The European Parliament,

- having regard to the motions for resolutions by:

(a) Mr Waechter and others on Community regional development measures to assist the Spanish regions covered by Objective 1,

(b) Mr Waechter and others on the regional and social redevelopment plans and the Community support frameworks for the areas of Spain and Italy included in Objective 2,

- having regard to the first report of the Committee on Regional Policy and Regional Planning,

- having regard to the second report of the Committee on Regional Policy and Regional Planning

1. Notes that Spain, as a Member State of the Community has rightly benefited from assistance from the Structural Funds, and that the criteria, both for selecting regions or geographical areas for assistance and for fund allocation have been based on those adopted for the reformed Structural Funds;

2. Welcomes the fact that transfers to regions are not solely financial, but have been linked to conceptual criteria which must be applied, in an effort to direct structural policies, although purely economic and financial aspects still play a dominant role; considers that greater consideration should accordingly be given to the principle of concentration and, in practical terms, that preferential treatment should be given to the Objective 1 regions in the form of extra expenditure on research;

3. Considers that disagreement in the negotiations between the Commission and the Spanish authorities, as well as between the latter and local and regional authorities, over the implementation of the Structural Fund regulations should be avoided and considers that Parliament should be informed of the course of the negotiations between the Commission and the Spanish authorities and of any disagreements arising therefrom in respect of the implementation of the Structural Funds;

4. Regrets that for Objective 1 regions, investments in infrastructural sectors, totalling 51%, have been dominant at the expense of investments in economically more productive activities (27% of the total), and that the percentage allocated for industry, crafts and services is only 11.25%;

5. Is aware that the desire of the national and regional authorities to give priority to infrastructural investment is motivated by the long-term problems of infrastructural backwardness and disadvantage characterizing the Spanish economy, which would block its development unless they are resolved, but considers that the high proportion of investment devoted to infrastructures will have to be modified in the future, as and when the basic shortcomings are corrected; considers that account must also be taken of the fact that investment in infrastructure is more straightforward, from the administrative point of view, than productive investment and that, to remove this imbalance, a law defining and facilitating aid to productive investment is required;

6. Stresses the enormous importance of complementarity between Community funds and national efforts for regional development and expects it to be fully observed;

7. Notes that local and regional authorities have not been sufficiently involved in negotiations on the implementation of the structural policies for Objective 1 and 2 regions;

8. Points out therefore that the present multiannual funds only expire in 1993 for Objective 1 and at the end of 1992 for Objective 2 regions and that sufficient time thus remains for corrective measures with a view to involving local and regional authorities and the two sides of industry;

9. Believes that every programme or project necessitating Structural Fund assistance must satisfy, and be monitored for compliance with, the requirement of environmental acceptability; welcomes the praiseworthy efforts which have been made by the Spanish authorities to reconcile development with ecological criteria, as well as the adoption of national legislation forming a solid basis for adequate standards of environmental protection; suggests in particular that local and regional bodies be involved, to ensure that environmental aspects of structural policies are assessed and considered in the formulation of a coherent policy for environmental provisions as these are codified not only in national, but also Community legislation;

10. Considers that in Spain as in other Member States the monitoring committees should be constituted on the basis of broad participation, so as to increase the involvement of trade unions, and employers' organizations;

11. Proposes that more structural policy measures should be managed at regional level than at present, particularly in regard to Objective 1 instruments in order to ensure optimum use of funds, though it is recognized that national economic policy must also play a role at regional level;

12. Regrets that in some cases it has proved impossible to implement projects because they include some parts which have not been designated by the national authorities, and, accordingly, matching funds have not been available;

13. Regrets that certain contributions by national public authorities are still outstanding, as the Court of Auditors has shown, even though in some cases the Community contribution has been paid for a number of years by the ESF; calls, therefore, on the Commission to adopt or propose measures to put an end to this situation;

14. Suggests for future actions that alternative thinking on transport structures be considered, with lower priority being given to the construction of motorways and prestigious high-speed trains, which tend to direct activity towards centres of economic activity and are less beneficial to regional development;

15. Calls on the Commission to brief Parliament on the checks it has carried out or will carry out, in collaboration with the national and regional authorities, with a view to ascertaining that the technical standard of public infrastructural projects matches the project specifications;

16. Notes the need for a regional planning policy - specifically, measures to support transfrontier cooperation and to assist development of the Atlantic regions;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council, and to the Spanish Government and Ministries concerned.