ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3581/01

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Suspected cases of fraud and favouritism in the Commission

In the resolution which it adopted on 29 November 2001 on the annual report on the fight against fraud (A5-0393/2001), the European Parliament criticised the time being taken to investigate suspected cases of fraud and favouritism in the European Commission. In paragraph 21 thereof, it recalled that a former Member of the Commission had been accused of having misused official vehicles for private purposes.

Ii also recalled that a former female Member of the Commission had been accused of irregular conduct as regards the award of several contracts to a firm with which she had connections, shortly before her taking up office as a Commissioner, of having an expensive apartment in Brussels made available free of charge to one of her advisers and of having contracts for inconsequential studies and research awarded to a German lawyer as cover so that he could visit her office and, possibly, gain access to, and influence, sensitive cases (Leuna affair) with which the Commission was dealing at that time.

Parliament called once again on the Commission to bring an action, where appropriate, before the European Court of Justice under Article 213 of the EC Treaty for breach of obligations by former Members of the Commission.

Can the Commission indicate the action which it is currently taking in order to comply with Parliament's call?

Can it also indicate when the former Commissioners involved were interviewed, or will be interviewed, in connection with these accusations?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(20 February 2002)

The European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) has stated that it is conducting an investigation into the use of staff vehicles by a former Commissioner due to be completed shortly.

With regard to the other former Commissioner referred to by the Honourable Member, the Commission would point out that a criminal investigation into several aspects of the dossier is still under way before the examining magistrate in Brussels. OLAF is monitoring the case in conjunction with the Belgian authorities.

As was stated in the answer given by the Commission to written question E-4073/00 by the Honourable Member(1), the Commission is carrying out an administrative enquiry into one of the specific points of the European Parliament resolution referred to by the Honourable Member.

It is therefore too soon to decide whether or not to refer the case to the Court of Justice under Article 213 of the EC Treaty.

The appropriate hearings can, naturally, be organised during the course of the various investigations.

(1) OJ C 235 E, 21.8.2001.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3519/01

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Gypsies and travellers Danger of social exclusion in the EU

Projects submitted to the Commission for grant funding, aimed at developing and improving the education and training of gypsies and travellers (including fairground, circus and bargee groups) have been rejected by the external evaluators.

Has the Commission sought to work with the promoters of these projects to help them prepare project bids which would meet the criteria for financial support, thus allowing them to assist gypsies and travellers? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(15 February 2002)

The Commission has funded a significant number of projects aimed at developing and improving the education and training of gypsies and travellers (including fairground, circus and bargee groups).

As this target group is a priority within the Socrates Programme (Comenius) funding has been allocated every year to projects promoted by organisations active in the field since the earliest years of the programme. Significant numbers of projects have also been funded under both the Leonardo Da Vinci and Youth Programmes.

Commission decisions to fund or reject project proposals are based on an independent, external evaluation carried out by experts in the field. Where new project proposals are not selected for funding promoters receive a letter outlining the reasons underlying the decision and are encouraged to seek advice from the appropriate services of the Commission, before submitting a new application
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3199/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 November 2001)

Subject: Progress of projects connected to the Olympic Games

The Commission is funding a number of projects relating to the quality of life and culture which are connected to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. As far as the quality of life is concerned, these projects include the Underground, projects to ease traffic congestion in Athens and others which are still at the planning stage, such as the tram and the suburban railway projects. In the cultural field, these include projects to integrate archaeological sites. Will the Commission say where problems have arisen in completing these projects?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(18 January 2002)

The Greek authorities sent to the Commission on 13 September 2001 a list of the most important projects which they consider related to the 2004 Olympic Games and which are proposed for inclusion in operational programmes under the Community support framework for the 2000-2006 programming period.

The Commission sent a letter to those authorities on 25 October 2001, informing them that it will keep close contacts with the managing authorities and offer every support needed in order to help the Greek authorities to reach the targets set for the completion of these works.

