WRITTEN QUESTION E-0062/02 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council. The Spanish presidency's position on the budget forecasts and the implementation of the Structural Funds after 2006, when the new Member States have been fully incorporated.
Date: 2002-01-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, Presidency of the Council of the EU, Spain, Structural Funds, accession to the European Union, budget estimate, budget policy, implementation of the budget, multiannual financial framework

C 309 E/8

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

In the light of the above, the Commission is ready to evaluate any request aiming to allow other means of
disposal of category 1 material, like the ones indicated by the Honourable Member. The evaluation will be
carried out on the basis of the ‘Framework for the assessment of the risk from different options for the safe
disposal or use of meat and bone meal and other products which might be contaminated with
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy’s (TSE) and other materials’, which was adopted by the Scientific
Steering Committee on 28-29 June 2001 and is available on Internet.

At present, the Commission has not yet received such a request.

(2002/C 309 E/009)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3703/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(16 January 2002)

Subject: Research into renewable energy sources in the candidate countries

Ending dependency on nuclear power is a sensitive issue in some candidate countries and also in the CIS
States.

How is the Union helping to support research into renewable energy sources in Ukraine?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(27 February 2002)

The last EU-Ukraine summit identified renewable energy resources and energy efficiency as a priority for
future co-operation including over improving energy efficiency and conservation and enhancing the use of
renewable energy resources. There is a clear link between energy efficiency and renewables, both
contributing to the security of supply and to the improvement of environmental standards.

Through the TACIS Action Programmes 1991-2001 the Commission has financed 24 projects amounting
EUR 30,6 million in the area of energy efficiency. The first project to support the production of biofuel in
the southern part of Ukraine should start this year.

The Commission manages a substantial Research Programme, in which research, development, demon-
stration and promotion of new energy technologies has a major role. Work is already in progress towards
allowing participation of Ukraine in the programme. The Commission hopes that this area of cooperation
will be facilitated by the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine that has already
been initialled can be signed this year.

In addition, the EU is a major donor supporting the Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU)
which sponsors research into renewable energy sources. Since 1998 five projects concerning research into
renewable energies with an overall budget of more than EUR 660 000 have been funded.

(2002/C 309 E/010)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0062/02

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(23 January 2002)

Subject: The Spanish presidency’s position on the budget

forecasts and the implementation of

the

Structural Funds after 2006, when the new Member States have been fully incorporated

The Spanish presidency’s priorities presented by the Spanish Head of Government, José María Aznar, and
Josep Piqué, do not include the negotiations for the budget forecasts and the
the Foreign Minister,

12.12.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 309 E/9

implementation of the Structural Funds after 2006. This is all the more serious in that they include the
conclusion of negotiations with the most advanced countries in the second half of 2002.

Since this issue affects both the candidate countries and regions in the Union of fifteen such as Galicia,
which may, after 2006, find themselves below the level of 75 % of the Community per capita average
income, what reasons which cannot be made public can there be to explain why the Council presidency’s
priorities do not include the preparation of negotiations on these issues of vital importance for the shaping
of the EU?

Reply

(30 September 2002)

The Council stresses the importance it attaches to the policy of economic and social cohesion, as well as to
the continuation of the negotiations with the candidate countries.

With respect to the budget forecasts up to 2006, the Council would remind the Honourable Member that
it intends fully to respect the 2000-2006 financial perspective attached to the Interinstitutional Agreement
of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure (1). It particularly
draws attention to point 25 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 which provides, on quite
specific terms, for the 2000-2006 financial perspective to be adjusted, if need be, to cater for enlargement
to include new Member States so as to take account of the expenditure requirements resulting from this
enlargement.

Furthermore, on 30 January 2002, the Commission published a communication on the common financial
framework 2004-2006 for the accession negotiations, which outlines the global approach the Commission
intends to take in the draft common positions in the fields of agriculture, structural actions and the budget.
The Council will obviously study both this approach and the Commission’s draft common positions
carefully.

With respect to the questions and the negotiations on the financial perspective and the budget forecasts, as
well as on the implementation of the Structural Funds after 2006, these will be dealt with in due course,
since the Council has not yet in fact received a proposal from the Commission regarding the Structural
Funds.

The Council would also inform the Honourable Member that, where the Council’s priorities for the 2003
budget are concerned, the Council adopted the budget guidelines for 2003 at its meeting on 5 March 2002.

(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.

(2002/C 309 E/011)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0088/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(24 January 2002)

Subject: Use of the euro to make domestic payments in areas outside the European Monetary Union zone

1.
Can the Commission confirm that, as of 1 January 2002, the euro was not only introduced as a
currency to replace all the separate currencies which had previously existed in the twelve EU Member
States participating in EMU, including their very remote territories outside Europe, but also became legal
tender in the former Yugoslav federal states and autonomous provinces of Kosovo, Montenegro and
Bosnia-Herzegovina, which are not involved in EMU?