WRITTEN QUESTION E-2598/00 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Community funding of the fisheries sector in Portugal.
Date: 2000-08-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, Portugal, fishing industry

C 103 E/194

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.4.2001

The Commission is currently preparing a proposal to the Parliament and the Council for a review of the
bathing water Directive. Information of the public about bathing water quality will be one of the main
pillars of this proposal.

(1) OJ L 31, 5.2.1976.
(2) http://europa.eu.int/water/water-bathing/report.html.

(2001/C 103 E/222)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2598/00

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 August 2000)

Subject: Community funding of the fisheries sector in Portugal

Bearing in mind:

(cid:129) the reply to Written Question E-1525/00 (1);

(cid:129) the hearing organised by the Court of Auditors on the Propesca Programme in Portugal and the
implementation of the PESCA initiative which, according to reliable sources, came to the conclusion
that the EU withdrew more than ESC 3,5 billion from Portugal owing to delays in the assessment of
applications and allocation of funding; and

(cid:129) the importance of the fisheries sector for Portugal;

Can the Commission say:

1. What, in the Commission(cid:146)s view, are the reasons for the low level of implementation of the PESCA
initiative and of programmes financed under the FIFG in general and those for Portugal in particular?

2. What measures did the Commission take during the period 1994-1999, and what action will it take in
future, in order to guarantee the correct implementation of funding under the PESCA initiative and the
FIFG in the previous financial period, particularly with regard to Portugal?

3. What consequences will this low level of implementation have with regard to discussions on the

allocation of FIFG funding for the new financial period?

(1) OJ C 89 E, 20.3.2001, p. 49.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(12 September 2000)

1.
The main reasons (cid:129) including with regard to Portugal (cid:129) for the delays and low implementation
rates in respect of the Pesca Community Initiative (CI) and the operational programmes (OPs) funded under
the financial
instrument for fisheries guidance (FIFG) are the late publication of national framework
legislation, the restructuring of the relevant administrative departments (Directorate-General for Fisheries
and Aquaculture), and the shortage of human resources for managing and monitoring operational
assistance at national level.

2.
During Community support framework (CSF) II, the Commission adopted a number of measures
designed to ensure that Pesca CI and FIFG appropriations were applied correctly in the various
Member States. With regard to Portugal, inter alia during the implementation phase a number of warnings
were issued at Monitoring Committee level and letters were sent pointing out to the national authorities
that the accumulated arrears needed to be made up. In response, from the second quarter of 1998
onwards the situation returned to normal.

3.
The national authorities(cid:146) effort to make up the arrears meant that it was possible for the entire FIFG
budget available to be committed at the end of CSF II(cid:146)s term and for the objectives to be achieved
satisfactorily. Discussion of the FIFG appropriation for CSF III (2000-06), inter alia as regards Portugal, was
therefore not adversely affected.