Agenda 2000: Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-accession ISPA 2000-2006, aid for applicant countries

The Committee has adopted a report on Agenda 2000on an instrument for pre-accession structural policies (ISPA) designed to help the candidate countries (rapporteur Ralf WALTER, PES, D) and the proposal for a legislative resolution the vote on which was postponed on 19th November 1998. The rapporteur nevertheless withdrew 35 amendments out of the 67 adopted in plenary last November. The retabled amendments have to do with important aspects of the implementation of the ISPA, such as the involvement of local and regional authorities, equal opportunities, priorities in the fields of transport and the environment, the balance between the different modes of transport, compliance with Community legislation and public contracts and a mid-term review on the implementation of the ISPA. In addition, three additional amendments were tabled by members of the committee. These were designed to expand the scope of measures to be taken in cases of irregularities so that they include any inability to comply with strategic priorities or to respond to the demands of sustainable development, to pay, exceptionally, 100% of the cost of preparatory studies and technical assistance measures and to make it compulsory to withdraw all or part of the funding if a beneficiary country does not comply with its obligations. �