WRITTEN QUESTION E-2172/03 by Johanna Boogerd-Quaak (ELDR) to the Commission. Support for rural development.
Date: 2003-06-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EAGGF, EU regional policy, rural development, rural region, town and country planning, town-country relationship

6.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33 E/229

In any event, the Commission would like to draw the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that
it is up to the Member States to ensure that national legislation transposing Community Directives is
complied with and properly enforced.

If this should not be the case, the Commission will not hesitate to initiate an infringement procedure under
Article 226 of the EC Treaty against the Member State in question.

(2004/C 33 E/234)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2172/03

by Johanna Boogerd-Quaak (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 June 2003)

Subject: Support for rural development

With reference to the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 5 June 2003 on the proposal for
a Council regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on support for rural development from the
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2826/
2000, and bearing in mind the opinion of the European Parliament set out in paragraph 1 thereof, can the
Commission answer the following questions:

1.

2.

Is it planning to introduce new objective criteria for rural areas?

If so, does it agree with me that, to date, little attention has been paid to a category of rural areas in
the vicinity of conurbations as a specific category?

3. Does it acknowledge the very specific problems which have to be solved in order to strike a balance
between the requirements of the urban population and the changes to the countryside required for
that purpose, such as more land for leisure activities, short-stay tourism and nature development?

4. Does it agree with me that, when new criteria are being drawn up, a specific type of rural area needs

to be developed in the vicinity of major conurbations?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(5 August 2003)

The Commission has taken careful note of the Parliament resolution of 5 June 2003 on the proposal for a
Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on support for rural development (1), in the
context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform.

1. and 4.
There is no single commonly agreed and internationally recognised definition of rural areas,
given their great diversity. The Commission itself has no current plans to propose new objective criteria
for the definition of a typology of rural areas, and particularly not within the time frame of 1 January
2004 requested by the Parliament, which it considers unrealistic.

Preparation of any such typology could only be considered for the preparation of rural development policy
post-2006. However, even with this longer-term perspective, the Commission is not convinced that a
common typology defined at Community level is necessary for the implementation of Community rural
development policy, nor that a single common typology could take account of the wide diversity of rural
situations which will exist in an enlarged Union. Under Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May
1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund
(EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations (2),
it is currently the responsibility of the
Member States when preparing their rural development programmes to define what they consider to be
rural areas, within their specific national and/or regional contexts.

C 33 E/230

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2004

The Commission considers that the current

flexible framework under which Community rural
2.
development policy is implemented, which gives a high degree of subsidiarity to Member States, already
provides sufficient scope for those Member States or regions who so wish to target the measures within
their programmes on the specific needs of rural areas in the vicinity of urban conurbations.

3.
The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member that rural areas on the urban fringe often face
specific problems different from those in remote rural areas. They may for example experience difficulties
caused by population inflow with consequent pressure on the natural environment, service facilities and
land and property prices. The Commission agrees that it is important to strike the right balance between
urban and rural needs in order to permit the sustainable development of rural areas close to urban centres.

To find out more about the difficulties facing ‘suburban’ rural areas, in September 2002 the Commission
launched a special study entitled ‘Urban-rural relations in Europe’ under the ESPON programme (European
Spatial Planning Observatory Network).

(1) COM(2003) 23 final.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2004/C 33 E/235)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2175/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 June 2003)

Subject: Trade in services

1. Will the Commission estimate the potential trade that could be done in services between the Member
States and the impact that would have on growth of output and employment?

2. Will the Commission particularly take into account any evidence of service trade in more integrated
areas such as Canada and the United States?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(4 August 2003)

The Honourable Member asks whether the Commission will estimate the potential for intra-Union trade in
services and its impact on growth of output and employment. In preparation of its legislative response
concerning the Internal Market for services, the Commission is currently drafting an impact assessment
which will seek to explain the potential increase in cross-border service activities that could result from the
elimination of existing Internal Market barriers.

However, given the fact that statistics in this area suffer from severe measurement problems and that there
the
do not currently exist
recognised macro-economic forecasting models
Commission would find it difficult to provide a detailed quantitative forecast of potential
intra-Union
trade and investment in services and their impact on output and employment. The measurement and
modelling complexity is further heightened by the fact that much trade in services is hidden in statistics on
trade in goods. It should also be noted that much internationalisation of services is based on foreign direct
investment so an exclusive focus on services trade could underestimate the true potential of a properly
functioning Internal Market for services.

service activities,

for

The Commission will make best efforts in its impact assessment, on the basis of existing statistics and
information provided by stakeholders, to explain in more qualitative terms and on the basis of a micro-
economic approach the potential impacts that could arise in the form of cost savings, growth in intra-
Union services activities and growth in Union output and employment.