WRITTEN QUESTION E-0571/04 by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission. Addressing the needs of disabled people in development cooperation funded by the EU.
Date: 2004-02-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: ACP countries, cooperation policy, integration of people with disabilities

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.

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/511

According to the answer of 16 September 2003 to the parliamentary question E-2162/03 (1),
the
Commission has issued a Guidance Note on Disability and Development for EU Delegations and Services,
which is supposed to provide guidance on how to address disability issues effectively within development
cooperation. This guidance note is supposed to have been widely distributed throughout the services and
to stress the importance of mainstreaming disability issues in policy dialogue and in country programming.
The answer also made reference to the mid-term review guidelines for the ACP countries under
preparation at
to which country
programmes are responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.

the time, which were supposed to envisage exploring the extent

1. What is the actual state of information concerning the guidance note and disability issues throughout
the relevant Commission services? According to our information, many services have to date no
knowledge of the guidance note.

2.

How is the Commission planning to ensure and to verify the concrete effect of the guidance note?

3. What is the current state of the above-mentioned mid-term review for ACP countries?

4.
Are there any indications yet concerning the extent to which the needs of persons with disabilities
are and have been taken into account in country programmes and how the inclusion of persons with
disabilities in country programming in general and in the Country Strategy Papers in particular will be
ensured in the future?

5.

If no concrete data is available yet, when is the Commission expecting to have detailed information?

(1) See page 70.

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(1 April 2004)

The Guidance note on Disability and Development was finalised following an inter-service
1.
consultation. The note has been distributed to the Heads of Delegation in all Commission delegations in
developing countries. It has also been circulated internally in Directorate General (DG) Development (DEV)
and has been sent to DGs Europe Aid Co-operation Office (AIDCO) and External Relations (RELEX) for
internal distribution within those services. The Guidance note has now been translated into Spanish,
French and Portuguese and will be printed and made available for further distribution.

2.
The Guidance note has already generated some feedback and questions from Delegations. The
Commission also expects the Mid-term review of Country Strategy Papers for African, Caribbean and
Pacific (ACP) countries to give further feedback concerning to what extent the guidelines given in the note
have been used and turned into practice. The Commission is also looking into opportunities for making
disability better integrated in development cooperation through training of Commission staff (cid:1) both in
Brussels and in Delegations. It should also be noted that recent efforts to increase awareness amongst
Commission officials regarding disability issues in development co-operation have included a presentation
by representatives from the European Disability Forum on this issue at a meeting of the Commission’s
Inter-Service Group on Human Rights on 30 January 2004.

3.

The mid-term review of ACP countries is ongoing and is expected to be finalised by mid-2005.

4. and 5.
In most country strategy papers disability is not clearly reflected. When disability does figure in
the papers it is, in most cases, mentioned in the analysis but is rarely specifically translated into specific
action. The Commission thinks the best way of addressing this is through the provision of training for
Community staff, by raising awareness of disability issues in its dialogue with developing countries and by
including organisations for people with disabilities in the dialogue at country-level. Data on disability and
its impact on poverty should be generated at country-level through a general strengthening of data
collecting and statistical systems.