WRITTEN QUESTION P-1177/01 by Sérgio Marques (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Financial aid to Venezuela.
Date: 2001-04-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Venezuela, aid to disaster victims, economic reconstruction, emergency aid, environmental risk prevention, flood, humanitarian aid, the EU's international role

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/189

including on the
The Council strongly supports the full
important and delicate aspects referred to by the Honourable Member. It also applauds the efforts deployed
by UNMIK and KFOR as well as the success they achieved in combating criminality and the illegal
trafficking of arms.

implementation of UNSC Resolution 1244,

(2001/C 340 E/218)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1177/01

by SØrgio Marques (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 April 2001)

Subject: Financial aid to Venezuela

On 20 January 2000, the European Parliament adopted a resolution, voicing EU solidarity with, and
support for, the Venezuelan people in the wake of the appalling flooding of December 1999. Even before
the resolution was adopted, the Commission had made € 3,6 million available in emergency aid via ECHO,
a sum later increased by € 3,5 million once the exceptional importance of this aid had become apparent,
in terms of the sheer needs of those affected by the immediate impact of the disaster. The speed and
efficiency with which this aid was dispatched merits all due acknowledgement and praise.

An ad hoc EP delegation, of which I was a member, travelled to the worst-hit areas in February 2000, and
we saw with our own eyes not only the vast scale of the disaster, but also just how important the EU aid
was, both in terms of providing humanitarian aid to those affected, and of the work of reconstruction in
the areas hit. Following the delegation(cid:146)s visit, Parliament adopted a resolution on the reconstruction and
rehabilitation of the areas affected by the floods, proposing that € 100 million worth of aid be allocated for
this purpose.

In the wake of this resolution, the European Union made available some € 60 million to help the task of
reconstruction in the areas hit by the floods and for disaster-prevention measures, the money being found
under various budgetary headings (Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Measures for the countries of Latin
America; Technical and Financial Cooperation with Developing Countries in Latin America).

In the meantime, more than one Commission delegation has travelled to Venezuela to sound out the
relevant authorities as to the project(cid:146)s to be funded in the areas deemed to be priorities.

Can the Commission answer the following:

(cid:129) Why has not one single euro been spent in support of reconstruction work and disaster-prevention,

over fifteen months after the VARGS disaster?

(cid:129) When will the aid finally begin, what are the areas deemed to constitute priorities, and what projects

are to be funded?

(cid:129) How has the coordination of international aid been implemented?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(17 May 2001)

Immediately following the floods in Venezuela, the Commission mobilised emergency aid, through its
humanitarian office, ECHO. Since the end of December 1999, the Commission has approved four
Decisions for a total amount of € 7,15 million, including 20 humanitarian operations (1). All humanitarian
operations have already been completed, except one that is about to conclude in May 2001.

The Commission decided in September 2000 (2)
to assist reconstruction in the area and envisages
allocating a total of € 30 million to Venezuela(cid:146)s reconstruction effort. € 20 million will be committed
during 2001, and € 10 million during 2002.

C 340 E/190

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

The Commission plans to take action on two fronts:

(cid:129) reconstruction aid to the state of Vargas, € 10 million. It will essentially focus on social issues (health,

drinking water, housing and education);

(cid:129) risk prevention. A package of € 20 million for the definition and implementation of natural risk
management programmes over a large area adjacent to the region affected by the 1999 floods,
encompassing the states of Falcon, Miranda and Yaracuy. These initiatives will include a detailed risk
map, the implementation of early warning systems, the production of land use plans, support for the
application of the necessary legislation, as well as the construction of flood-control and other risk-
prevention structures.

The Commission has already done an expert mission to identify specific projects. It is presently evaluating
these findings and will shortly launch the list of projects.

The Parliament secured an extra budget of € 25 million for 2001 for which projects will be identified this
year.

ECHO(cid:146)s technical assistant based in Lima was provisionally transferred to Caracas on 21 December 1999
in order to assess the emergency operation and co-ordinate the first humanitarian actions. During the
emergency phase, the Commission Delegation and ECHOs technical assistant actively participated in
various co-ordination meetings, although the Venezuelan government did not set up any formal co-
ordination forum.

this moment,

At
Development Programme UNDP) to study the possibility of co-ordinating projects.

the Commission is having contacts with other donors (such as United Nations

(1) ECHO/VEN/210/1999/01000, € 400 000, 23.12.1999. ECHO/VEN/210/2000/01000, € 3 200 000, 30.12.1999.
ECHO/VEN/210/2000/02000, € 2 000 000, 7.2.2000. ECHO/VEN/210/2000/03000, € 1 550 000, 28.7.2000.

(2) SEC(2000) 1571 final.

(2001/C 340 E/219)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1181/01

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(19 April 2001)

Subject: The Single European Authorisation Project

The Single European Authorisation project is a pilot project currently being run by UK Customs and its
partners on the continent. The aim of this project is to enable a trader to make all customs declarations
from one country.

However, there is, as yet, no common implementation plan, and this has resulted in each country in the
EU negotiating separate agreements with its partners and thus creating multiple standards across Europe.

What plans has the Commission to encourage/implement a greater degree of cooperation and coordination
in this project.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(7 June 2001)

The Commission is very conscious of traders(cid:146) desire for simplification and harmonization, and in particular
of their desire, where they have operations in more than one Member State (and a central place of main
accounting) to be able to deal with just one customs administration for customs matters, instead of up to
15 (single authorizations).

Single authorizations are in the logic of the internal market and the Commission supports them. It is
indeed already several years since the Commission first made proposals in this area. Indeed, the rules on
end-use and customs procedures with economic impact already make explicit reference to single
authorizations.