community guidelines on trans-European energy networks are next reviewed, propose that
the project to introduce natural gas to the Balearic Islands be included in one or other of the projects of
common interest. This will be without prejudice to whatever technical solution is eventually chosen,
i.e. connection by gas pipeline or the construction of a liquid natural gas terminal.

To date the Commission has received no details of the project.

(2001/C 72 E/189)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1930/00

by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 June 2000)

Subject: Equal Initiative in the Netherlands

It is clear from a letter of 30 September 1999, from the then Netherlands Minister for Social Affairs and
Employment to the Netherlands Government, that the Netherlands Government is planning to allocate the
funds which the Netherlands is hoping to obtain from the Equal Initiative primarily to projects on behalf
of asylum-seekers.

Can the Commission guarantee that the Netherlands will participate in all the pillars of the Equal

1.
Programme in a financially balanced way?

How does the Commission propose to safeguard the cross-border aspect between Member States in

2.
the case of projects for asylum-seekers?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(26 July 2000)

1. When dealing with projects under the Community Initiative Programme (CIP), the Commission will
verify that the proposed measures and the associated budgets have a direct bearing on the scope and
specific problems of the labour market in each Member State.

The Community Initiative EQUAL is based on a thematic approach in the context of the four pillars of the
European strategy for employment (eight themes) and on education and training measures in favour of
asylum seekers.

Under no circumstances, and despite the relatively large number of asylum seekers in the Netherlands, will
the measures and financial resources earmarked for this target group adversely affect the eight themes of
the pillars of
the European strategy for employment. The five-month negotiation period with the
Commission will make it possible to prepare a single EQUAL planning document.

C 72 E/152

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.3.2001

The EQUAL programme does not in any way call into question the national provisions applicable to
2.
asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are required to conform with the rules and specific legislation in force in
the different Member States in all circumstances.

Transnational cooperation in the context of EQUAL takes on several forms and is not confined to the
physical mobility of the final beneficiaries. Experience with ADAPT and EMPLOI has shown that different
types of transnational actions can be developed (cid:129) including the simple exchange of experience and
information; the development of innovative approaches in parallel; the adoption or transfer of new
methodologies;
joint developments with sharing of tasks, and, finally, the exchange of trainees and
management personnel.

(2001/C 72 E/190)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1939/00

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 June 2000)

Subject: Budget Item A-3021

(cid:145)Organisations advancing the idea of Europe(cid:146) are allocated € 1 800 000 from Item A-3021. Could the
Commission indicate which organisations receive this money and the projects in which they are involved?

To whom are these organisations accountable, and what systems are in place to monitor this use of
Community funds?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(18 July 2000)

The grants awarded under budget line A-3021 are published every year in the annual
(cid:145)Report on
Beneficiaries of Part A Commission Grants(cid:146) which the Commission sends to Parliament and which is also
published on Europa, the Commission(cid:146)s server at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/sgc/info_subv/beneficiaries_en.htm.

In fact, 14 of the organisations receiving a grant in 1999 were earmarked by Parliament in the remarks to
the Budget rather than selected by the Commission, amounting to 85 % of the total appropriations on the
line.

Organisations receiving a grant under budget line A-3021, like all organisations receiving a grant from the
Commission, are required to submit both an activity and a financial report on the use of their grant. This
has to be approved by the Commission before the final instalment is paid. Organisations are also subject to
on-the-spot inspections by the Commission and are liable to auditing by the Court of auditors.

(2001/C 72 E/191)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1940/00

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Budget items relating to culture

(16 June 2000)

Could the Commission indicate the structure and aims of the (cid:145)Our Europe(cid:146) Association, which receives
Community funding from Item A-3020?

Why was this organisation in particular chosen for a European grant?