WRITTEN QUESTION E-3598/00 by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. EU Action Plan on Drugs.
Date: 2000-11-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European social policy, drug addiction

19.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174 E/87

from natural gas (which have lower CO2 and pollutant emissions than oil). This will particularly help
to reduce the dependence on oil in the transport sector. This Target Action also includes combustion
research aiming at a minimization of pollutant emissions and an optimisation of the efficiency.

(1) COM(2000) 769 final.

(2001/C 174 E/090)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3598/00

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: EU Action Plan on Drugs

Can the Commission say what steps it has taken, following adoption of the EU Action Plan on Drugs, to
tighten up its internal coordination on drugs and safeguard the transparency and cohesion of the many
budget headings allocated to drugs? Can it submit a table showing these various headings for 2000 and
2001? Can it confirm that it intends to carry out an external assessment of all its programmes on drugs, as
has just been done for the EMCDDA?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(18 January 2001)

Following the endorsement of the Union Action Plan on Drugs (2000-2004) at Feira in June 2000, the
Commission is analysing the impact of the Action Plan on its activities over the next five years, both in
terms of its priorities and the allocation of its resources. This analysis will also cover the issue of
coordination of drug related activities within the Commission.

A table summarising the drugs budget lines has been prepared and a copy is sent directly to the
Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

The Commission put great emphasis on evaluation in its Communication of May 1999 on an Union
Action Plan to Combat Drugs (2000-2004) (1), and regularly evaluates its programmes. For example, an
interim evaluation of the Community Action Programme on the Prevention of Drug Dependence was
carried out last year, and North-South Cooperation in the fight against drugs is being evaluated at the
moment. As stated in point 2.2.1 of the Action Plan, the Commission intends to organise appropriate
evaluations of the Drugs Strategy (2000-2004) at mid-term and on completion and to present them to the
Council and the Parliament.

(1) COM(1999) 239 final.

(2001/C 174 E/091)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3600/00

by Luciano Caveri (ELDR) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: The (cid:145)de minimis(cid:146) rule

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the objectives of the European funds allocated to education and
training are being thwarted by the inflexible rules to protect competition with which firms must comply if
they are to obtain such funding. The (cid:145)de minimis(cid:146) rule, which fixes a ceiling of € 100 000 over a three-year
period for every firm applying for such funds, reflects a narrow view of training as something that benefits
only the undertaking involved, disregards its beneficial effects on individual employees(cid:146) skills and the
community at large and seems to be at odds with the objectives of the European Social Fund in terms of
improving the employment market.