WRITTEN QUESTION E-3085/00

by Brigitte Langenhagen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(2 October 2000)

Subject: Payment arrangements for the Comenius education programme

There has recently been a steep rise in questions complaining about long-delayed or non-existent payments of funds committed under the Comenius programme. The continued existence of projects is being threatened, confirmed travel arrangements are having to be cancelled for lack of financing, usually after unavoidable expenditure and far from inconsiderable effort have been put into them. This is causing high levels of frustration with European programmes and institutions. Citizens who have shown confidence in Commission promises are being made to wait in vain for committed or promised payments to come through.

I therefore ask the Commission:

1. What is responsible for the delayed payment of committed funding?

2. Does the Commission realise what the consequences are when promised projects that have been approved by the Commission have to be shelved or dropped altogether because they cannot be sustained without financial support from the programme?

3. What action will the Commission take to guarantee financing for such programmes without delays?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(20 November 2000)

The delays in the payment of advances for decentralised actions under the Socrates programme are exceptional and are due essentially to the fact that 2000 is the first year of the implementation of the new programme. The decision establishing the second phase of Socrates was not adopted until the first half of 2000.

The new programme added new elements to the management of the programme. There were also delays in the nomination of the national agencies by some Member States, as well as in the completion of the agencies' work programmes and their operating budgets. On the Commission's side, the development of a new standardised form of operating agreement between the Commission and the national agencies, providing for closer supervision of the accounting rules in line with the increased responsibility of the national agencies for the management of decentralised funds, required more time than was originally foreseen. Despite these difficulties all steps have been taken by the Commission in order to proceed with the payments for decentralised actions as quickly as possible.

As far as the situation in Germany is concerned, the Commission has already authorised the transfer of funds under the operating agreement with the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD), which cover some of the current costs of the national agency. As regards the funds for the decentralised action, including those forming part of the Comenius programme, PAD was sent the relevant contract on 14 September. However, PAD insisted that the contract be divided into parts so that it would not be responsible for forwarding some of the funds to the other German national agency (Carl-Duisberg Gesellschaft (CDG)) which will carry out part of the Comenius action.

This approach, which the Commission strongly advised against, will result in a further delay of payments for PAD and particularly for the CDG. The new contract for PAD will be issued in the next few days. If PAD signs and returns the contract immediately, it can expect to receive the decentralised funds by the end of November or beginning of December. PAD will then be required to forward the Community funds to the schools without further delay. However, subdividing the contract in this way will lead to an even greater delay for the CDG, as an entirely new contract must go through the various stages of financial control within the Commission. The Commission will nevertheless do all it can to keep delays for both organisations to a minimum.

Since these problems will only arise in this year of transition to the second phase of the Socrates programme, similar delays are not expected in future.