WRITTEN QUESTION E-1912/99

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 October 1999)

Subject: Substandard road construction funded by the 2nd Community Support Framework for Greece

In reply to my previous question (P-3016/98)(1), the Commission acknowledged that there were widespread problems with substandard road-building in Greece funded by the 2nd Community Support Framework and assured me that it would monitor the question closely and would not fail to apply the relevant Community rules, if necessary.

Will the Commission say whether it has any further information concerning the extent of substandard workmanship in all the projects funded in Greece by the 2nd CSF? Does that information show that the proportion of substandard work has fallen and that Greece has taken the necessary measures to remedy it? If not, will the Commission say what steps it will take to ensure that this tremendously important issue is now dealt with seriously and that those responsible are held to account?

(1) OJ C 297, 15.10.1999, p. 42.

Supplementary answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(18 February 2000)

According to the information received from the Greek authorities, an independent quality control mechanism (ESPEL) has checked 1 025 of the projects part-financed in Greece under the second Community support framework for the 1994-99 programming period, including road projects. From its beginning work in January 1998 up to June 1999, half its 1 189 site visits resulted in the projects being checked by sampling while the others were checked systematically between October 1998 and June 1999.

The results were as follows: 224 projects were in order or had minor problems which will be corrected by the contractors (first category projects), 272 projects suffered from major shortcomings without safety implications but which will involve higher maintenance costs: these additional expenses will be deducted from the payments to the contractors concerned (second category projects), 19 of the projects checked had serious defects which could not be corrected: they will have to be rebuilt by the contractors at their own expense (third category projects).

The Commission considers that it is too early to be able to say that there has already been an improvement in the quality of work. It is nevertheless convinced that, in the long term, the work of ESPEL will result in improvements in the situation.

Following the various ESPEL reports, the Greek authorities took the following measures. As it had promised, the national Ministry for Economic Affairs (MEN) sent the public services managing the projects all the individual ESPEL reports showing quality defects and asked them to take the action provided for by the law. MEN also reported the second and third category projects mentioned above to the public works inspectorate for it to check on the action taken by the managing departments, with particular regard to implementation of the various measures provided for by law, including financial penalties. In the case of the projects in the third category, MEN also automatically sent the file to the public prosecutor.

The Commission does not at present have concrete information regarding the various results. Nevertheless, the Greek authorities have told it that, in several cases, defects have already been corrected or the payments for the work in question reduced. Moreover, the checks carried out by the inspectorate mean that the files on the civil engineering firms which do not comply with the procedure can be updated.

The Commission will ensure that the Greek authorities notify it formally of the irregularities arising from this situation under Regulation (EC) 1681/94 concerning irregularities and the recovery of sums wrongly paid in connection with the financing of the structural policies and the organisation of an information system in this field(1).

The Commission intends to ask the Greek authorities to monitor this matter and its budgetary consequences carefully.

(1) OJ L 178, 12.7.1994.