Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-27-Speech-2-226"
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"en.20050927.20.2-226"2
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".
We know that the Greeks need funds, as indeed do other Member States which use our funds, and as soon as I was informed there were problems with absorption capacity we worked very closely with the authorities to help as much as we could on the Commission side to solve the problem. Nevertheless, one should also take into account the fact that this year still has some months to run, so if there is full involvement – which I believe there is on the Greek side – we can try to avoid losing the funds within this year's allocation for Greece.
It is too premature to talk about concrete figures because my experience of the last one-and-a-half months of last year, when I took over at the end of November, was that the last months of the year usually see a huge mobilisation of funds in most of the Member States when they are able to catch up. That means there are still three months left to ensure an adequate absorption of funds in Greece.
All I can do is make the commitment that we will work hard with the authorities on this issue and on the basis of the figure I was presented with by the DG, my feeling is that the figure is well below the one mentioned in the question by the honourable Member. Nevertheless, at this stage I am reluctant to mention those figures because I believe that the Greek authorities and the Greeks who need the money will do their best to spend the money properly in the months to come.
As you know, for the structural funds the amount which might be at risk is the amount allocated in 2003 because now the N+2 comes automatically at the end of this year, and within the 2003 allocation we have not only ERDF, but also Social Fund and EAGGF funding. It is not for me to impose rapid action on the Greek authorities, but insofar as we can impose and mobilise we are doing so.
We are holding meetings at all levels and our missions are very often to Greece. Colleagues are working at a current operational level, but they are also very active in helping overcome any difficulties which have accumulated over years. Things like this do not happen overnight, but are usually the outcome of longer-term processes. We are trying to address the problems we have uncovered this year and help the Greeks."@en1
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