WRITTEN QUESTION E-3857/00 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Council. Enlargement and regional policy: European territorial strategy (ETS).
Date: 2000-12-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU regional policy, accession negotiations, coastal region, less-favoured region, peripheral region

C 174 E/168

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

considerably the number of disadvantaged regions; draws attention to the risk of uneven growth in the
various regions of the applicant countries in the wake of both certain applicant states(cid:146) internal policies and
the effects of the market and of investment by the Member States and, therefore, calls on the Commission
to revise the criteria governing the award of structural aid with the aim of ensuring that both the applicant
countries and the current Member States receive appropriate support for their disadvantaged regions; calls
on the European Union to retain the cohesion criteria as they apply to the EU 15, regardless of any
statistical changes in average income in the EU brought about by the enlargement.

Can the Council say to what extent it is taking this request into account in the accession procedure and its
negotiations with the Luxembourg Group, particularly in the context of Chapter 21? Can the Council say
what impact enlargement will have on the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the outer maritime
regions under Objective 1 in the present EU 15?

What strategies,
instruments and mechanisms does it consider appropriate and necessary to continue
promoting the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the Objective 1 peripheral maritime regions
after the accession of countries with regions less developed than the current Objective 1 regions, which
will tend to increase considerably the peripheral status of these regions and mean that they will cease,
statistically although not actually, to fall into this category?

(1)

(cid:145)Texts adopted(cid:146) of 4 October 2000, p. 1.

(2001/C 174 E/176)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3857/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Council

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Enlargement and regional policy: European territorial strategy (ETS)

After two years of negotiations with the applicant countries in the Luxembourg Group (Poland, Hungary,
the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus) talks started last April on the application of the acquis
of the structural funds (Chapter 21 of the negotiations) with the six countries in that group. In this context
the European Parliament adopted a resolution in October this year (R5-0417/2000 (1) of 4 October 2000)
on the enlargement of the European Union, setting out the EP(cid:146)s requests with regard to the accession
procedure and the negotiations being held on the subject.

Could the Council indicate the approximate timetable for the debate on Chapter 21, the stage reached in
the negotiations and the progress made so far? Can it say roughly when it envisages starting the debate on
Chapter 21 with the applicant countries in the Helsinki Group (Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Bulgaria and Malta) in the context of the accession negotiations which began on 28 March this year?

In paragraph 109 of the EP(cid:146)s resolution on the enlargement of the EU Parliament considers (cid:145)that the
European Spatial Development Perspective must be taken into account during the enlargement process, in
a manner consistent with the subsidiarity principle, and tied clearly to regional policy, with a view to the
reform of the Structural Funds in 2006, in order to provide an adequate response to the development
needs of the enlarged Union, and calls on the Commission, in this connection, to analyse the impact of the
enlargements on employment, cohesion and economic migration with a view to taking prompt measures
to prevent the emergence of regional imbalances;(cid:146).

Can the Council say to what extent it is taking this request into account in the accession procedure and its
negotiations with the Luxembourg Group in the context of Chapter 21, particularly as regards the ETS?

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174 E/169

How will the ETS promote the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the outer maritime regions
currently under Objective 1 by combating the increase in the peripheral nature of these regions which
enlargement will entail?

(1)

(cid:145)Texts adopted(cid:146) of 4 October 2000, p. 1.

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3855/00 and E-3857/00

(8 March 2001)

With regard to the accession negotiations with Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic and
Slovenia on Regional Policy, it has not yet been possible for the Union to take a position on a number of
substantive issues, in particular regarding the Structural and Cohesion Funds. This is because the necessary
information, in particular in the form of Community figures, is not yet available to decide on questions
such as the eligibility of individual candidates for assistance from these Funds. As a result, such issues will
have to be examined at a later stage of the negotiations. Consequently, the (cid:145)road map(cid:146) for the accession
negotiations suggested by the Commission, and welcomed by the Council in its conclusions of 4 December
2000, provides for the Union to define, where appropriate, EU common positions on Regional Policy
during the first half of 2002, including on outstanding substantive issues, with a view to the provisional
closure of this chapter once the conditions are met.

As for Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria, with whom the Regional Policy chapter
has not yet been opened, it should be recalled that the Feira European Council considered that it should be
feasible to open negotiations in all areas of the acquis with the most advanced of these candidates as early
as possible in 2001. As a result, the Swedish Presidency intends to open the Regional Policy chapter with
Malta, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania.

As is the case for all the chapters of the acquis under negotiation, the accession negotiations are carried
out on the basis of the acquis in force. New acquis adopted before the conclusion of the negotiations will
be taken into account as appropriate. As a result, the Council is unable to take a position, at this stage, on
the other specific questions raised by the Honourable Parliamentarian. Nonetheless, it should be noted that
the Council is keenly aware of the problems for social and economic cohesion raised by extending EU
structural policies to new Member States, as has been underlined by the European Parliament.

(2001/C 174 E/177)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3864/00

by Ingo Friedrich (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 December 2000)

Subject:

(cid:145)Inforegio Panorama(cid:146) glossy magazine

(cid:145)Inforegio Panorama(cid:146)
Although it is printed on recycled paper, it is a very expensive production.

is a glossy monthly published by the Directorate-General

for Regional Policy.

What are the production costs per issue?

Are these production costs justified?

How much would a less elaborate format cost?