92003E0863

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0863/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(20 March 2003)

Subject: Use of funds from the Leader+ programme by the City of Frosinone

In September 2002, the monitoring committee of the Italian Ministry for Economic Affairs issued a report on the spending of EU funds. The report reveals the alarming slowness and inefficiency with which EU funds are allocated to projects by some regional authorities.

The grave concerns about the inadequate use of European funds by local authorities have frequently been echoed by the Commission.

Bearing in mind that some local authorities, such as the City of Frosinone, urgently need to use European funds to support innovative rural development measures aimed at enhancing the cultural and natural heritage, creating new jobs by strengthening the local economy and improving the organisational capacity of rural communities, can the Commission state:

1. whether the City of Frosinone has submitted projects for the Leader+ programme?

2. whether the City of Frosinone has secured funding for these projects?

3. whether this funding has been used?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(9 April 2003)

The Honourable Member's question concerns the use of funds from the Leader+ programme by the municipality of Frosinone and whether that municipality submitted projects under the Leader+ programme, whether it obtained finance for those projects and whether those funds were used.

The documents in the Commission's possession show that the municipality of Frosinone is not included in the territory participating in the Leader+ CIP for Lazio, which the Commission approved by its Decision C(2001) 3626 of 26 November 2001.

As a result, Frosinone could neither submit projects nor obtain finance under the Leader+ programme for Lazio.

It should be noted that the Commission does not decide on specific projects or on the selection of the LAGs. It decides to contribute to a programme which includes criteria for selecting the groups on the basis of procedures which guarantee the Leader approach. The final selection of the groups and projects part-financed is made by the Member State or the regional authority responsible in accordance with the conditions laid down in the programme.