WRITTEN QUESTION E-3917/02 by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Border regions.
Date: 2003-01-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, EU regional policy, European Regional Development Fund, accession to the European Union, commitment of expenditure, distribution of EU funding, economic and social cohesion, frontier region

C 88 E/310

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(2004/C 88 E/0315)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3916/02

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(14 January 2003)

Subject: Gambling on the Net

As the Commission acknowledged in its answer to Written Question E-2885/01 (1),
internet gambling
activities are regulated differently across the Member States giving rise to internal market barriers that
deserve consideration.

Given that internet gambling activities are cross-border in nature and that national lottery operators have
warned of the need for this issue to be dealt with at European level, what measures has the Commission
taken in this respect? Has the Commission examined the need for harmonisation in this area, and what
form it should take?

(1) OJ C 81 E, 4.4.2002, p. 211.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 2003)

As regards internet gambling, a number of Member States are adjusting their laws on gambling activities or
introducing new laws to regulate such information society services. These new laws are notifiable under
Directive 98/48/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 20 July 1998 amending Directive 98/34/EC
technical standards and
laying down a procedure for the provision of
regulations (1). The Commission would, therefore, wish to reassure the Honourable Member that, on the
basis of this mechanism, it is monitoring developments in this field and ensuring that such new national
laws do not result in unjustified Internal Market barriers taking into account the specificity of these
services as recognised by the Court of Justice’s jurisprudence. However, the Commission does not consider
that harmonisation is required in this area at the current time.

information in the field of

(1) OJ L 217, 5.8.1998.

(2004/C 88 E/0316)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3917/02

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(14 January 2003)

Subject: Border regions

In its communication ‘Community Action for Border Regions’ (1), the Commission proposed allocating
appropriations totalling EUR 195 million over the period 2002-2006 for additional measures in regions
bordering with candidate countries.

These measures, which affect 23 regions of five Member States, would be managed through the TEN,
Interreg and Youth programmes and the pilot project for SMEs under budget heading B5-3003.

Can the Commission provide a breakdown by heading of the total sum of appropriations allocated to the
border regions under the 2002 and 2003 budgets, including additional funds approved by the budgetary
authority?

Can the Commission provide a breakdown of the payments allocated in 2002 and 2003 to each of the
regions concerned?

What were the total payments made to each of these regions in 2002?

(1) COM(2001) 437.

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Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(27 February 2003)

The total amount of the additional commitment appropriations for the Union regions bordering the
acceding countries in the budgets 2002 and 2003 is some EUR 98 million. The amount is split up as
follows.

As regards the 2002 budget:

(cid:1) EUR 30 million has been committed to the 13 Strand A Interreg programmes covering the borders
with candidate countries as well as to the Strand B Interreg programme for the Baltic Sea Region in
the framework of a common priority ‘Special Support for Regions bordering the Candidate Countries’
(budget line B2-1411);

(cid:1) EUR 20 million has been allocated to three strand C programmes of Interreg (East, North and South)
and to the Interact programme for actions intended to encourage and facilitate co-operation in border
regions; this amount is derived from paragraph 53 of the Interreg Guidelines (budget line B2-1410);

(cid:1) EUR 20 million is under the ‘pilot project on the impact of enlargement in the border regions of the

EU’ (budget line B5-3003), of which

(cid:1) EUR 3 million has been granted to ARGE28 to support a project in favour of small and medium-

sized enterprises (SMEs) (‘Growing together with Europe’);

(cid:1) EUR 15 million is to be committed in the framework of three calls for proposals launched by the
Commission, which aim at improving the competitiveness of SMEs, addressing the needs of
employees and workers, as well as strengthening the capacity of local and regional authorities to
prepare for the administrative effects of enlargement;

(cid:1) EUR 2 million is to be used to finance additional measures in favour of young people in border
regions according to the sets of rules, criteria and procedures applied in the YOUTH programme.

As regards the 2003 budget:

(cid:1) EUR 17 million will derive from the budget line B5-3003 ‘Impact of enlargement in the border regions

of the EU (cid:1) preparatory actions’;

(cid:1) EUR 3 million will be committed to finance additional measures in favour of young people in border

regions in the framework of the YOUTH programme (B3-1010);

(cid:1) EUR 8 million will be committed in the framework of the ‘Enlargement Programme for SMEs’ (budget
line B5-514). This programme has, however, a wider geographical scope than that of the present
Union border regions.

No additional commitments in favour of Union regions bordering the acceding countries have been made
in the framework of the trans-European networks since the corresponding legislative proposal adopted by
the Commission on 2 October 2001,
the draft regulation amending Council Regulation (EC)
No 2236/95 laying down general rules for the granting of Community financial aid in the field of trans-
European networks (1), has not yet been adopted.

i.e.

The Commission is not in a position to deliver an overview of the exact financial allocation to each border
region in 2002 and 2003. Especially where the Interreg programmes are concerned, the geographical
pattern of expenditures is a result of the location of the projects supported, the projects themselves being
selected on quality criteria.

The process of committing the additional financial resources for regions bordering the acceding countries
in 2002 has been completed. Project implementation is, however, still in its early stage. Payment data are
therefore not meaningful at present.

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Concerning the above mentioned Interreg A and B programmes, most of the adjusted programme
complements were sent to the Commission by the end of 2002. Spending on projects can thus start in
early 2003. It will be the task of the respective steering committees to commit these financial means to
concrete projects according to criteria of the programme complements. Future payments will therefore
depend on spending on the ground. The closing date for the eligibility of expenditure for this funding is
31 December 2004.

(1) OJ C 75 E, 26.3.2002.

(2004/C 88 E/0317)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0046/03

by Pasqualina Napoletano (PSE)
and Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(21 January 2003)

Subject: Crisis in Venezuela

Venezuela is being torn apart by a dramatic political and social crisis, which includes both organised
violence on the part of the most radical groups close to the government of President Chavez and acts on
the part of extremist opposition groups which are little short of a coup d’état. The situation is a real threat
to democracy and freedom in a country where a very large section of the population is of European origin
(including a large community of Italian origin).

What steps have already been taken (and with what results) and what further action is planned to ensure
that the European Union can help to enhance the role of the international community and institutions,
which is of decisive importance for the purposes of overcoming the crisis in the context of political
negotiation and respect for democracy and the Constitution?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(13 February 2003)

On the current crisis in Venezuela, the Union has issued three declarations in 2002, after the April coup,
on 9 October and on 23 December. In them, the Union expressed its full support for the Organisation of
American States (OAS) efforts to facilitate a national dialogue between the Government of Venezuela and
the Coordinadora Democrática (organised opposition) as well as other relevant sectors of society. These
declarations, as others issued by other countries, regions and international institutions, have probably had
a positive impact in that they encouraged the Venezuelan population to abstain from violence, and made it
clear to the most radical elements in the opposition that the international community would not tolerate
any non-democratic or non-constitutional solutions.

The OAS efforts have, however, as yet not produced any concrete results in resolving the political crisis.
The parties in conflict appear to be unable to engage in a constructive dialogue to solve the situation. A
new initiative to help address the conflict, the creation of a ‘Group of Friends’, was launched in Quito on
15 January 2003. Two Member States are part of the group, Spain and Portugal, whose creation the Union
welcomed in a Declaration of 21 January 2003. The Group of Friends will work in support of the OAS
efforts.

Furthermore, the Commission has approved a project of financial assistance to the OAS in its efforts to
implement possible agreements reached between the parties of the OAS mediated dialogue. In addition to
facilitating the ongoing dialogue,
it has three main components: support for free and fair elections;
investigation of the events of April 2002 (failed coup); and disarming the civilian population.