WRITTEN QUESTION P-0207/03 by Daniel Hannan (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Maltese referendum.
Date: 2003-01-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Malta, accession to the European Union, referendum

C 88 E/592

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(27 February 2003)

The 6 November 2002 article of Agence Europe does not refer to a specific study of the Commission as
suggested by the Honourable Member. Given the special nature of agriculture in the provision of food and
other benefits, a sudden and complete liberalisation of world agricultural trade as demanded in some
quarters could not be envisaged. Such a complete liberalisation would certainly have serious implications
for the sustainability of European agriculture in social, economic and environmental terms. The numbers
cited in the article are an illustration.

Having said that, the EU is committed to the objectives reflected in the Doha Declaration, which foresees
negotiations aimed at, inter alia ‘substantial improvements in market access’. The EU will negotiate on that
basis.

(2004/C 88 E/0605)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0207/03

by Daniel Hannan (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 January 2003)

Subject: Maltese referendum

Would the Commission say how much EU money from information or from other funds is going to Malta
before the referendum? How much money has the Commission allocated for referendums in the applicant
countries in general?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(14 February 2003)

The total amount of pre-accession funds allocated by the Community to Malta from 2000 to 2004 is
EUR 38 million, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 555/2000 of 13 March 2000 on the
implementation of operations in the framework of the pre-accession strategy for the Republic of Cyprus
and the Republic of Malta (1). However EUR 2 million, which were earmarked for 2004, will not be
committed because of Malta’s foreseen accession in 2004. Therefore, Malta will effectively have received
EUR 36 million of pre-accession aid. From this amount, EUR 0,7 million has been allocated for activities
related to information.

respective constitutional

With regard to referenda in other Candidate Countries, Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union
the Accession Treaty ‘shall be submitted for ratification to all the contracting States in
states that
accordance with their
requirements’. The responsibility for organising a
referendum is that of the relevant authorities in each country concerned. The Commission does not fund,
nor is it otherwise involved with, the organisation of the referenda or the campaigns associated with them
in any Candidate Country. The Commission operates a Communication Strategy for enlargement in all
Member States and Candidate Countries. The strategy is largely decentralised. In the Central European
Candidates, it is financed by the PHARE budget and implemented by the Delegation of the Commission.
Details of the precise funding for the overall and individual programmes, and the actual implementation of
the Communication Strategy can be found in the regular updates that are available on the web site of the
Commission at http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/communication/index.htm.

(1) OJ L 68, 16.3.2000.