WRITTEN QUESTION E-0293/01 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Commission. Interreg III Community initiative.
Date: 2001-02-09
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Canary Islands, EU initiative, EU regional policy, Structural Funds, cross-border cooperation, peripheral region

18.9.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 261 E/79

(2001/C 261 E/081)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0293/01

by Isidoro SÆnchez Garc(cid:237)a (ELDR) to the Commission

(9 February 2001)

Subject: Interreg III Community initiative

One of the amendments adopted by the European Parliament to the DecourriŁre report on Interreg III
refers to the inclusion of the outermost regions in Interreg strand IIIA.

Despite being one of a number of modifications to which the Commission agreed, this amendment has not
been incorporated into the final revised version of the Commission communication. This situation is
causing problems for some governments in outermost regions seeking to submit cross-border projects (cid:129)
the project involving the Canary Islands and their neighbouring regions in Africa being a case in point.

Will the Commission give its reasons for not reflecting all of Parliament(cid:146)s amendments in its final
communication and, where appropriate, state what action it intends to take on the proposals submitted
by regional authorities in outermost regions for cross-border projects included in Interreg IIIA?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(5 April 2001)

Pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on
the Structural Funds (1) and the conclusions of the Berlin European Council, the Commission paid close
attention to the outermost regions in its communication laying down guidelines for the Interreg III
Community Initiative (2).

These regions were recognised as a specific priority under strand B (cid:145)transnational cooperation(cid:146) and their
participation in the process of selecting operations under strand C (cid:145)interregional cooperation(cid:146) is a priority.

The Commission was, however, unable to accept the request in Parliament(cid:146)s DecourriŁre report that these
areas should also be considered eligible under strand A (cid:145)cross-border cooperation(cid:146) of Interreg III. This
strand concerns cooperation between neighbouring areas on land borders and certain maritime regions.
Extending eligibility for strand A to the outermost regions would have also increased the number of
coastal continental areas, and therefore the population eligible under this strand, so diluting the content
specifically related to cross-border cooperation and reducing the required concentration of Community
financial resources.

During the 2000-2006 programming period, the Canary Islands are eligible under strand C of Interreg III
as well as for three programmes under strand B,
(cid:145)South-west Europe(cid:146) and
(cid:145)Atlantic area(cid:146). The budgets for these three programmes are about € 145 million, € 66 million and € 119
million respectively.

(cid:145)Canaries-Azores-Madeira(cid:146),

In its communication, the Commission also stated that, under strand B, cooperation programmes involving
the outermost regions will promote better economic integration and cooperation among these regions and
between them and other Member States and improve linkages and cooperation with neighbouring
including North-west Africa. In this specific context, bilateral and cross-border cooperation
countries,
similar to that under strand A of Interreg III remain possible.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
(2) OJ C 143, 23.5.2000.