WRITTEN QUESTION E-0875/03 by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission. National Mountain Fund.
Date: 2003-03-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, State aid, aid system, distribution of aid, mountain region, regional budget

15.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 11 E/151

(2004/C 11 E/172)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0875/03

by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(20 March 2003)

Subject: National Mountain Fund

Knoowing that:

(cid:1) Law No 97 of the Italian Republic of 31 January 1994 sets out ‘new measures for mountain areas’.
Article 2 sets up the National Mountain Fund, and Article 5 of that article states that the criteria for
the distribution of funds to the regions and provinces are to be approved by a decision of the
Interministerial Economic Planning Committee (CIPE);

(cid:1) the CIPE decision of 2 August 2002 defined criteria for the distribution of funds and percentage

quotas from the National Mountain Fund;

(cid:1) following the Italian Finance Ministry Decree of 29 November 2002, the Italian Department of

General Accounts has reduced funds under chapters of expenditure;

(cid:1) the decree of the Director-General of the Department for Development and Management Policy of
12 December 2002 reduced the amount of money available to the National Fund, diminishing the
allocations due to regions and autonomous provinces, while respecting the percentages approved in
the above-mentioned CIPE decision;

(cid:1) this decree would require regions to revise their budgets and reduce payments to mountain

communities, areas that are underdeveloped and at the risk of depopulation.

What initiatives does the Commission intend to take to ensure that mountain communities receive the
payments planned in 2002, the International Year of Mountains, without reducing services to the local
population?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(24 April 2003)

The law of 31 January 1994 to which the Honourable Member refers is a law of the Italian Republic. The
Commission therefore has no power to influence its application.

(2004/C 11 E/173)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0880/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(21 March 2003)

Subject: Creation of a special fund for the safety of historic buildings (cid:1) proposal by Lazio Regional

Council

At
the extraordinary meeting chaired by the chairman Francesco Storace and held in Brussels on
21 November 2002 in the presence of the President of the Commission Romano Prodi, Lazio Regional
Council considered the question of stabilising and improving safety standards for the buildings which make
up the region’s historical and cultural heritage.

The Region is starting a campaign to ascertain whether public buildings meet standards regarding
earthquake resistance, in particular buildings of historical and cultural importance, but (cid:1) in view of the
inadequate resources available for the purpose and recent tragic events which highlighted the issue of
safety as regards earthquake hazards even in areas defined as ‘low-risk’ (cid:1) the regional government decided
to ask the EU to set up a special fund, possibly to be co-financed by the Region, to carry out the relevant
measures.