WRITTEN QUESTION E-3469/01

by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission

(14 December 2001)

Subject: Debate with Commissioner Verheugen in Strasbourg on 14 November 2001

In connection with the presentation of the interim progress report on enlargement by Commission President Prodi and enlargement Commissioner Verheugen in Strasbourg on 14 November 2001, Mr Verheugen was asked about the European Court of Auditors' criticism concerning the PHARE and TACIS programmes.

In its report the Court of Auditors criticises the fact that there are still no internal criteria for assessing the results of the PHARE and TACIS programmes as regards improving nuclear power plant safety in the CEEC and NIS. Commissioner Verheugen, when asked for his position on the Court of Auditors' criticism, stated that he was unaware of the rebuke. However, his own departments wrote the reply to this chapter of the Court of Auditors' annual report for 2000 (paragraph 5.48), in which the Commission states that, if accession negotiations also can be continued without formal EU rules on safety standards, then an evaluation of the effectiveness of its PHARE and TACIS programmes ought to be possible without those rules, too, which the Court of Auditors continues to insist upon.

In connection with this debate:

1. Can the Commission say whether it can be assumed that information flow and communications between the Commissioner and his own departments are not the best and that that is why the Commissioner was not aware of the Court of Auditors' criticism?

2. If not, can it be assumed that the Commissioner attaches little importance to the Court of Auditors' criticism?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(26 February 2002)

The Commission presented its Progress Reports 2001 to the Parliament on 13 November 2001(1). On the same day, but under a different agenda point and with different attendance, the Court of Auditors presented its Annual Report 2000 to Parliament. The issue in question was addressed in chapter 5 of the Court of Auditors' report, titled External Relations, rather than chapter 6 Enlargement. The Annual Report 2000 furthermore relates to a period prior to the re-organisation of responsibilities among the Commission and the transfer of responsibilities for the PHARE nuclear safety programme cycle to the Enlargement Directorate General.

The Commission attaches great importance to the Court of Auditors and its role and responsibilities within the institutional framework. The Commission is engaged in a permanent endeavour to provide comprehensive responses to the Courts' observations, as well as to implement its recommendations.

Already in its immediate oral response to the question raised during the above-mentioned debate, the Commission highlighted the fundamental problem lying behind the findings raised by the Court. The Community has never developed harmonised safety standards for the utilisation of nuclear energy. On the contrary, the Council has repeatedly underlined that no competencies for the safety of nuclear energy production should be transferred from the national to the Community level. Regardless of this stern position, the Member States have called upon the Commission to promote nuclear safety in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and New Independent States (NIS).

Therefore, PHARE and TACIS assistance in the nuclear field cannot be measured against non-existent common Community criteria, but can only be designed and evaluated on the basis of the best international technical and scientific advice and safety practices available. In the implementation stage, furthermore, the Commission undertakes constant efforts to further refine logical criteria in order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of financial assistance in spite of the difficulties arising from the position taken by Member States.

There can be no serious doubt that the situation of nuclear safety in the CEEC and NIS has substantially improved since 1989, thanks to the combined efforts of all parties involved.

(1) COM(2001) 700 final.