WRITTEN QUESTION E-0814/02 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Cohesion strategies and fisheries policy: the case of Galicia.
Date: 2002-03-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, agricultural policy, economic and social cohesion, environmental policy, fisheries policy, rural development, transport policy

14.11.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 277 E/91

(2002/C 277 E/099)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0814/02

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

Subject: Cohesion strategies and fisheries policy: the case of Galicia

(25 March 2002)

The first progress report on economic and social cohesion, published in January 2002, considers that the
cohesion strategies should not be confined to structural policy and mentions, as part of this strategy, other
Community policies which should make greater efforts to achieve the cohesion objectives, in particular
agricultural policy and rural development, as well as environment and transport policies.

In this context, why does the report not consider fisheries policy, which has a substantial impact on
coastal ) mainly Atlantic ) regions, which in certain cases, for example Galicia, belong to both the
Objective 1 regions and the cohesion countries?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(11 June 2002)

The First progress report on economic and social cohesion, adopted by the Commission on 30 January
2002 (1), is not a full update of the Second Report on Economic and Social Cohesion (2) but a response to
the desire expressed by the Member States to be informed of the preparation of the Commission’s
proposals on the future cohesion policy.

The First progress report updated the figures on the regional disparities in economic and social terms and
on certain factors affecting the competitiveness of the regions using the latest available statistics. The
report also provided an opportunity to give information on the progress of the discussion on the future of
cohesion policy launched by the Commission when it published the second cohesion report referred to
above.

There is, however, no question of altering at this stage the analyses of Community policies set out in the
Second Report on Economic and Social Cohesion. The references to the common agricultural policy and
rural development, the environment and transport which appear in the interim report, are derived from
the documents sent to the Commission in the course of the discussion which began a year ago

(1) COM(2002) 46 final.
(2) COM(2001) 24 final.

(2002/C 277 E/100)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0816/02

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

Subject: Development in Galicia and the example of Ireland

(25 March 2002)

The first progress report on cohesion, published in January 2002, points out that between 1988 and 2000
the per capita GDP in Ireland rose from 64 % to 119 % of the Community average, which means that it is
now one of the richest countries in the Union, after being one of the poorest, an Objective 1 region and a
country eligible for Cohesion Fund intervention. This situation cannot have happened by chance, but
rather as the result of tangible actions and factors which should be borne in mind in other Union
countries.

What conclusions does the Council draw from the Irish experience which might be applied to regions such
as Galicia, which, despite having a per capita GDP in 1988 similar to that of Ireland, also being an
Objective 1 region and belonging to a cohesion country, Spain, still registers only 65 % of the average per
capita GDP for the EU?