The Commission also pointed out that the contracts related to the suburban railway and the tramway projects had not yet been concluded and that every effort would need to be made to accelerate these projects in particular. The Commission will have regular contacts to that end in the coming months with the managing authorities concerned. It should be remembered however that, within the terms of Council regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural funds(1), the project planning and execution are the Member States' entire responsibility.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3193/01

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 November 2001)

Subject: European contributions to associations and companies

An examination of the 2001 budget reveals that the European Union allocates over EUR 32 million (64 billion lire) to 24 associations whose goal is to promote European civil society. Which criteria does the Commission use to assess whether one association is more deserving of funding than another? What criterion is used in monitoring the ways in which these associations make use of the funding?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 2002)

On most of these lines, the Commission wishes to launch open calls for proposals in order to select the organisations best placed to promote the idea of the European civil society at limited cost. These calls for proposals clearly define the selection criteria to be met by the organisations. It was in that spirit that the draft preliminary budget for 2002 was drawn up.

In the course of the budgetary procedure, this year as in previous years, Parliament explicitly stated who the beneficiaries of the grants should be by means of amendments to the draft budget with regard to lines such as A-3021, A-3026, the lines relating to external relations and line A-3042. These are the beneficiaries which Parliament feels are best suited to the purpose of these lines. These amendments list the beneficiaries in the remarks or introduce specific lines for individual beneficiaries.

The Commission has indicated that it will respect the wishes of the budgetary authority expressed in the remarks, provided that they do not run counter to its political objectives nor the rules and principles of sound financial management.

Article 10 of the standard grant agreements sets out the arrangements for technical and financial monitoring.

Moreover, before paying the last instalment, the Commission always checks how Community funds have been used. With regard to operating grants, it requests an annual statement of accounts and it ensures that the grant is a balancing subsidy for the organisation and that the co-financing rules are followed. Should problems arise, a more thorough audit is carried out.

All the rules on the management of Commission grants are contained in the grant management vade mecum, a public document available on the institutions' Europa site (http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/sgc/info_subv/vm_gm.htm). Chapter 8 of the vade mecum gives detailed instructions to managers for the regular monitoring of grants and beneficiaries, audits and the possible recovery of amounts wrongly paid.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3456/01

by Jannis Sakellariou (PSE) to the Commission

(4 January 2002)

Subject: Knock Airport in Co. Mayo, Ireland

1. What is the annual level of EU support for Knock Airport in Co. Mayo, Ireland?

2. What proportion of the airport's running costs is borne by the EU?

3. What was the EU's contribution towards the cost of building the airport?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(15 February 2002)

1. The Community does not at present grant any support to Knock Airport in Ireland.

2. The Community does not bear any running costs for the above mentioned airport.

3. Through the Irish Peripherality Operational Programme under the Structural Funds for the 1989-1993 period, Knock Airport (then known as Connaught airport) received a European Regional Development Fund contribution of approximately 270 000. Under this programme, improvements were made to the terminal building and the meteorological station.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1890/01

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 June 2001)

Subject: Loss of VAT revenue in Greece

The newspaper To Vima of 23 May 2001 reported the findings of the organisation responsible for fighting economic crime in Greece that the loss of VAT revenue in that country amounts to the significant sum of Drs 1,5 trillion. These findings have not been disputed by any other competent authority.

Will the Commission say what the findings and the figures are in this respect in the other Member States, and whether the level of tax evasion affects the VAT base and, consequently, the level of the Union's own resources?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(24 September 2001)

The Commission is aware of several national studies on VAT fraud. However, these studies are very approximate and may have sharp diverging results. Since no reliable and comparable methods measuring the level of fraud are available, the Commission cannot draw firm conclusions in this respect for other Member States.

