Brussels, 24/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission approved the Community Support Framework for "Objective 1" assisted areas (regions behind in development) in Germany (20 billion euro for 2000-2006). The guidelines chosen for Community intervention are: 1) strengthening competitiveness: support for investments, promoting research and the information society, support for small and medium-sized enterprises..; 2) developing infrastructures for transport, education, vocational training; 3) environmental protection: treatment of waste water, recycling, revitalisation of industrial sites…; 4) vocational training and combating unemployment; 5) improving agricultural structures, rural development, fisheries.
These guidelines will be set out in the "operational programmes". There will be one per region concerned, ie., the 5 new Laender and East Berlin. They will be complemented by three other programmes, managed at federal level, for transport, human resources and fish-farming. The Commission will approve these programmes "in the coming months".
The CSF was adopted after the German authorities had undertaken to provide the Commission with a list of protected natural areas, list demanded by the Habitats directive.