Brussels, 07/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - "If the Parliament and the Commission renounced, these last years, to register in the Community budget a heading for emergency aid for inside the EU. "This is because it was technically impossible to proceed to estimate the needs and it was budgetary impossible to write in a heading anything other than symbolic grant" - in the face of the Member States having, means, "that are otherwise more significant than the Unions." Moreover, "since the Courts verdict, made on 12 May 1998, it is legally impossible, due to a lack of precedent, to carry out the corresponding spending." This declaration by the budget 2000 rapporteur General Jean-Louis Bourlanges reflects a shared feeling in the institutions: avoid all confrontation between the Commission and the Parliament on the allocation to one of the two institutions of the "responsibility" of the EU's inability to bring emergency aid to French regions seriously affected by the storm. The European Commission proposed to concentrate the structural fund actions and other Community measures on the repair of damages - the EP seems to be sharing this position, but regrets not being able to provide emergency aid as the corresponding budget was suppressed by the Parliament. (see EUROPE of 5 January p.13).