WRITTEN QUESTION P-3477/98

by Ursula Stenzel (PPE) to the Commission

(12 November 1998)

Subject: Human rights

Can the Commission indicate the amount of the appropriation still remaining for this year in the budget for human rights activities (Chapter B7-70)? Can it also give a detailed breakdown of the use to which the appropriations earmarked in the budget for human rights activities have been put? On what grounds can the Commission justify the failure to use all the appropriations? What specific measures has it taken, or is it taking, to ensure that these appropriations are used rapidly and efficiently? Can the Commission give an undertaking that no appropriations entered in this budget chapter will have to be carried over to the next financial year at the end of this financial year?

Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(14 January 1999)

The relevant Member of the Commission addressed the plenary session of Parliament on 17 November 1998 on the use of budget headings in Chapter B7-70 for the promotion and protection of human rights. On that occasion, he reported on the numerous difficulties encountered in the course of the 1998 financial year, particularly the effects of the Court of Justice ruling of 15 May 1998, and the consultation process on draft regulations providing the legal basis for the human rights budget headings in Chapter B7-70. This had led to all human rights budget headings being frozen until the inter-institutional agreement in late July 1998 authorised their use, exceptionally, until December 1998. The other matter involved was Parliament's concerns and criticism with regard to the technical assistance offices.

Despite these difficulties, the Commission has done and will do everything necessary to ensure that the appropriations available under Chapter B7-70 are fully used, in accordance with the selection criteria, paying attention to priority issues and areas. The proportion of budget headings used under Chapter B7-70 should soon reach 86,9 %, or 98 % including the projects to strengthen civil society in Kosovo and Bosnia. The same procedure has been followed as in previous years, except for the Phare democracy and Tacis democracy headings: for those projects, the management methods have been brought into line with the other human rights headings in that Chapter. Parliament will receive ad hoc reports on the various budget headings, and reports on particular issues.

When the responsible Member of the Commission addressed the plenary session of the Parliament he underlined that the Commission could only support the strengthening of democracy and human rights by mobilising civil society, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The Commission was seeking to ensure that such an approach responded to strategic policy concerns while reflecting grass-roots initiatives.

The creation of the budget lines was an initiative by Parliament. After Court ruling C106/96, the Commission cannot implement any budget lines without authority. Therefore Parliament has a crucial contribution to make. First, the Commission looks to the future new legal basis, and hopes that the Parliament will facilitate its rapid adoption. Second, for a successful management of these budget lines it is essential that budgetary remarks be adopted in order to use part of the the operational expenditures (up to a maximum ceiling) for technical and administrative assistance (bureaux d'assistance technique, "BATs").