WRITTEN QUESTION E-3590/00 by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission. Health expenditure in Cuba.
Date: 2000-11-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cuba, EU aid, health aid

C 174 E/84

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

Reply

(8 March 2001)

The United Kingdom authorities have not referred the matter of the submarine docked in Gibraltar to the
Council, which cannot therefore reply to these questions.

(2001/C 174 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3588/00

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: Budgetary contributions of Member States

It is noted with regret that the Commission, when asked in Written Question E-2025/00 (1) to indicate the
net contributions of each of the Member States for the last financial year, did not list the net contributions
as requested, but instead referred to a website which was only available in French and did not, in any case,
provide the required information; furthermore, the Commission stated that (cid:145)despite the availability of
estimates of budgetary balances by Member State, it is to be noted that there exists no optional way to
measure net contributions.(cid:146)

Could the Commission explain the above statement, and, in particular, identify what other ways it believes
exist of calculating net contributions other than subtracting the amounts received from the European
institutions from the amounts paid in to those same institutions, and could the Commission, in any event,
list in the answer to this question without reference to any website (useful though websites may be as
additional sources of information) the financial contributions and receipts of each of the European Union(cid:146)s
Member States for the last two financial years for which figures are currently available?

(1) OJ C 72 E, 6.3.2001, p. 170.

Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(10 January 2001)

The Commission is sending to the Honourable Member and to the Secretariat General of the Parliament
the report on the allocation of 1999 Community operating expenditure by Member State. The Honourable
Member will see this is in English.

The Commission has explored the issues related to the definition of budgetary or net balances in its report
on the operation of the own resources system, in particular in annex 3 on the concept and measurement
of the budgetary balance. The statistical annex of this report also provides data on budgetary balances
according to different definitions. This report and its annex is also sent direct to the Honourable Member
and to the Parliament(cid:146)s secretariat.

(2001/C 174 E/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3590/00

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: Health expenditure in Cuba

Would the Commission give a detailed financial breakdown, including historic figures, on support to the
Cuban health sector?

Would the Commission be specific about the nature of that support, for example, did it include funding
for infrastructure?

19.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174 E/85

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(16 January 2001)

Community support to the Cuban health sector can be seen in the detailed breakdown of the European
Communities humanitarian office (ECHO) assistance to Cuba in the last seven years. More specifically, the
sixth global plan consisted of the following elements: food, € 1 253 564; medicine, € 1 047 506; primary
products for medicine, € 908 628; hygiene equipment, € 374 275; small medicine instruments, € 759 115;
textiles, € 431 201; stomatology products, € 448 755; and others (Admin., contingencies, (cid:133)), € 1 766 956.
As concerns funding for infrastructure, ECHO funding was used, in a limited number of cases, to finance
micro-projects aimed at refurbishing hospitals in a very bad shape or to purchase small equipment.

Global Plan

Ophthalmic Neuropathy

Infectious diseases

Medical aid against asthma

Products for hospitals

Flooding

Breakdown of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba, from 1993 to 1999

(In euro)

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

9 994 500

15 000 000

8 000 000

8 000 000

7 000 000

7 000 000

5 500 000

495 000

480 000

500 000

330 000

Hurricane/cyclone relief

500 000

350 000

600 000

350 000

500 000

Raw materials for drugs/hygiene

3 510 000

Micro-projects

Rehabilitation of hospitals and
supply of humanitarian products

Disaster prevention

2 000 000

2 000 000

2 000 000

2 000 000

350 000

410 000

Source: Evaluation of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba, May 2000.

Total

7 805 000

13 854 500

15 000 000

8 600 000

10 350 000

9 850 000

11 410 000

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) co-financing budget line (B7 6000) has also been used to
support the Cuban health sector. In 1999, three NGO co-financed projects in the health sector came to
€ 1 567 712.

In addition, a programme of support to the economic reforms under B7-3110, currently under discussion,
contains provision of € 1 130 000 as assistance for the Ministry of Health/the Ministry of Public Finance
for the improvement of the use of resources in the health sector. The support will mainly be in the form
of technical assistance.

(2001/C 174 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3592/00

by Gordon Adam (PSE) to the Commission

(22 November 2000)

Subject: Hydrocarbons research

In the light of current widespread public concern within the European Union regarding the availability and
price of petroleum products:

(a) Has the Commission reassessed the relative priorities given to hydrocarbon research?