VAT fraud can influence the overall financial weight of Member States contributions to the Community's budget. Member States' budget contributions are determined on the basis of the best available information. Several types of fraud have been detected in the present VAT system, affecting pure domestic trade as well as intra-community and international trade. Moreover an increasing problem of fraud affecting intra-community trade and international trade has been identified. The Commission has analysed Member States VAT receipts and has concluded that, although detected fraud in intra-Community trade accounts for a considerable loss of receipts in absolute terms, it does not appear to have a tangible impact on VAT receipts. In this context, the Commission would recall that on 28 January 2000 it submitted to the Council and the Parliament a report constituting a comprehensive examination of each Member State's VAT control system and that it has therefore fulfilled its undertaking(1).

(1) COM(2000) 28 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2940/01

by Massimo Carraro (PSE), Fiorella Ghilardotti (PSE),Giovanni Fava (PSE), Giovanni Pittella (PSE), Paolo Costa (ELDR)and Luigi Cocilovo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 October 2001)

Subject: Accident at Linate airport

In view of the serious accident that occurred on 8 October 2001 at Linate airport, can the Commission say:

1. what it intends to do to ensure adequate safety standards at European airports;

2. whether there are currently plans for European regulations to make flight authorisation conditional upon effective radar systems;

3. whether there are plans for European regulations to ensure adequate and uniform standards for runway signs at European airports?

Does the Commission consider that, in general, its remit covers the safety of European citizens, including adequate checks on the safety standards applied by air traffic control authorities and companies that manage airports in Europe?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-2938/01 and E-2940/01given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(11 January 2002)

The Commission shares the Honourable Members' concern about the risk of runway incursions, as happened at Linate airport.

The Commission has started work in this area under the research programmes and two years ago a project called BETA was launched to assess the benefits that can be achieved through a common definition of requirements, and field demonstrations are being organised now. The Commission is working with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Eurocontrol to define technical requirements, and the results of present activities are being presented to ICAO fora.

Once the technical requirement will be assessed, the Commission's recent proposals on the Single European Sky1(1) will make it possible to mandate the necessary measures to be taken at each European airport in order to ensure a very high safety standard. This will include any means, including runway signs, to ensure a comprehensive and efficient way of surveying surface movements.

(1) COM(2001) 123 final and 564 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3603/01

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Plan to restore and develop the dolmens in Estepona (Spain)

Recent excavations in the Andalusian town of Estepona have led to the discovery of a nècropolis dating from the time between the end of the Neolithic Age and the start of the Copper Age, containing five small tombs.

This discovery has led to proposals that a plan be drawn up to restore and develop the megalithic nécropolis in which the five well-preserved dolmens were found.

Bearing in mind the importance of this discovery, does the Commission believe that it should play an active part in the plan to restore and develop these dolmens, thus making its own contribution to the stroke of good fortune which this significant archaeological find represents for Estepona?

Answer given by Ms Reding on behalf of the Commission

(21 February 2002)

The Commission supports initiatives in the cultural sphere, including the protection, preservation and development of cultural heritage within the framework and according to the selection criteria of the Culture 2000 programme, which is the Union's only financing and planning instrument for cultural cooperation. The Honourable Member will find additional information at the following site: http://europa.eu.int/comm.culture/c2000.

The Commission would draw the Honourable Member's attention to the fact that a call for proposals for projects to be run in 2003 will be published in the Official Journal in the first half of 2002. Cultural operators will therefore be free to present their projects so that they can be considered for funding.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3159/01

by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission

(19 November 2001)

Subject: Copies of the acquis and screening reports

Will the Commission forward an electronic copy of the existing acquis, as communicated to the candidate countries, and copies of all screening reports?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 2002)

The main bulk of the acquis was transmitted to the candidate countries in the context of the negotiations on accession at the beginning of their negotiations. In addition, any new acquis that comes into force is transmitted to them in the context of an updating exercise. An electronic version of all the existing Community legislation, as it is made available to the candidate countries, is available on the Commission's Internet site, EUR-LEX, which the Honourable Member can find at http://www.europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/search/search_lif.html.

