91999E2813

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2813/99

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(18 January 2000)

Subject: Administration of calls for tenders in connection with common agricultural policy funding

In order to allocate funding in the context of the common agricultural policy, in particular under budget heading B2-5122, the Commission issued a call for tenders for the financing of projects submitted by operators in the sector.

The deadline for submitting projects was 15 November 1999.

Among the entities taking part in the procedure was the forestry consortium Terra dei Santi e Colline del Po, which requested a subsidy for the creation of a centre for agriculture and the sustainable development of the hill area concerned.

All the documentation regarding the project was submitted on 13 November 1999 to Unit VI.AII.1 of the Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture, at 200 rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels.

However, the Commission rejected the project, explaining that the final deadline had been brought forward from 15 November to 31 October 1999, and that the project had therefore been submitted after expiry of the deadline.

Can the Commission say whether it considers it right to decide to bring forward an established deadline to the detriment of participants, making it impossible for them to have access to funding?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(10 February 2000)

The intention behind budget heading B2-5122 was to enhance public awareness of the common agricultural policy. No call for tenders or proposals was made but a guide for potential applicants was published on the Directorate-General for Agriculture's internet site.

The guide initially stated that applications could be sent to the Commission up to 15 November 1999. That date was changed to 31 October 1999 to give the Commission more time to process applications before closure of the budgetary procedures in 1999. The change was notified using the same information medium as the guide, i.e. the internet.

The application by the Consorzio Forestale Terra dei Santi e Colline del Po arrived on 13 November but was in fact carefully examined and found to be ineligible under heading B2-5122.