92002E0617

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0617/02

by Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 March 2002)

Subject: Regional programmes of innovative schemes

The Inforegio/News bulletin of January 2002 reports that the Commission has completed negotiations on 58 regional programmes of innovative schemes.

Can the Commission say how many programmes of innovative schemes were rejected in Spain and why they were rejected?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(5 April 2002)

Of the 18 Spanish proposals for regional programmes of innovative actions presented to the Commission by 31 May 2001, 17 of them, involving total funding of over EUR 80 million and a Community contribution of more than EUR 45 million, have been or are in the process of being approved.

The one proposal rejected was judged to be of insufficient quality when set against the ten criteria published in the Commission Communication(1) because the priority given to communications infrastructure measures corresponded more to a traditional operational programme than to a programme of truly innovative actions.

(1) The regions and the new economy Guidelines for innovative actions under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in 2000-2006 COM(2001) 60 final.