WRITTEN QUESTION E-0539/04 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Implementation of the Structural Funds in Portugal.
Date: 2004-02-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community support framework, Portugal, Structural Funds, implementation of the budget, operational programme

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/509

They consist of:

(cid:1) the support of on-going Colombian activities in the search for Peace;

(cid:1) targeting of the roots and causes of the conflict;

(cid:1) providing humanitarian assistance to the victims of the conflict.

In 2004, for instance, the Commission will design, with the Colombian Government, a programme worth
EUR 10,5 million aiming at reducing impunity levels by improving the functioning of Colombia’s justice
system.

2.
At the London Meeting on International Support for Colombia on 10 July 2003, the Commission,
together with the other representatives of the international community, voiced its strong support for the
work undertaken by the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights in
Colombia, noted with satisfaction the Colombian Government’s pledge to implement the recommendations
made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and urged the Colombian Government to
implement these recommendations promptly.

The recommendations include:

(a)

(b)

(c)

that the Attorney-General submit a bill to Congress establishing a career structure for officials and
employees of his Office, with a view to strengthening the independence and impartiality of that
institution;

to ensure and to strengthen the independence of the Human Rights and International Humanitarian
Law Unit in the Attorney-General’s Office, to guarantee the protection of its staff and to provide it
with the means necessary to carry out its investigations;

to establish within the Attorney-General’s Office’s Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law
Unit a group specializing in the investigation of possible links between members of the military and
the police and paramilitary groups.

During the recent high-level contacts between the Commission and the Colombian Government (visit of
the Member of the Commission in charge of External Relations to Colombia on 21/22 January 2004, visit
of President Uribe to Brussels and Strasbourg on 9/10 February 2004), the Commission expressed its
strong support for these recommendations.

its
The report by the UN High Commissioner
recommendations will be discussed at the forthcoming 60th session of the UN Human Rights Committee
in Geneva. On this occasion, the EU will draft the Chairperson’s Statement on Colombia.

for Human Rights on the implementation of

In addition to its political support for the work and recommendations of the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia, the Commission also funded some of its activities through
the ‘European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights’ (budget chapter 19 04):

(cid:1) EUR 783 536 have been allocated to a project in favour of municipal ombudspersons for the period

2002-2004;

(cid:1) EUR 600 000 have been allocated to a project aiming at strengthening the country’s penitentiary

institutions for the period 2003-2005.

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/colombia/csp/index.htm.

(2004/C 88 E/0521)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0539/04

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Implementation of the Structural Funds in Portugal

(24 February 2004)

What are the specific third CSF programmes still going on in Portugal, which have an uptake rate lower
than 30 %? For which programmes are payments below 15 % of the total co-participation?

C 88 E/510

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

For which already completed programmes has the Commission requested the reimbursement of monies or
refused the payment of the total amount? For what reasons?

For Portugal, what were the Structural Fund total and programmes affected by the N+2 rule at the end of
2003? For Portugal, what is the global amount, by Structural Fund programme, affected by the N+2 rule
to-date?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2004)

Structural Fund execution in Portugal has proved generally satisfactory. Thanks to the efforts made in
2003 the great majority of the 1994-1999 programmes have been closed.

Implementation of the Operational Programmes of the 3rd CSF continues. These cover the entire period
2000-2006 and accordingly none has yet been closed.

the end of February the uptake rate for the period 2000-2004 (ratio of payments made to
At
appropriations programmed) was 64 % for the CSF as a whole. The breakdown was: European Regional
Development Fund 63 %, European Social Fund 75 %, European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund
49 %, Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance 60 %.

In the case of the ERDF, ESF and EAGGF no operational programme has a rate below 30 % at present. For
the FIFG two programmes show a rate below 30 %: Alentejo and Centro. Neither is below 15 %.

On the basis of the estimates we have just sent the Portuguese authorities, for 2003 the only programmes
affected by the N+2 rule are Economy (ESF),
for an amount of EUR 2 009 015,59, and Technical
Assistance, for amounts of EUR 2 634 957,55 (ERDF) and EUR 901 971 (ESF). Before 2003 the only OP
affected was Health (ESF),
for an amount of EUR 1 069 113,50. The FIFG measures in the regional
programmes are exempted owing to late approval of the fishery aid schemes.

Closure for the 1994-1999 period involves 50 programmes. When a programme is closed the Commission
often has to adjust the amounts requested by the Member State. Various parameters are involved such as
the findings of national or Community Audits. Deductions, marginal by comparison with the assistance
granted have already been made for a number of programmes. In the case of others (Health and Social
Integration, Knowledge Bases and Innovation, Development Support Infrastructures, Modernisation of the
Economic Fabric, Alentejo, IMIT) processing of the application for the balance is not yet complete. For
some of these programmes we have however already made a first payment covering part of the balance
requested. So far we have not acted to recover any amounts already paid.

(2004/C 88 E/0522)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0571/04

by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission

(26 February 2004)

Subject: Addressing the needs of disabled people in development cooperation funded by the EU

Although the European Union has expressed its commitment to poverty reduction in the Millennium
Development Goals, a goal which cannot be met without considering the needs of disabled people,
disabled people are still not sufficiently included in development cooperation funded by the EU.