(2004/C 33 E/046)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0526/03

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(24 February 2003)

Subject:   Cooperation with Macao

The Commission has stated that it will ‘use all the instruments at its disposal to help underscore Macao's autonomy within China and its particular way of life’ (1), for it is convinced that a ‘European presence in the territory and strong personal ties between Europe and Macao are … some of the main features which help to make Macao a natural springboard for the EU in the region’ (2). Parliament has endorsed and reaffirmed that commitment (3) by calling on ‘the European Union to make active use of the instruments available to it, in particular the political dialogue, joint actions, the adoption of positions and, in particular, cooperation measures’ (4).

However, in only two years, cooperation between the EU and Macao has declined to an extremely low level. Indeed, according to Mr Patten's answer to my recent question, it is currently confined to just one project (5).

This state of affairs is said to have been brought about to some extent by the widely held view in the EU that cooperation is synonymous with funding, the implication being that when there are no jointly financed projects, the EU has no practical possibility of organising and pursuing cooperation measures.

Given the pressing development cooperation needs where the world's poorest regions are concerned, funding for measures aimed at Macao is understandably not one of the EU's budgetary priorities. Be that as it may, it ought nevertheless to be possible to explore avenues for bilateral cooperation between the EU and Macao, even if they were to be financed mainly, if not exclusively, by the MSAR, assuming that a European interest were likewise involved or the EU were in a position to satisfy the MSAR's requests.

In the light of the foregoing, can the Commission say whether it is true that, expressed simplistically, cooperation is synonymous with funding? If that is the case, will it revise that definition, not least with a view to widening the opportunities and range of models for bilateral cooperation between the EU and the MSAR? What other ideas does it have for galvanising EU-MSAR cooperation in keeping with the policy statements? What would be the areas of action?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(4 April 2003)

Further to its earlier reply to the Honourable Member's Written Question E-3098/02 (6), the Commission confirms that it remains firmly committed to work and cooperate with the Macao authorities to help the Special Administrative Region's (SAR) stable development, in line with the ‘one country, two systems’ principle. Granting visa-free access to Macao SAR passport holders in 2001 and the initialling of a Community-Macao re-admission agreement in 2002, as well as the Community-Macao legal cooperation programme and Macao's successful participation in regional Community programmes such as Asia Invest and Asia Link are concrete examples thereof.

Given Macao's high income level, Macao — no longer features on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development Assistance Committee's (OECD/DAC) list of Developing Countries and Territories.

However, the Commission and Macao will continue to discuss and explore new ways and means of cooperation, as they did last in October 2002, in the context of the Joint Committee established under the Community-Macao Trade and Cooperation Ageement concluded in 1992.

(1)  COM(1999)484 - C5-0169/2000, p. 3.

(2)  COM(1999)484 - C5-0169/2000, p. 4.

(3)  A5-0017/2001.

(4)  A5-0017/2001, paragraph 10.

(5)  E-3098/02, answer given on 29 November 2002 - OJ C 242 E, 9.10.2003, p. 39.

(6)  OJ C 242 E, 9.10.2003, p. 39.