This is why in the past, ex-ante evaluations of large projects were essential in order to ensure the efficient use of European funds.

The Commission is deluding itself if it thinks that it can use Article 39 to recoup what it has failed to obtain during ex-ante evaluation.

The Structural Funds regulation also states that this ex-ante evaluation should include an assessment of the environmental situation, especially in areas which might be influenced by Structural Fund intervention.

We have again set a horizontal objective for the new period for the Structural Funds, requiring lists to be drawn up even during ex-ante evaluations, setting out and calculating how these special programmes will affect the labour market situation.

The Structural Funds Regulation - decided unanimously last year by all the Member States - clearly states that the ex-ante evaluation is a prerequisite to the programme and the planning documents which the Member States submit to the Commission for approval.

Regarding the point raised by Mrs Corbey concerning the ex-ante evaluation, let me say that it was sent in September to the Chairman of the Committee on Fisheries and distributed to all members of the Committee on Fisheries.

He was charged with developing an implementation timetable for social security reform, the operational establishing principles of pension funds, as well as with an ex-ante evaluation of the implementation costs of the new social security system, and with designing a financing scheme.

Mainly, the definition of the public mission of broadcasters needs to be made clear; we need a better evaluation of state aid but also, as regards the rule of transparency, we must not impose pointless administrative and financial burdens on the Member States and public broadcasters in the ex-ante evaluation carried out by the Commission.