WRITTEN QUESTION E-1066/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(5 April 2001)

Subject: Origins of the Aventinus and Sensus projects

Aventinus and its successor, Sensus, have been subsidised by the Commission since 1996. The two projects seek to develop an information exchange programme for European police and security services. Aventinus (Advanced System for Multinational Drug Enforcement) is concerned principally with the international drugs trade. The Gesellschaft für Multilingual Systeme mbH of Munich, subsequently Lernout & Haspie's (L & H) Sail Labs, coordinates the project. The Bundesnachrichtendienst and Europol's predecessor, the European Drugs Unit, are also involved in Aventinus.

Sensus took over from the Aventinus project in May 1998. This time coordination is in the hands of the German secret agent Stephan Bodenkamp/Christoph Kionowski of the Amt für Auslandsfragen in Munich. This organisation is a cover for the Bundesnachrichtendienst. On 25 May 1999 the Commission changed the original decision E/1797/97 of 3 September 1997 in such a way that Europol could take part in the project (E/696/99). In November 1999 Europol effectively joined the Sensus partners' Gesellschaft für Multilingual Systeme mbH and the Italian firm Datamat. Stephan Bodenkamp/Christoph Kionowski is now behind three of L & H's Language Development Companies. This gives him access to L & H's language technology.

In reply to question P-0009/01(1), Commissioner Erkki Liikanen said that Sensus and Aventinus I and II had been financed from budget line B6-6121.113 of the Telematics applications programme (1994-1998). A maximum contribution of 2 500 000 was approved for Aventinus I, and of this 2 341 190 was applied for and paid. A maximum contribution of 550 000 was approved for Aventinus II, of which his 513 777 was applied for and paid. A maximum contribution of 2 250 000 was approved for Sensus, of which 478 753 was paid on 31 December 2000.

1. On the basis of what decisions and/or published invitations to submit proposals was a satellite organisation of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (the Amt für Auslandsfragen) able to take part in the Sensus ands Aventinus projects even before the original decision E/1791/97 had been amended on 25 May 1999?

2. What language technology projects have been completed and/or marketed since 1996 under Aventinus and Sensus? Who makes use of these products

(1) OJ C 187 E, 3.7.2001, p. 154.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(1 August 2001)

AFA was part of a consortium which submitted a proposal under the 4th call of the Telematics Applications Programme of the Fourth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of the Community (FP4).

All participants in the Sensus project are legal entities established in the Community, which could therefore participate in RTD activities under FP4 with a financial contribution by the Community, in conformity with the rules for participation.

Said rules for participation do not contain a list of legal entities which should be a priori excluded from participating in Community funded RTD activities. Governmental bodies, including intelligence organisations such as Amt für Auslandsfragen (AfA), are therefore entitled to participate in RTD projects provided their participation is justified by the technical objectives of such projects and complies with any further requirement under the rules for participation and the specific programme concerned.

A further Commission decision was necessary for the inclusion of European Police Office (Europol) because of its status as an international organisation (the Honourable Member is referred to the answer the Commission gave to his written question E-892/01(1)).

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As these projects focused on pre-competitive research, no commercial language technology products resulted to date, or were expected to result, from the Aventinus or Sensus projects.

(1) See p. 17.