§ Baroness Gardner of Parkesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek assurances from the European Commission that United Kingdom non-governmental organisations will not experience discriminatory delays and difficulties in accessing funding under the co-financing budget of Directorate-General VIII for projects in developing countries. [HL3886]
§ Baroness AmosWe are not aware of any discrimination by the European Commission against UK non-governmental organisations, but we are concerned at the delays in the Commission for approving contracts with partner organisations. We are supporting work to rationalise the Commission's aid management systems to ensure faster and more flexible procedures, while at the same time maintaining financial propriety. We oppose strongly any attempts to impose national quotas, whether formal or informal.