CELEX: 51983PC0163
Language: en
Date: 1983-04-06
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) instituting a specific measure to promote urban renewal in Northern Ireland (Belfast) (presented by the Commission to the Council)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (83) 163
Vol. 1983/0045
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
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classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit
règlement.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243,
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983,
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit
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der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.
 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE E U R O P E A N COMMUNITIES
                                             COM(83)  163  final
                                             Brussels,    6 a p r i l 1983
                                Proposal  for  a
                           COUNCIL  REGULATION (EEC)
         instituting  a specific   measure to   promote  urban     renewal
                        in Northern  Ireland   (Belfast)
                (presented  by the  Commission to   the  Council)
 COM(83) 163  final
 ---pagebreak---                                STATEMENT OF GROUNDS
Northern Ireland has always been considered, both within the framework of
national regional p o l i c y and at the l e v e l of Community s t r u c t u r a l p o l i c i e s ,
as a peripheral region experiencing exceptionally serious s t r u c t u r a l problems.
 For t h i s reason Northern Ireland benefits 1n the context of a l l                           Community p o l i ­
cies and f i n a n c i a l instruments from the p r i o r i t y        treatment, from the higher            rates
of Community aids and from several s p e c i f i c actions intended to improve, in conjunc­
tion with measures undertaken by the United Kingdom, the impact of measures designed
                                                                                    -
to deal with the above mentioned problems in t h e i r                   various f i e l d s .
Total Community grants (commitment)             for s t r u c t u r a l purposes on behalf of Nor­
thern Ireland from 1973 to 1982 i n c l u s i v e are some £ 3 6 3                m i l l i o n . It may be
estimated that t h i s was 1.0 X of regional GbP in 1982 (EEC average 1982                              :
some 0.19 X of GDP). The importance of the Community e f f o r t can also be
i l l u s t r a t e d by the two following tables         :    .     '    ·   •   '
                                         Grants in ECU/head
Commitments               1973     1974       1975         1976             1977.         1978        1979          1980 1981 1982
Northern
                           7.5       8.2      17.7         24.7             22.5          32.5        57.3          56.0 7 6 . 5 93 0
Ireland
EEC                        1.6       2.1       3.3          4.2              4.7            5.7        9.7          11.6 14.2 17 2
 ---pagebreak---                                               Loans in ECU/head
                          1973           1974     '    1975            1976     1977     1978      1979      1980 1981 1982
 Northern •
 Ireland
                                 -        3.2                              -·   18.0        -      50.2      53.3      5.9    -
 EEC                                      4.9           7.8              8.4     9.0_    10*9     '12.8      1 5 . 7 1 4 . 0 20.1
The i n i t i a t i v e taken by the Commission in proposing to the United Kingdom Govern­
ment an integrated operation in Belfast should be viewed within t h i s . g e n e r a l                    frame­
work. With this integrated operation in mind, t h i s Government has sent d e t a i l s to the
 Commission of groups of               linked inyestments which are important              for dev loping«Wie u r ­
ban area of B e l f a s t . This i s the main urban i n d u s t r i a l conurbation 6f the r e g i o n ,
 containing about one t h i r d of the t o t a l population. Also involved i s the main
port of the region. However, the area suffers from the consequences of concen­
t r a t i o n of i n d u s t r i a l sectors in decline and of an e s p e c i a l l y marked urban
decline.                                                               •     .·  ,             *
Despite national and Community measures, the s o c i a l and economic s i t u a t i o n of
the region has Worsened continuously. The European Parliament, in i t s resolution
of 19 June 1981           (1)     adopted on the basis of d e t a i l e d reports on s o c i a l and econo­
mic problems in Northern I r e l a n d , has stressed t h i s worsening s i t u a t i o n and has asked
for further          remedial measures. The reports have stressed in p a r t i c u l a r poverty and low
incomes, housing conditions and health of the p o p u l a t i o n , unemployment and under
employment and the conditions governing energy supply in t h i s peripheral region.
The Parliament +ias recommended' the Commission to study more p a r t i c u l a r l y                  certain
points among which are the "housing stock renewal and renovation of accommodation
in c e r t a i n areas ( p a r t i c u l a r l y B e l f a s t ) , a s a matter of urgency, since job creation
must be linked with improved l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s " .
(1)     O . J . n° C 172 of 13.7.1981, p. 122
 ---pagebreak---                                                       -   3    -
  The C o m m i s s i o n t h e r e f o r e         considers that             the f i e l d        i n w h i c h a Community
  m e a s u r e c a n most r a p i d l y            produce t a n g i b l e        improvements             in the        situation
  d e s c r i b e d i s t h a t of urban r e n e w a l , p a r t i c u l a r l y                 in     Belfast.
  Until       now, t h e       U n i t e d Kingdom g o v e r n m e n t           has n o t       been a b l e t o p r o v i d e         the
  means t o t a k e a d e q u a t e and s u f f i c i e n t l y                r a p i d a c t i o n t o meet B e l f a s t ' s n e e d s
  for     urban r e n e w a l .          Community a i d w o u l d t h e r e f o r e               produce t a n g i b l e         results
  i n s p e e d i n g up t h e e x e c u t i o n o f             a greater         volume of           infrastructure             works     with
 beneficial            effects         on employment               and on t h e many s e c t o r s o f               activity        connected
 with these            works.
 In o r d e r      to   be e f f e c t i v e       and s i g n i f i c a n t ,     the a c t i o n to promote urban                    renewal
 i n t h e B e l f a s t a r e a s h o u l d c o v e r s e v e r a l y e a r s and be i m p l e m e n t e d o v e r a p e r i o d
 at     least      as l o n g a s t h a t          envisaged for             the    integrated            operation,          i.e.    three     years.
 Expenditure i n the                   region of            100 m i l l i o n    ECU t h e r e f o r e     seems a p p r o p r i a t e .
 The a d d i t i o n a l i t y       of   the      i n c r e a s e d Community e x p e n d i t u r e            in   relation        to   national
 expenditure            s h o u l d be m e a s u r e d w i t h r e f e r e n c e t o            the t o t a l      a n n u a l volume       of
expenditure             i n c u r r e d by t h e U n i t e d Kingdom f o r                  urban renewal              in Northern          Ireland
 and i n t h e B e l f a s t           area.         Expenditure for              this      purpose s h o u l d not            diminish        in
 real      terms      in the         course of           the p e r i o d of       a p p l i c a t i o n of     the    s p e c i a l measure,      or,
at     l e a s t , the p r o p o r t i o n        of     this      expenditure          in the t o t a l         national         expenditure
 in Northern            Ireland         s h o u l d be m a i n t a i n e d , t h e        report of          t h e U n i t e d Kingdom         authorities
indicating            clearly          how t h e money f r o m t h e Community has been u s e d .
To o b t a i n      this      result,         a rate of           contribution           up t o        7 0 % and a d v a n c e s up t o 8 0 %
of    the      contribution             s h o u l d be p o s s i b l e .
As t h e       regulation           i s b a s e d on A r t i c l e         235 o f      the     EEC T r e a t y ,     consultation           of
Parliament            is    indispensable.                   The C o m m i s s i o n a l s o recommends t h e                 Council to        obtain
the o p i n i o n of         the      E c o n o m i c and S o c i a l       Committee.
 ---pagebreak---                                                 Proposal         for    a
                                             COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC)
              instituting       a s p e c i f i c measure t o p r o m o t e u r b a n r e n e w a l
                                  in Northern Ireland                    (Belfast)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the T r e a t y e s t a b l i s h i n g the European Economic Community,
and i n p a r t i c u l a r    A r t i c l e 235      thereof,
Having regard to             the p r o p o s a l from the C o m m i s s i o n ,
Having regard to the o p i n i o n of                    the      European P a r l i a m e n t ,
Having regard to the o p i n i o n of                    t h e E c o n o m i c and S o c i a l            Committee,
Whereas N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d        i s one o f        the p e r i p h e r a l       regions of       the     Community
experiencing p a r t i c u l a r l y           serious structural                  p r o b l e m s ; whereas i t         therefore
benefits,          at both n a t i o n a l       and Community l e v e l s , f r o m p r i o r i t y              treatment
and from a number o f                s p e c i f i c measures i n v a r i o u s               fields;
Whereas t h e E u r o p e a n P a r l i a m e n t , i n           its    r e s o l u t i o n of      19 June 1981 ( 1 ) ,
e m p h a s i z e d i.he s t e a d i l y d e t e r i o r a t i n g   s o c i a l and e c o n o m i c s i t u a t i o n     in
this     r e g i o n and drew p a r t i c u l a r        attention,            i n the        r e p o r t s on w h i c h
(1)    O.J.       No C 1 7 2 ,   1 3 . 7 . 1 9 8 1 , p.     122
 ---pagebreak---                                            -  2   -
that   resolution       is    based,    to   the    poverty      and    low   incomes, the         housing
and  health   c o n d i t i o n s of   the   population,         particularly         in  Belfast,      the   unemploy­
ment  and underemployment,               and  the    energy      supply      conditions      in    this   region;
Whereas   the   United        Kingdom Government          has t r a n s m i t t e d   to  the   Commission
details   of  a s e r i e s of      related     investment        projects       which    are     important
for  the  development           and urban     renewal     of     the    Belfast      area;
Whereas   almost     half       the  expenditure       on t h e s e     projects      concerns      housing;
whereas   other    infrastructure            investment        projects       are   also   necessary        for
urban   renewal;     whereas the          volume of      national         expenditure      allocated        each
year  to  infrastructure            contributing       to   urban       renewal     in   Northern       Ireland
is  not  sufficient          for   investment       projects       to   be  completed at        a    rate
commensurate     with        the  needs e i t h e r   of  the      region     or  of    Belfast;
Whereas   the   budgetary         authority      has   entered         in  Item    5411   of   the    General
Budget   appropriations            for   "Community measures i n              the   framework        of
integrated    operations";
Whereas   the   implementation            of  an e x c e p t i o n a l  measure to       promote      urban
renewal   in  the    Belfast        area,    in  addition        to    the  possibilities           currently
offered   by  the    existing         financial      instruments,          would    make a      contribution,
together   with    all       the   specific     measures undertaken              in   Northern       Ireland,
to  the  efforts     needed to         bring    about    a steady         improvement       in   the    situation
in  that  region,      provided        that   all    the  investment          projects     are     carried     out
with  due  dispatch;
HAS ADOPTED T H I S        REGULATION
 ---pagebreak---                                                         -   3     -
                                                     Article          1
A specific            measure to           promote     urban        renewal      in  Northern      Ireland    is
hereby       established              for    the  Belfast          area.
                                                     Article          2
The     specific            measure s h a l l     consist         of    the   joint   financing       by  the   Community
and the        public          authorities        in   Northern           Ireland    of    infrastructure        investment
projects          contributing             to   urban     renewal         in  the   Belfast      area.
                                                     Article          3
The     infrastructure                projects      which       the     Community      may h e l p   to  finance    shall
be    chosen from              a  list     to   be s u b m i t t e d    each year      by   the   United    Kingdom,
a c c o m p a n i e d by       all     the    information         necessary for          the   assessment of       each
project,            s u c h as      its    nature,      characteristics             and    location,     the   authority
 responsible,                the  total       cost,   the     financing         arrangements,        the   schedule
of    work     and e x p e n d i t u r e       and any     other         relevant     details.
The     C o m m i s s i o n may        request     any    additional           information       concerning     any   of
the     projects             on t h i s    list.
                                                      Article          4
 In   order       to      qualify        for   a Community           contribution         under   this   Regulation,
 projects          rr· j s t    satisfy       the  following           conditions       :
 -   they     must         not   have been        completed          at    the  time    the   list    is  submitted;
 -   they     must         involve       capital     expenditure             borne   by   the   public     authorities;
 ---pagebreak---                                                          -    4  -
-   they     must     contribute            to   urban      renewal       in   the   Belfast      area,       to   the
     raising     of     living        standards        and to        the    improvement        of   the     environment;
-    they    must     be    consistent            with    the    regional        development        programme          for
     Northern      Ireland          which       the   United       Kingdom       is  required       to    communicate
                                                                                                                                 1
     to   the   Commission under                  Article       6 of     Council Regulation             ( E E C ) No 7 2 4 / 7 5   .
