REGIONAL POLICY: COMMISSION PREPARED TO REALLOCATE FUNDS TO FRENCH SUBURBS.

• Position: European Commission

True to its earlier promise, the European Commission is on the ready to provide funding for areas affected by urban violence. It now has a clearer idea of figures, too: a total of euro 50 million can be expected from the URBAN programme (which is designed to help crisis areas in the EU) and around euro 1 billion could be forthcoming from the EU Structural Funds (under Objective 2 - which aims to support the socio-economic conversion of areas experiencing structural difficulties).

It should also be clarified that this concerns as yet unused money which has already been allocated to France and not new aid for the country. Of course, the final decision regarding the reallocation of these funds which will necessarily be to the detriment of other channels of structural funding lies with the French government and not the Commission. Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner's department is currently in touch with French authorities to discuss the practical details of this operation. A meeting between the two parties took place on November 17.

Ironically, the announcement that help is at hand from...