Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-11-16-Speech-2-213"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.19991116.10.2-213"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"The question which Mr Pohjamo has asked affords me the opportunity of reminding you, ladies and gentlemen, of the method we use to draw up the list of Objective 2 eligible regions, as well as the programming arrangements, complying with the Regulations for the Structural Funds.
As far as the list of eligible regions is concerned, Mr Pohjamo, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to remind you that the Commission sent a letter to the Member States on 1 July 1999, asking them to present their proposals by 31 August 1999. The least I can say is that we had not received many proposals by the time the deadline expired. So, Mr Pohjamo, I understand the concern which you are expressing, one which has been expressed most forcefully elsewhere by Mr Hatzidakis, the chairman, on behalf of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism.
Is there a risk that the delays of some Member States in putting forward their proposals will penalise those who made efforts to respect the time limits better than the others? It is precisely so that we do not penalise the Member States who managed to submit their proposals at an earlier stage and in due form, complying with the terms of the Regulations, that the Commission has decided to approve the list in terms of groups of countries. So the Commission’s decision on eligible regions for Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland was taken on 26 October.
Let me remind you, however, that this decision is a procedural one, since the Member States must be consulted via the committees, in accordance with the Regulations, before the final decision of the Commission may be taken. And it is only after the final decision that the programming process may begin, in negotiation between the Commission and the Member States. On this subject, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to say that the Commission shall exercise the utmost pragmatism in working in this programming. So, for example, as I recently indicated to the Greek authorities in Athens, in programming the future appropriations, we shall be taking into account in quite a substantial manner the tragic consequences of the recent earthquake. I may say the same, with reference to current events in France, regarding the equally tragic consequences of the floods which have just occurred in four French departments. We can adjust or adapt the total appropriations allocated to each of the countries of the Union in order to take current events, particularly when they have such disastrous consequences, into account.
The Regulations stipulate a period of four months for the economic development plans to be submitted by the national authorities, and a further period of five months for these proposals to be adopted. It is therefore expected that the first Objective 2 programmes shall be approved towards the middle of the year 2000. An identical process shall be followed for the eight remaining Member States to which Objective 2 still applies. However, due to the extended time limits for the approval of the lists – delays, as I have said, which the Commission is not responsible for – the programmes should be adopted in the second half of the year 2000, for most of these eight Member States.
Ladies and gentlemen, not one programme will be in force by the 1 January 2000. I would, nonetheless, like to reassure the Members that may be concerned about this by specifying that there will be no interruption in the investment activity at local level since the resources for the current term, which has not yet run its course, must be committed in full by 31 December 1999. The implementation of projects for the previous period, which is due to expire on 31 December, will be continued for the next two years."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples