(2004/C58E/103) WRITTENQUESTIONP-1679/03
byLissyGröner(PSE)totheCommission
(15May2003)
Subject:UseoffundsbytheBavarianPrimeMinister’sOfficetosupporteventsinEuropeWeek2003
IheardfromtheBavarianPrimeMinister’sOfficelastweekthatnoCommissionfundswillbeavailablein
BavariathisyeartosupportEuropeWeekevents.
TheBavarianPrimeMinister’sOfficewasnotifiedbytheCommission,inalettersentinJanuary2003,that
thepreviousprocedureforgrantingsubsidiestoEuropeWeekeventswastobechanged.Furtherdetailswerenotyetknownatthatstage.Anumberofinstitutionssubsequentlymadeapplications.
On16April2003theCommissionsenttheBavarianPrimeMinister’sOfficeadraftagreementwhichthe
shortageoftimeremainingmadeimpossibletoimplementinBavaria.AccordingtotheBavarianPrime
Minister’sOfficetheCommissionwasnotpreparedtolimitthetexttotheguidelineswhichwereyettobeimplemented,andtosimplifyit.
OwingtothisstateofaffairsnoCommissionfundscouldbemadeavailablethisyearforEuropeWeek
events.Thishasresultedinconsiderableannoyanceamongapplicants.
DidtheeventsdepictedbytheBavarianPrimeMinister’sOfficeactuallytakeplaceasdescribed?IsthefailurerepresentedbythetardyagreementattributabletotheCommissionortotheBavarianPrime
Minister’sOffice?
DiddelaysoccuronlyinBavaria,oralsoinotherGermanLänder?
WerethereproblemswithdisbursingfundsinotherMemberStates,too?
On 6May I received three posters for 9May from Pplus Service, on behalf of the Commission’s
RepresentationinMunich.AtsuchshortnoticethisdeliverywaspointlessforEuropeWeek,andIregarditasactionforthesakeofit.
Whatwerethecostsofprintinganddispatchingtheseposters?
AnswergivenbyMrProdionbehalfoftheCommission
(27June2003)
The origin of the problem raised by the Honourable Member lies in the amendmentsto regulations
(theFinancialRegulation(
1),whichenteredintoforceon1January2003,andthedetailedimplementing
rules(2)wereadoptedinDecember2002)withwhichtheCommissionmustcomply.ThenewFinancial
Regulationcontainsstrictprovisionsongrantawardprocedures(see,inparticular,Articles109to113).
Thus, in 2003, the Commission offered to negotiate and conclude Europe Week agreements with
interested Länder on an individual basis. Ten Länder showed an interest and nine agreements wereconcluded.
InthespecificcasereferredtobytheHonourableMember,anadditionalproblemhadtobedealtwithina
veryshortperiodoftime.TheBavarianPrimeMinister’sOfficewishedtoincludeintheagreementonlyprojectsorganisedbythirdparties,andnoprojectsofitsown.Tothisend,theLandintendedtoconcludecontractswiththeprojectorganisers,somethingwhich,accordingtothePrimeMinister’sOffice,wasnotpossiblegiven the deadline of9May 2003.Therefore, the Prime Minister’s Office askedwhether therelevant parts ofthe agreement couldbe amended.On account ofthe (strict) provisions ofthe newFinancial Regulation and its implementing rules, in particular concerning the award of grants, theseamendmentscouldnotbemadeforlackoftime.6.3.2004EN C58E/87 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
The other nine Länder were in the same situation as regards project organisers; they nevertheless
concludedagreementsinaccordancewiththeabove-mentionedfinancialrules.Thisshowsthatonecannotspeakofgeneraldelaysandthat,fromtheCommission’spointofview,theproceduresappliedin2003/dashalthoughdifficult/dashhaveprovedeffective.
The situation in the other Member States is somewhat different. Where grants were planned, delays
occurred while legal commitmentswere brought into line with the new Financial Regulation. In thiscontext,ithastobekeptinmindthat‘EuropeWeek’isaspecialeventfortheGermanLänder.
The Commission regrets that the posters for 9May were late in reaching the Honourable Member.
400000 posters were printed at a cost of EUR26860 in response to requests from distributorsthroughoutEurope.
(1) CouncilRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1605/2002of25June2002ontheFinancialRegulationapplicabletothe
generalbudgetoftheEuropeanCommunities,OJL248,16.9.2002.
(2) CommissionRegulation(EC,Euratom)No2342/2002of23December2002layingdowndetailedrulesforthe
implementationofCouncilRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1605/2002ontheFinancialRegulationapplicabletothegeneralbudgetoftheEuropeanCommunities.
(2004/C58E/104) WRITTENQUESTIONE-1722/03
byErikMeijer(GUE/NGL)totheCommission
(23May2003)
Subject:ObstaclestoNorth-SouthrailtravelasaresultoftheterritoryoftheformerYugoslaviabeingsplit
betweenthreeoftheeightEuropeanInterrailzones
1. Is the Commission aware that passes issued by UIC-CIT, the international European railways
organisation,forunlimitedtravelwithinoneormoreEuropeancountries,knownasInterrail,Scanrail,EuroDominoandEurail,wereinitiallyintendedonlyfortourism,inparticularforyoungpeopleundertheageof26,buthavenowbecomeattractiveasalternativeticketsfordestinationsincountriesforwhichnormalrailticketsarenolongeravailableinthepassenger’scountryofresidence?
2. IstheCommissionalsoaware thatthecurrent divisionofEuropeintoeight Interrailzoneshas
resultedintheformerYugoslaviabeingsplitbetweenthreedifferentzones,namelySloveniainzoneGtogetherwithItaly,GreeceandTurkey,CroatiainzoneDwithPoland,theCzechRepublicandHungary,andSerbia-MontenegrowithMacedoniainzoneHtogetherwithRomaniaandBulgaria?
3. WhatistheCommission’sviewofthefactthatalthoughthisarrangementisgoodfortravelbetween
PolandandCroatiaitishighlydamagingtothepreviouslyfrequentNorth-SouthrailtravelviatheformerYugoslavia,aspassengersareobligedtobuymoreexpensiveorlesseasilyobtainabletickets:
(a) OntheroutebetweenAustrianandGreecepassengershavetwotravelthroughfourzones.Onthis
fairlyshortjourney,thehighestInterrailtariff,coveringalleightzones,isautomaticallyapplied.
(b) AnalternativeistheadvancepurchaseofaseriesofEuroDominotickets,validforseveraldays,forall
thecountriesenrouteforwhichseparaterailticketsarenolongersoldelsewhereinordertoobtainavalidticketforentrytoGreece.
(c) ThecheapestbutmostinconvenientsolutionistobreakthejourneytobuyticketsatBelgradestation,
orpossiblyatZagreborLjubljana.Thisinvolvespayingcashincurrenciesotherthantheeuro.C58E/88 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion