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23 July, 2002
EU Regional Policy Commissioner Michel Barnier on Monday said he has a "generally positive" picture of progress in implementing a Third Community Support Framework.
Addressing members of a Greek parliament's European Affairs Commission in Athens, Mr. Barnier also referred to problems in a Land Registry program while he expressed worries over the likelihood of problems facing Greece's railways program.
He also expressed his surprise and regret over Greek reactions to a series of letters sent to the Greek prime minister by the Commissioner. "Our aim is Greece to succeed and to fully absorb funds from a Third Community Support Framework, totalling 27 billion euros," the EU Commissioner said.
"The sum is huge and I am not surprised by any problems, which, however, we must overcome," Mr. Barnier told the parliament commission.
The 51-year-old French politician referred to the success of a program on "Information Society" and said that a EU cohesion budget should reach 0.45 percent of the EU's gross domestic product ahead of a EU expansion. He stressed, however, that funds from a cohesion budget should be correctly absorbed "to silence those who opposed them."
Commenting on a course for a EU expansion, Mr. Barnier said that all 10 candidate countries of the first wave were adhering to a timetable agreed with the EU.
Mr. Barnier said he supported an independent Europe, an ally and partner of the US, with its own social model that could deal with regional conflicts more effectively than in Bosnia.
2004 Athens Olympic Games:
European Union Commissioner Michel Barnier, responsible for regional policy and the Intergovernmental Conference, said on Monday the 2004 Athens Olympic Games are a great event for Greece and all of Europe.
Speaking at a press conference at the end of his contacts in Athens, he said his visit focused on the Olympic Games, the implementation of the EU's cohesion policy, the EU's future and the reforming of the EU's institutional bodies.
Referring to the Olympic Games, Barnier said ''from my experience as president of the Olympic Games in Albertville in 1992, I reached the conclusion that the two years preceding the beginning of the Games are exciting years, but at the same time very difficult ones. It is a marathon which one should cover at race speeds.''
He said that the entire world will focus its attention on Greece from August 13 to 29, 2004 and added that Greece has a rich history, as well as great prospects.
Barnier further said the movements of the 130,000 athletes, the people accompanying them, journalists and spectators of the Games constitute one of the most important challenges of the Games.
He went on to say that the EU, to help Greece meet this challenge, is jointly financing many infrastructure projects including the construction of the tram network, the extension of the Metro until Stavros and the rail link between the Spata airport and downtown Athens. Projects jointly financed from the EU amount to one billion 400 million euros.
Barnier had a series of meetings with Athens 2004 Organizing Committee (ATHOC) President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Finance and Economy Minister Nikos Christodoulakis and Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Vasso Papandreou.
He also met with Prime Minister Costas Simitis, while also participating in an audience before Parliament's permanent European Affairs Committee at the invitation of President Costas Vrettos.
Barnier said that during his meeting with Christodoulakis he examined progress in implementing cohesion policy.
He also said he is convinced of Christodoulakis' will to strengthen management and control structures which shall enable Greece to effectively use the amount of 27 billion euros anticipated for the 2000-2006 period.
Regarding the closure of the 2nd Community Support Framework (CSF), the European Commission examined the processes proposed by the finance and economy ministry to check the compatibility of expenditures with national and EU legislation concerning public contracts.
Source: Athens News Agency
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