WRITTEN QUESTION E-3368/02 by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission. Nature of the aid granted to Laos.
Date: 2002-11-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: ECHO, EU relations, Laos, aid system, cooperation policy, development aid, ethnic group, humanitarian aid, non-governmental organisation

9.10.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 242 E/55

(2003/C 242 E/055)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3368/02

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(27 November 2002)

Subject: Nature of the aid granted to Laos

The European Commission recently granted EUR 730 000 in humanitarian aid to the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic in order to ‘help displaced vulnerable people and possible victims of resettlement
policies’
(improvements to water and sanitation systems, the construction of an access road and the
distribution of hygiene kits and education in mine-awareness) with the underlying aim of ‘boosting ethnic
minorities’ access to a sustainable livelihood as an alternative to resettlement’.

Does the Commission not feel that these projects bear all the hallmarks of cooperation projects, and that
by granting assistance in the form of humanitarian aid all it is doing is quietly fuelling the parasitism (and
antidemocratic tendencies) of the Laotian governing classes? Is it aware that the failure of the economic
reforms tentatively launched by the Laotian authorities in the late 1980s, which was largely due to the
absence of any political reform, has resulted in these authorities pursuing what can only be described as a
policy of international begging? Does it realise that the (blind) generosity shown by the European Union
and several of
its Member States in response to this policy is simply exacerbating the difficulties
experienced by the peoples of Laos and making the prospect of that country’s democratisation more
distant?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(20 January 2003)

Under Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid (1),
the
Commission grants aid to people in distress who have a right to international humanitarian assistance
where their own authorities prove unable to provide effective relief. This applies to the beneficiaries of the
projects financed under Decision ECHO/LAO/210/2002/02000.

The projects concerned are directly implemented by the partner NGOs of the Humanitarian Office (ECHO)
and by UN agencies and cannot therefore in any way be considered financial assistance to the Laotian
government. The operations are intended to improve the harsh living conditions of the most vulnerable
sections of the country’s population, in particular ethnic minorities who are often the victims of forced
resettlement.

For some beneficiaries the projects mean drinking water supplies and improved sanitary conditions, for
others access to primary health care services, education and greater food security. A local public
information campaign on ‘Unexploded Ordnance’ (UXO) is being conducted as part of a food security
project.

The Commission’s decisions on humanitarian aid are taken impartially and regard solely the needs and
interests of the victims. The presence of relief workers in Laos is, moreover, a positive and moderating
factor in negotiations between local authorities and the public.

On the matter of the attitude of the Laotian government to international assistance, the Commission takes
care to ensure that the aid it provides in the context of development cooperation is effective in combating
poverty without removing the onus from the State. With that in mind the Commission has carried out an
evaluation of economic and political developments in Laos and of the nature of Community aid to the
country. The results and recommendations of the evaluation are included in the Country Strategy Paper on
Laos, adopted in 2002.

It should be noted that Laos is the poorest country of South-East Asia, with a GDP per capita of only
USD 350 and 30 % of the population living on less than one dollar a day. The development programmes
run by the Commission and the Member States accordingly focus on the most vulnerable sectors of the

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Official Journal of the European Union

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9.10.2003

population. The main focal areas are rural development, health and basic education, with special attention
paid to human rights and good governance initiatives.

The Commission maintains a consistent policy of constructive political dialogue with the Laotian
Government as well as continuously assisting the people of the country through the Community’s
development aid programmes, designed to bolster and speed up the process of national democratisation,
and humanitarian aid programmes which,
in accordance with international humanitarian principles,
provide relief to the most vulnerable sections of the population, the victims of forcible resettlement.

(1) OJ L 163, 2.7.1996.

(2003/C 242 E/056)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3378/02

by Margrietus van den Berg (PSE) to the Commission

(27 November 2002)

Subject: State aid for Dutch football clubs

The European Commission has indicated to the Netherlands Government that it is not happy with the
government aid being granted to football clubs in the Netherlands.

Does the Commission share my view that, given the social significance of sport (cid:1) acknowledged in the
Treaty of Nice (cid:1) a yardstick is required that is different from the manifest disapproval of aid to football
clubs?

Is the Commission prepared to discuss the matter again, bearing in mind the Treaty of Nice which
acknowledges the role which sport plays in society and which does not refer to sport as being a subject to
be dealt with in the context of unfair competition?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(8 January 2003)

The Dutch government sent the Commission in June 2002 a letter stating that state aid to football clubs in
whatever form is not be considered as state aid. The Commission has responded that it could not agree
with this observation in general. According to jurisprudence of the Court of Justice, professional football
clubs have to be regarded as undertakings. Therefore, financial support to these undertakings falls in
principle under the state aid rules. The Commission added that, however, without a full examination of the
details in a specific case, the Commission is not in the position to take a view on the question whether or
not public support for football clubs is compatible with these rules on state aid.

The Declaration of Nice acknowledges the principle that sport as such entails social, as well as educational
and cultural functions. The European Council, therefore, requests the Community institutions and the
Member States to implement their policies, in compliance with the EC Treaty, in accordance with their
respective powers and in the light of this principle.

In the letter mentioned above, the Commission has actually asserted that for example subsidies granted by
the French authorities for the purpose of giving school education to young people combined with sports
training performed by professional football clubs does not constitute aid. The Commission herewith acts in
line with the principles referred to in the Declaration of Nice.

However, at the same time under certain circumstances aid to professional football clubs might involve
state aid elements.