                                                        Article        5
 The     United    Kingdom Government                    shall     also     provide     the     Commission with             all
 the     information           it    needs to        satisfy        itself      that  the     Community          aid    is
 additional         to     the     total       volume      of   national        expenditure        allocated         to    the
  investment        projects           necessary for            urban      renewal,     including          the     infrastructure
 projects       benefitting              from     this     Community         aid.   The g r a n t i n g    of    the   aid   shall
  be    subject     to a f i n d i n g        that    it    is    indeed      additional        thereto.
                                                         Article        6
  Within      the    limits        of    the     budget      resources         earmarked       for   this      measure      under
the      budgetary        procedure           and   available          for    the   period      1983 to        1985,
 the     amount    of     Community           aid   may n o t      e x c e e d 70% o f    the     cost
  of    the   investment.            This       limit    shall      also     apply    where     different          Community
  aids     are   combined.
                                                          Artie le      7
   The    annual      list      of    projects        and the        draft     Commission d e c i s i o n s        concerning the
  granting      o f .· c o n t r a b u t i o n s    shall       be   transmitted       to    the    European Regional
   Development          Fund C o m m i t t e e .      Decisions shall             be t a k e n   by   the      Commission        in
   accordance         with       the    procedure          laid    down     for   the  granting         of    aid    from    this
   Fund.
      0J   No L 7 3 ,      2 1 . 3 . 1 9 7 5 , p.    1
 ---pagebreak---                                                      - 5   -
                                                   Article     8
 At   the      request        of  the   United      Kingdom, advances not                exceeding        80 % o f       the
amount         of    the    contribution         granted     for   each      project      may b e p a i d .         The
balance           for    each p r o j e c t   shall    be p a i d a f t e r   its     completion,        on       receipt
of    a statement             from   the     United    Kingdom Government              certifying         that       the
project           in    question     has     been   completed      and t h a t       all  the    payments           relating
to     it    have       been    made.
The      United         Kingdom    shall       refund   to   the   C o m m i s s i o n any   amounts         which      have
not      been       used pursuant          to   this   Regulation        or   pursuant       to    the    decisions to         grant
c o n t r i b u t i o n s and w h i c h    have    not  been used        for    other     projects        on     the    list.
                                                   Article     9
 In   December o f            each y e a r ,    beginning      in  December          1983,   the    United         Kingdom
shall        transmit         to  the    Commission, together               with     the  list     of   projects          for
the      following           year,   a   report     on  the    projects        in    progress      which        have
received            aid    from   the    Community.       This    report       shall     be t r a n s m i t t e d    to
the      Council         and t h e   European Parliament             at     the    same t i m e    as   a     report      from
the      C o m m i s s i o n on   the   application         of   this    Regulation.
                                                   Article     10
The      United         Kingdom    shall      provide     the    Commission           with   all     the       information
necessary              Tor t h e  proper       implementation        of     the    specific      measure         and    shall
take        all     the    measures      required      to   facilitate         any    checks     which       the     Commission
considers             should     be made,       in  particular       those       involving       the      authorities
and b o d i e s         responsible         for  carrying      out   the     infrastructure           projects,           including
on-the-spot              checks.
 ---pagebreak---                                                      - 6 -
                                                Article         11
 In    agreement       with the         Commission, the            U n i t e d Kingdom s h a l l t a k e     all
 the     steps necessary to p r o v i d e              information           on and t o     publicize       the
 specific        measure.
                                                Article        12
This       Regulat ion s h a l l       apply    for     a period of           three  years starting           from
the      d a t e on w h i c h t h e    specific        measure commences. T h i s p e r i o d may be
e x t e n d e d by t h e    C o u n c i l on a p r o p o s a l     from the      Commission.
                                               Article         13
This Regulation             shall      enter    i n t o f o r c e on t h e      day f o l l o w i n g   its
publication         i n the     Official       J o u r n a l of     the      European    Communities.
This Regulation s h a l l             be b i n d i n g   in    its   entirety       and d i r e c t l y   applicable
in    all      Member   States.
Done a t        Brussels,                               1983                               For the      Counci L
                                                                                           The     President