WRITTEN QUESTION E-4128/00 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Registration of ESF projects.
Date: 2001-01-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Social Fund, administrative structures, competence of the Member States, dissemination of EU information, management, non-commercial sector, region-EU relationship

C 318 E/22

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.11.2001

Over the last ten years, the Community research and technological development (RTD) programmes have
been allocating increasing research funding to fuel cells and hydrogen technologies for transport. There has
been a significant increase in RTD funding for fuel cells and hydrogen technologies, from some € 7,5
million per year in the Fourth framework programme to € 18 million per year in the Fifth (of which € 2-3
million is for hydrogen technologies). Different processes and primary energy sources (fuel pathways) are
being investigated for hydrogen production. Effort is directed at achieving substantial cost reductions.
Progress is being made in the area of harmonised standards, regulations and safety of hydrogen vehicles. In
addition, the Community has started discussions with key stakeholders on new transport fuels including
hydrogen, as a result of the Green Paper on security of energy supply (1), and in the forthcoming White
Paper on the common transport policy and the Communication on clean urban transport. A call for a study
on renewable fuels in transport is in preparation, including hydrogen generated from renewable energy.

The Community is also exploring the possibility of setting up an Community Fuel Cell and Hydrogen RTD
Advisory Group. This would assist the Community to make RTD in Europe more coherent and effective in
the context of a European Research Area. This would help to foster the development of the hydrogen and
fuel cell vehicle and components industries and supply chains and to promote harmonised standards and
regulations covering systems integration and safety, hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, and vehicle/fuelling
interfaces.

The Commission is currently preparing to launch a call for a study on renewable fuels in transport. This
study will look at hydrogen generated from renewable energy as one of the options investigated.

(1) COM(2000) 769 final.

(2001/C 318 E/023)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4128/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(11 January 2001)

Subject: Registration of ESF projects

At the beginning of next year a new registration system for ESF projects will be coming into force.
Applications for subsidies will automatically be treated as public contracts.

According to those working in this field, the practical implementation of ESF policy often conflicts with
the Commission(cid:146)s overly dirigiste approach. Regions and Member States find they have little room for
mapping out an autonomous ESF policy. There are evidently arguments over the registration of projects.
A structural solution to the distribution of tasks between Member States (or regions) and the Commission
is the only real answer. And at the moment local ESF promoters do not have a contact point at the
Commission, despite the fact that they are subject to Commission scrutiny.

1. What criteria will the Commission be using from 1 January 2001 for the registration of ESF projects?

2. What scope will Member States and regions be receiving for recognising local ESF promoters?

3. Will
applications for ESF subsidies?

the Commission recognise what are known as social profit organisations if

they submit

Is the Commission considering setting up a contact point for local ESF promoters? If not, how will

4.
the Commission be aiming to strike a balance between scrutiny and the right to information?

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/23

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(9 March 2001)

says

in article 8.3 that,

Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999, laying down general provisions on the
1.
Structural Funds (1)
the
implementation of assistance shall be the responsibility of the Member States, at the appropriate territorial
level according to the arrangements specific to each Member State, and without prejudice to the powers
vested in the Commission, notably for implementing the general budget of the European Communities(cid:146).
This means that, while the Commission adopts the strategies and the priorities that are to govern the
programming and the implementing of arrangements,
the Member States are responsible for the
implementation and monitoring of the assistance.

(cid:145)in application of

the principle of

subsidiarity,

In the case of Flanders, for example, one of the five areas in Belgium where an Objective 3 programme
will be implemented during the 2000-2006 period, the authorities have decided to use a competitive
tendering system to select European Social Fund (ESF) projects. During the negotiation of the Single
Programming Document (SPD) for Flanders, the Commission gave its agreement to this procedure. It is
therefore the responsibility of the Flemish authorities to implement this tender and to arrive at a list of ESF
projects. The Commission does not interfere with this process and consequently is not responsible for the
criteria used for the registration of these ESF projects.

2.
It is clear from the above that the Member States and the regions have maximum scope for involving
local ESF promoters. In addition, the Commission implemented last year a consultative and awareness-
raising campaign entitled (cid:145)Acting Locally for Employment(cid:146). Its purpose was to better involve local and
regional players in the European Employment Strategy (EES) that the ESF supports.

3.
Article 3(d) of Regulation (EC) No 1784/1999 of the Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 1999,
on the European Social Fund (2) includes among activities eligible for support from the European Social
Fund the (cid:145)development of new sources of employment, including in the social economy (Third System)(cid:146). In
addition, Article 4(2) stipulates the following: (cid:145)The programming of Fund interventions shall provide that
a reasonable amount of the Fund appropriations made available for the intervention within Objectives 1
and 3 shall be available, in conformity with Article 27 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, in the form of
small grants, with special arrangements
for access by non-governmental organisations and local
partnerships. Member States may choose to implement this paragraph in accordance with financing
arrangements set out in Article 29(6) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999(cid:146).

The texts adopted at European level thus allow for ESF support to social profit organisations but from
point 1 it is also clear that it is not for the Commission to decide whether to admit social profit
organisations when they apply for ESF funds. However, from the policy point of view, it is important to
note that, through the SPD for Flanders, the Commission agreed that the Flemish Social Profit Action Plan
will be reinforced via the ESF.

4. Member States shall co-operate with the Commission to ensure that Community funds are used in
accordance with the principles of sound financial management: the managing authority (as defined in
Article 9(n) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999) shall be responsible, inter alia, for the efficiency
and correctness of management and implementation, and in particular for ensuring the correctness of
operations financed under the assistance. Financial resources for technical assistance are put at the disposal
of the Member States for monitoring, managing and controlling ESF operations.

The Commission is responsible for the implementation of the general budget of the Communities and has
therefore the obligation to control the operations co-financed by the Structural Funds. The results of these
controls are always communicated to the national authorities and individual promoters have the possibility
to convey their remarks, via the managing authority, to the Commission.

Information is made available to them via different channels

The Commission does not however limit its interventions to controlling local promoters. It also informs
them.
including information and
communication technologies (ICT) (web site, electronic information bulletin), and publications. Indirect
transmission is ensured by information multipliers like Representations in Members States, and for specific
information on ESF by information officers who belong to a co-ordinating network established as
a subgroup of the ESF Committee.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
(2) OJ L 213, 13.8.1999.