WRITTEN QUESTION E-0610/01 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission. Role of EU local and regional authorities in promoting self-government in developing countries.
Date: 2001-03-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Union, administrative autonomy, administrative cooperation, decentralisation, developing countries, local authority, regional authority

C 350 E/24

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.12.2001

(2001/C 350 E/023)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0610/01

by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission

(1 March 2001)

Subject: Role of EU local and regional authorities in promoting self-government in developing countries

How does the European Commission view the role of EU Member State local and regional authorities and
their representative bodies in promoting the concept and practice of local self-government in development
countries?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2001)

responsibilities and funds to (elected)

The Community increasingly recognises the critical importance of providing effective support to the new
wave of decentralisation processes in developing countries. A genuine decentralisation -involving the
effective transfer of power,
local governments- holds great
development potential. Local governments could play a useful role as a nexus between central government
and local communities. They could offer a domestic framework for democratic interaction, joint planning
of local development priorities, improved accountability and sustainability of development actions. They
have a key role to play in creating an (cid:145)enabling environment(cid:146) for local (economic) development and related
fight against poverty. They can help to promote new partnerships between public and private actors on
the basis of their respective comparative advantages.

However, it should be clear that decentralisation is a complex and fragile process. The emerging local
governments are likely to be confronted with major problems of legitimacy, political and administrative
culture, funding and capacity. If sustainable human development is to be ensured in both rural and urban
areas, and if the decentralisation processes are to succeed, it is essential that local governments and their
institutions are given the opportunity to develop appropriate capacities and to raise sufficient resources to
meet the increasing demands on them. Against this background, the Community is keen to strengthen the
partnership with Community local and regional authorities (and their representative bodies) as they can
provide a useful, complementary contribution to the emergence of viable local governance systems in
developing countries.

Their potential added-value and comparative advantage in terms of roles is threefold. First, Community
local and regional authorities are well-placed to provide targeted forms of capacity building to local
governments and national associations, amongst others through innovative modalities of municipal
international co-operation.

Second, Community local and regional authorities could provide different forms of support to local
(economic) development processes (as opposed to traditional projects), based on new public-private
partnership between a wide variety of local actors (local governments, private sector, civil society). Local
governments have a critical role to play in building these local development coalitions in the pursuit of
common goals. Yet this is a fairly new task for local governments. Their northern partners can help them
in close collaboration with other development
to become an effective catalyst for local development,
players.

Third, Community local and regional authorities have an important advocacy role to play in promoting
a stronger partnership between the Community and local governments (in North and South) and in
helping to shape new policies and instruments in support of decentralisation processes and local
governments.

Over the last years, the Community has sought to improve and deepen its collaboration with Community
local and regional authorities, with the respect for the principles of local ownership and subsidiarity.
Innovative initiatives have been supported through the decentralised co-operation budget
line. The
Community has developed a new policy framework for decentralised co-operation (1999), which
recognises the priority of promoting local governance and effective local governments. Also in 1999,
a first structured dialogue has taken place between the Community and local government representatives

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 350 E/25

from Africa and the Community. Building on this, the Community will seek to elaborate a communication
on ways and means to develop stronger partnership with local governments, including a comprehensive
policy framework, adapted (financial) instruments and clarity on the appropriate role division between
local government actors in developing countries and the Community. In this regard, the Community has
systematically stressed the need for Community local and regional authorities to also adjust their policies,
roles, interventions, strategies, and capacities. Such adjustment is required if Community local and regional
authorities are to provide effective forms of support that do not substitute for roles and responsibilities
that local governments in developing countries should play.

(2001/C 350 E/024)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0637/01

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 March 2001)

Subject: EU funding to Yasser Arafat

Could the Commission please confirm whether any EU funding has been passed directly to Yasser

1.
Arafat in cash?

If so, could the Commission confirm:

(cid:129) what sums have been so paid;

(cid:129) how much has been paid;

(cid:129) what dates such payments were made;

(cid:129) whether it is planned to continue to make payments in this way;

(cid:129) from what budget line these payments came;

(cid:129) what the specified purposes of the budget line in question were;

(cid:129) what precautions the Commision is taking to ensure that the funds are used for the specified purposes;

(cid:129) whether payments in cash breach any rules, laws, regulations or principles of good management?

Specifically, could the Commission confirm whether a decision has been taken to pay Mr Arafat

2.
between € 20 and € 30 million per month for as long as the emergency in the Middle East lasts?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2001)

The Commission has never funded either President Arafat or the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
directly. The beneficiary of all Community assistance to the Palestinian territories is the Palestinian
Authority through the Ministries of Finance and International Co-operation.

In September 1997, the General Affairs Council requested the Commission to create a rolling fund for the
Palestinian Authority to help cope with the budgetary impact of any freeze of monthly transfers of
Palestinian tax receipts (VAT and customs duties) by the Israeli government. Israel is under an obligation to
make these transfers under Article VI of the 1994 Israeli-Palestinian Protocol on Economic Relations (the
Paris Protocol). A fund of € 25 million was established in January 1998, under budget line 47-100
(MEDA). The conditions and functioning of the instrument are set out in a Financing Agreement between
the Commission and the Ministry of Finance of the Palestinian Authority. Furthermore, the release of funds
is subject to conditions aimed at ensuring the correct use of the funds, including the consolidation of
expenditure and revenue, the control of current expenditure and the adoption of a balanced budget.
Compliance with these conditions is monitored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Monies drawn
from the fund are reimbursable, once Israel resumes its transfers.