WRITTEN QUESTION P-1953/01

by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 June 2001)

Subject: Programme of assistance to Palestinian society

In January 2001 the European Court of Auditors published a special report on the management by the Commission of the programme of assistance to Palestinian society(1).

1. Is the Commission aware of this report?

In the special report, the Court of Auditors makes a number of recommendations.

2. What has the Commission done to follow up these recommendations?

3. Can the Commission give a summary of the cases to which funds were allocated from 1994 and 1999 inclusive?

(1) Special report No 19/2000, OJ C 32, 31.1.2001.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(7 September 2001)

The Commission is indeed aware of this report.

Its responses to the recommendations in paragraph 91 of the report are as follows:

(a) A central theme of the overall Commission plans for reform, announced on 16 May 2000, is to focus scarce resources on core activities. In future the geographic departments of the Directorates General for External Relations and Development will focus on programming ie the strategic policy decisions on funding allocations per sector, to be established in close dialogue with the beneficiary countries. The involvement of Member States will in future focus on policies and strategies, rather than on micro-management of projects.

(b) The new Office responsible for the implementation of Community assistance (see (d) below) should also remedy the very serious staff shortfalls, while terminating the current dependency on outside consultants for the fulfillment of Commission tasks. The European Commission Representative Office (ECRO) should be considerably reinforced.

Israel has recently agreed to an augmentation of staff at the ECRO. Any further discussion with Israel on ECRO, especially its status and its physical location, depends on the outcome of the final political settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

(c) Further efforts are being made to rationalise systems and procedures in general. The MEDA(1) regulations have been revised in September 2000. Commission proposals which would lead to a simplification of procedures have not yet been positively received by Member States in the MED-Committee.

A new manual of instructions relating to contracting procedures has been in use since the beginning of 2000. Such procedures necessarily have a degree of complexity in order to avoid undue claims or legal disputes which could lead to delays. Other areas, however, such as the procedures for approving Country Strategies, National Indicative Programmes and Annual Work plans are being looked at with a view to simplify matters. This, coupled with the reform of the external services, should lead to improved results.

(d) The Commission decided on 16 May 2000 that the project cycle will be unified. The majority of Community assistance programmes, including those to Palestine, are managed by a new body, responsible for all project stages from identification to full implementation. The Office reports to a Board, comprising the External Relations Commissioners.

(e) New working methods have been introduced for the geographical departments and the Office, and the consistency and quality of programming will be closely monitored. Evaluation will be given a substantially higher profile.

(f) The logical framework, which normally is attached to every financing proposal, makes specific provision for objectively verifiable indicators, (mainly constraints of staff and time to ensure sufficient attention to detail in the process of preparing/designing projects), but indicators are indeed sometimes inadequate. In this regard the Commission's decision of 16 May 2000(2) on the reform of its external assistance programmes makes specific provision to further strengthen both its methodology and its training arrangements. In the last few years the Commission has greatly expanded training in project preparation for both headquarters and field staff, as well as for counterpart officials of partner governments.

(1) MEDA = Financial and technical measures to accompany the reform of economic and social structure in the framework of the euro-mediterranean partnership.

(2) SEC(2000) 814.