WRITTEN QUESTION E-2858/02 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Use by the municipality of Rome of funding under Life III, the Fifth Action Programme for the environment and sustainable development, and educational and awareness-raising measures as regards environmental problems.
Date: 2002-10-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, Latium, environmental protection, financial aid, fund (EU), international conference, public awareness campaign, sustainable development

C 110 E/116

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.5.2003

Rome is EUR 108 800. The contract is currently being negotiated, and it is expected that it will be ready
for signature by the end of 2002. The table below gives details of the other partners in the contract, the
budget breakdown etc.

Participant

Zebau

Hamburg

City of Rome

BAAG

LEA

Weiz

Castilblanco

Scandicci

Prov. Asti

Plauen

Initiativkreis

EC Support

68 000

68 000

108 800

74 800

68 000

51 000

54 400

54 400

44 200

54 400

34 000

Total Budget

136 000

136 000

217 600

149 600

136 000

102 000

108 800

108 800

88 400

108 800

68 000

Total

680 000

1 360 000

3.

The budget for EuSolExhibitions will be spent during 2003 and 2004.

The contracting part will be: City of Rome (cid:1) Office of the Deputy Major for Urban Planning and
Programming.

(2003/C 110 E/122)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2858/02

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(10 October 2002)

Subject: Use by the municipality of Rome of funding under Life III, the Fifth Action Programme for the
environment and sustainable development, and educational and awareness-raising measures as
regards environmental problems

In September 2002 the supervisory committee of the Italian Ministry for Economic Affairs presented a
report on how EU funding has been spent.

The inquiry revealed the worrying slowness and inefficiency in the award of contracts by local authorities:
commitments for 2000 accounted for only 2 % of the whole CSF.

Alarm at the inadequate use of European funding by local authorities has also been expressed by the
Commission on various occasions.

A number of local authorities, such as the municipality of Rome, very much need to use European funding
to protect and safeguard the environment.

In view of all this, can the Commission say:

1. whether the municipality of Rome has submitted projects under the programmes Life III, the Fifth
Action Programme for the environment and sustainable development, and educational and awareness-
raising measures as regards environmental problems;

2. whether the municipality of Rome has obtained funding for such projects;

3. whether the funding has been used?

8.5.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 110 E/117

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(21 November 2002)

The Municipality of Rome did not submit any application under the LIFE III programme, nor did it submit
any proposal in the framework of the general calls for proposals 2001 and 2002 of the Directorate
General for Environment, under the theme ‘environmental awareness-raising’.

In the past, following a call for proposals (1) on environmental awareness raising projects, the municipality
of Rome has been granted a subvention to co-finance the Mediterranean Local Agenda 21 conference,
which took place in Rome 22-24 November 1995. The total amount paid by the Commission amounts to
EUR 45 216, which covers part of the costs for the organisation of the conference.

(1) OJ C 71, 23.3.1995.

(2003/C 110 E/123)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2874/02

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(7 October 2002)

Subject: Early payment of subsidies to Irish farmers

According to a press report in Sweden (based on an Irish press report), the Irish Minister for Agriculture
has asked the Commission to bring forward the date for payment of EU subsidies for cattle and to increase
them by EUR 500 million.
It is also reported that the Irish Minister for Agriculture has asked the
Commission to pay out area support of some EUR 100 million now (i.e. before the second Irish
referendum on the Treaty of Nice) when it is actually due to be paid in instalments over the coming year.
The Irish Ministry of Agriculture is said to have prepared for quick payment of the money.

The Irish Examiner reports that the Minister for Agriculture has written to his party workers in Fianna Fail
encouraging them to use the financial support in arguing for a vote in favour of the Treaty of Nice.

Is the above information concerning early payments to Irish farmers correct? If so, does it have a direct
bearing on the referendum on the Treaty of Nice to be held in Ireland on 19 October 2002?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(31 October 2002)

Both Ireland and the United Kingdom informed the Commission of the cash flow problems encountered
by their farmers owing to the exceptionally adverse weather this spring and summer, when a combination
of abnormally low temperatures and abnormally high rainfall led to reductions in the quality of the cereal
and fodder crops in certain regions.

Not all fields could be harvested, and both grazing animals and, where access to fields was possible,
machinery damaged the structure of the sodden ground.

Farmers’ real average yields were therefore exceptionally low and they had to meet the immediate
additional cost of drying cereals and buying in extra fodder to feed cattle during the period.