WRITTEN QUESTION E-2352/00 by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission. EDF funding for the island of St Maarten.
Date: 2000-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing arrangements, European Development Fund, Netherlands Antilles, cyclone

3.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 103 E/129

Implementation of the resolution of 8 July 1991 already included broad identification of mutual
3.
assistance capacity in the Member States. More detailed identification of teams available to lend such
assistance, and a training programme to teach those teams how to work together and complement one
another, will be one of the two keystones of the forthcoming proposal.

4.
The forthcoming proposal will reinforce the provisions of the resolution of 8 July 1991, in respect of
which it will represent a qualitative leap forward. The question of the environmental effects of disasters is
an integral part of all the Commission(cid:146)s civil protection work. However, civil protection does not extend to
rectifying environmental effects once the emergency situation management period has come to an end.

5.
The forthcoming proposal should create an effective tool which the Member States and the
Commission will be able to use for interventions within the Community. The tool will also be available
to the Commission for interventions outside the Community.

The political commitment of the Member States to use the proposed system is the main precondition

6.
for its working properly. Such commitment will need to be formally confirmed at ministerial level.

(2001/C 103 E/143)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2352/00

by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission

(13 July 2000)

Subject: EDF funding for the island of St Maarten

The European Development Fund VIII has budgeted substantial funding for the Dutch Antilles, there are
still sums left over from EDF VI and VII and soon new resources will be committed under EDF IX.

The island of St Maarten has in the recent past been hit by devastating hurricanes and therefore urgently
needs to rebuild urban infrastructure. After the last hurricane in November 1999 the Commission did not
plan to send any humanitarian aid because the island can benefit from funding under the EDF budget. It
would appear that the local authorities in St Maarten regularly submit projects eligible for EDF funding to
the National Authorising Officer of the Dutch Antilles.

In view of the above, can the Commission:

(cid:129) confirm whether the above statements are true;

(cid:129) specify the precise amount of EDF funding allocated to the Dutch Antilles and how much has not yet

been used;

(cid:129) say why the whole amount of the EDF funding allocated for the Dutch Antilles has not been

committed;

(cid:129) ascertain whether the EDF mechanism is failing to function properly in St Maarten and whether this is

due to factors outside the Commission(cid:146)s control;

(cid:129) if so, take steps to remove the obstacles which are delaying or preventing the use of the funding

allocated?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(26 September 2000)

Following the hurricane in November 1999, an expert went to St Maarten and concluded that it did
not need urgent assistance in the form of humanitarian aid as normally provided by the Commission.

C 103 E/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.4.2001

The Commission suggested that since aid was required to repair structural damage, funds from the
European Development Fund (EDF) should be used, as in 1998. St Maarten may have submitted projects
to the National Authorising Officer regularly, but the Commission is only aware of those which it receives.

The EDF funding allocated to the Netherlands Antilles amounts to € 20 925 million under the sixth EDF,
74 % of which is at the primary commitment stage, € 23,8 million under the seventh EDF, 79 % of which
is at the primary commitment stage, and € 26 625 million under the eighth EDF, of which 0,6 % has been
committed so far. St Maarten(cid:146)s capacity to absorb aid and the time required to complete feasibility studies
are the reasons for this rate of commitment, which is not substantially different from that in other partner
countries.

For each EDF the parties sign a territorial indicative programme and define projects. The Commission
cooperates with the Netherlands Antilles as a single entity rather than individual islands.

The partnerships, framework of cooperation and role of each of the parties under the Decision on
association are clearly defined and the Commission is doing everything within its power to speed up its
commitments. There is no indication of any specific default in this respect.

(2001/C 103 E/144)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2353/00

by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN) and Sergio Berlato (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Reducing the running costs of farms

(13 July 2000)

Can the Commission say whether it intends to promote the introduction of a regulation allowing the early
payment of aid and income support due under the terms of Regulation (EEC) 1765/92 (1) and Regulation
(EEC) 2078/92 (2) (now incorporated in Regulation (EC) 1775/1999 (3), issued following the Agenda 2000
reform) as is already the case for Regulation (EEC) 2080/92 (4), Regulation (EEC) 565/80 (5) and Regulation
(EEC) 3665/87 (6)?

This would achieve the aim of preventing the tension caused by the notorious incapability of the paying
authority (cid:129) the Italian State intervention agency (cid:129) to respect the deadlines laid down and would help to
reduce costs for farms which are obliged to obtain bank advances for these sums.

(1) OJ L 181, 1.7.1992, p. 12.
(2) OJ L 215, 30.7.1992, p. 85.
(3) OJ L 212, 12.8.1999, p. 9.
(4) OJ L 215, 30.7.1992, p. 96.
(5) OJ L 62, 7.3.1980, p. 5.
(6) OJ L 351, 14.12.1987, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(11 September 2000)

The Commission is aware that prompt payment of aid and premiums to beneficiaries is a key element in
the effectiveness of the common agricultural policy (CAP).

Council Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92 of 30 June 1992 establishing a support system for producers of
certain arable crops laid down time limits for payment of aid for arable crops by the Member States(cid:146)
paying agencies. The new Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999 of 17 May 1999 establish-
ing a support system for producers of certain arable crops) (1), which applies from the financial year 2000,
also lays down time limits for payment of the aid. Early payment of this aid to recipients would require the