WRITTEN QUESTION P-2989/03 by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Commission funding for the European Policy Centre.
Date: 2003-10-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, Cyprus, EU aid, EU financing, financial aid, research body

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/185

The Commission cannot, therefore, agree with the Honourable Member that the Spanish Law has excluded
periodicals from the universal postal service that Spain is required to guarantee. On the contrary, the
Spanish legislation allows that
items such as periodicals can be conveyed under universal service
conditions, which is the Directive’s intended result.

The fact that the Spanish legislation requires that these items be sent under the form of a letter or package
falls under Member State’s discretion as to the form and methods used to achieve the Directive’s objective.

(1) Directive 97/67/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the
development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of service.
Amended by Directive 2002/39/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002.

(2004/C 70 E/194)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2989/03

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Commission funding for the European Policy Centre

(6 October 2003)

In an invitation to MEPs, the European Policy Centre (EPC), which is situated in Brussels, indicates that ‘His
Excellency the President of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktas’ (sic) will be a guest at a ‘breakfast policy
briefing’ and urges the Members to attend. However, it is common knowledge that no country in the
world (apart
from Turkey, which is responsible for the military occupation of 37 % of Cyprus)
acknowledges Mr Denktas as ‘President’, or accords his pseudo-state any degree of official recognition,
while the UN and EU have repeatedly criticised his secessionist ambitions. Furthermore,
this event,
coinciding as it does with the run-up to the ‘Presidential elections’, could accordingly be interpreted as
support for Mr Denktas against his political opponents.

Can the Commission tell me whether the Centre receives Community funding? If so, in which year did it
commence and what precise amounts have been paid? If the Centre is receiving European Union funding,
what steps will the Commission take to impress upon the recipients the inadmissibility of using the funds
to promote recognition of regimes based on the use of violence and disregard for law?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 2003)

The European Policy Centre (EPC) is an independent think-tank undertaking research on European affairs.
It has received Community financial support since it was founded in 1996.

The budgetary authority earmarks appropriations each year in favour of the EPC as a think tank on budget
line A-3026 (operating costs grants of EUR 125 000 awarded in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and EUR 150 000
in 2002 and 2003).

The Commission reports in detail each year to the Parliament on the beneficiaries of grants under chapter
A-30. The reports can be seen on the Commission’s Europa website.

In addition the Commission has supported specific actions carried out by the EPC, with total payments of
EUR 90 400 from 1999 to-date.

The Commission understands that the proposed meeting described by the Honourable Member did not in
fact take place.