Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-20-Speech-4-134"
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"en.20031120.5.4-134"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, our committee has put down this oral question because our members, the public and the staff of the European Info-Points have learned that the Commission wrote to the Info-Points in September 2003, informing them that, with effect from 1 January 2004, the beginning of the election year, financial support for these information agencies, which are of such great importance to the public, was to be curtailed. This course of action amounts to closing down some 270 Info-Points in the European Union, each of which receives approximately EUR 20 000 per annum to support them in their work, but it does not, in principle, affect other Info-Points attached to other, larger institutional structures such as national or regional parliaments.
I would like to start by pointing out that the Commission did not think it necessary to inform Parliament about this, whether by writing to it or within the framework of the Interinstitutional Information Group, which, as you will be aware, is composed of the chairmen of Parliament’s Committees and the Commissioners responsible for information and communications policy. I leave it to you to judge the quality of our interinstitutional relations! In this instance, however, we are not dealing with a simple financial problem, such as often crops up with programmes or projects in other policy areas. This, on the other hand, is about a strict interpretation of the new Financial Regulation and about the serious consequences – for us and the Commission – resulting from such a rigorous application of this legal act.
We are well aware that the new Financial Regulation that we adopted in this House, does not permit operating grants, but a solution must nevertheless be found to this grave problem so that the Info-Points affected can continue to work through 2004 and can continue to inform the public about the activities of the European Union and the work that we do on a daily basis.
The Commission should be aware that the European elections, although they are often described as a matter for Parliament, are not only that; they are far more a process of active public participation in which the Commission should also join. The Info-Points and Carrefours make a substantial contribution to the European Union’s information and communications policy, and their significance should not be underestimated, particularly at a time when enlargement is within sight and in view of the continued and increasing need for information campaigns.
The European elections and the signing of the EU’s new constitution are almost upon us, and need particular attention in addition to ongoing information on what is going on in the EU. These information offices, which are intended to address primarily the local population and people living in the regions, are indispensable, and so I would like to put three questions to you, and I would also like to urge you to answer them. What action will the Commission be taking to guarantee that the networks and Info-Points can carry on unhindered with their valuable work in a year that is to see both the European elections and the enlargement of the EU? How will the Commission ensure the future provision of funding for this work? When will the Commission take a decision on the funding arrangements for the future?"@en1
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