Screening reports are preparatory documents detailing the positions of the candidate countries in relation to the acquis communautaire, in the context of the negotiations on accession. They are not solely the property of the Commission, but also of the Member States and the candidate countries.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2668/01

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(2 October 2001)

Subject: Protection of minorities in Hungary

In the past few years, Hungary has made great efforts to integrate its Roma minority. The government has, for instance, adopted a package of long- and medium-term measures aimed at ensuring the social integration of the Roma and combating the segregation process. Fundamental to these efforts is the acknowledgement by the Hungarian government that genuine social integration of the Roma calls for a mix of minority-protection and social policies.

Will the Commission state whether it is giving due support to these efforts by Hungary, an applicant country, e.g. in the form of financial subsidies and projects aimed at integrating the Roma and improving their living conditions in Hungary?

Will it also state whether, in the context of the applicant countries' pre-accession strategies, it generally supports projects designed to deal with discrimination and problem situations involving minorities?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 2001)

In the framework of its Regular Reports on the progress of candidate countries, the Commission analyses under the political criteria the extent to which Hungary ensures the protection of human right and of minorities. In this context, the medium-term action programme for the social integration of the Roma has been closely examined. This programme was adopted by the Hungarian Government in 1999, but specific funding for its implementation was only made available in 2000 and 2001. In July 2001, the policy framework for minorities was further strengthened with the preparation by the Government of a long-term strategy for the Roma, which is currently being discussed with representatives of the Roma minority and other public and civil organisations. The final strategy is scheduled to be adopted by Parliament in early 2002.

Despite these positive developments, the living conditions of the Roma remain difficult and it will take time for the measures currently being implemented to have a noticeable impact. Since 1999, the Commission has actively supported Hungary's efforts to improve the situation of the Roma. Through the Phare programme, more than 12 million have so far been made available. Measures have concentrated on the areas of training, education, social affairs and anti-discrimination.

In line with the priorities laid down in the Accession Partnership, the Commission provides support for the social integration of national minorities in other applicant countries where problems exist in this respect.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2669/01

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(2 October 2001)

Subject: Széchenyi Plan in Hungary

Hungary is currently endeavouring, by means of the Széchenyi Plan, to achieve the strongest possible economic growth, with numerous programmes for promoting enterprise, tourism, regional and economic development and active employment. It is an ambitious plan whose key objectives include rapid and sustainable economic growth, mobilising domestic and foreign economic resources, creating new economic opportunities, social gains and responding to the challenges of the new economic era.

Will the Commission say whether it is actively supporting implementation of the Széchenyi Plan in Hungary by assisting with the search for partners and investors, or if it is supporting the plan in any other way, e.g. financially?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(31 October 2001)

The Commission welcomes the setting up of the Szechényi plan, which will strengthen the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy and in particular of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). The Commission neither actively participates in the search for partners and investors, nor does it directly financially contribute to the plan. However, Hungary's preliminary National Development Plan, which underpins the PHARE Economic and Social Cohesion support, is also based on the Szechényi Plan.

In this context, PHARE has funded in 2000 and 2001 a number of actions, which are complementary to the ones proposed under the Szechényi Plan, in the following sectors:

- Innovation specifically information society;

- Tourism development;

- SME development;

- Regional development especially industrial parks and business zones.

For 2002 and 2003, the Commission is currently in the process of discussing with the Hungarian government the possibility of a joint co-financing of some of the measures common with the Plan. The preliminary National Development Plan does also take into account of the Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession (ISPA) strategies in order to provide a coherent framework for pre-accession programming. Also, the new ISPA aiming at support for the candidate countries to meet European environmental standards and at linking them with the Trans-European Transport networks forms a point of contact with the Széchenyi plan and indirectly supports its objectives. ISPA finances, for example, a project aiming at increasing the load-bearing capacity of two non-motorway roads.