91998E0476

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0476/98 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (27 February 1998)

Subject: Consultation with local and regional partners in east and south-east England regarding structural fund reform

Could the Commission list the contacts it has made with and the representations it has received from local and regional agencies and social partners regarding reform of the structural funds from eastern and south-eastern regions of England (outside London), since and at the time of the Cohesion Forum in April 1997? What further consultations does the Commission plan in this respect?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (7 April 1998)

The bodies in Eastern and South East England from which the Commission has received representations on the reform of the structural funds are Kent County Council, Dover District Council, Isle of Wight Council, Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the English Regional Associations (which include the standing conference of East Anglian local authorities (Sceala) and South East regional planning).

The Commission has also received a paper from Sceala setting out its response to 'Agenda 2000' ((COM(97) 2000 final. )). Sceala covers the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and the seven training and enterprise councils of the Eastern region.

The Commission has no plans for further formal consultation, although regular informal contact is maintained with the regional offices in Brussels.