WRITTEN QUESTION E-1498/03
by Ian Hudghton (Verts/ALE) to
the Commission
(22 April 2003)
Subject: 2003 financial package to
tackle BSE and other animal diseases
What amount of financial aid was
available to the UK Government under the 2003 EU financial package to
tackle BSE and other animal diseases; further, which of the Member States
applied for such assistance and what amounts have been awarded to each;
and finally can the UK Government still make a claim for payment to be
made?
E-1498/03EN
Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission
(10 June 2003)
The budget available for the 2003
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) Monitoring Programme was
94.5 million. Of this, it is estimated that around 4.2 million would
have been available initially for the United Kingdoms eligible costs if
their programme had been submitted on time, with a possible reallocation
of the budget from the underspending Member States to the overspending
Member States before the end of the year, as was done for the 2002 TSE
Monitoring Programmes.
The other 14 Member States all submitted
a programme for TSE Monitoring 2003. The global amount committed for the
14 Member States was 94 327 000, with the maximum amount for the
eligible costs of each individual Member State set out in Commission
Decision 2002/934/EC of 28 November 2002 as follows:
| Belgium |
4 719 000 |
|
Italy |
6 952 000 |
| Denmark |
2 977 000 |
|
Luxembourg |
198 000 |
| Germany |
20 723
000 |
|
the Netherlands
|
6 312 000 |
| Greece |
975 000 |
|
Austria |
2 455 000 |
| Spain |
5 984 000 |
|
Portugal |
1 059 000 |
| France |
30 554
000 |
|
Finland |
1 402 000 |
| Ireland |
9 577 000 |
|
Sweden |
440 000 |
The budget available for the 2003
Eradication Programme was 41 million. Of this, at least 765 000 ( 700
000 for Brucellosis and 65 000 for Tuberculosis - the same as for the
year 2002) would have been available initially for the United Kingdoms
eligible costs had they submitted their programmes on time, with a
possible reallocation between the Member States before the end of the
year, as was done for the 2002 Eradication Programmes.
The other 14 Member States submitted
Eradication Programmes for 2003. The global amount committed for the
various programmes approved for the 14 Member States was 37 850 000,
with the maximum amount for the eligible costs of each individual Member
State set in Commission Decision 2002/943/EC as follows:
| Belgium |
650 000 |
|
Italy |
4 925 000 |
| Denmark |
150 000 |
|
Luxembourg |
150
000 |
| Germany |
2 090 000 |
|
the Netherlands
|
900 000 |
| Greece |
1
170 000 |
|
Austria |
215 000 |
| Spain |
14 200
000 |
|
Portugal |
3 950 000 |
| France |
2 555 000 |
|
Finland |
35 000 |
| Ireland |
6 855
000 |
|
Sweden |
5 000 |
The United Kingdom Government cannot
make a financial claim for its 2003 Eradication Programmes and TSE
Monitoring Programmes. The United Kingdoms programmes were not approved
for co-financing due to the fact that they were submitted after the 1 June
deadline given in Article 24§3 of Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June
1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field. Therefore, any payment
application submitted by the United Kingdom for 2003 eradication or
monitoring programmes will not result in a financial contribution on the
part of the Commission. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (DEFRA) was informed of this in a letter dated 11 November 2002. |
