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
4. Is the Commissionprepared to take action to ensure that through train tickets are once again
obtainable,forexamplebybringingthewholeoftheformerYugoslaviawithinInterrailzoneG(Slovenia-Greece)orensuringthatthroughtrainticketsforGreeceareputbackonsaleinGermany,AustriaandHungary?
AnswergivenbyMrsdePalacioonbehalfoftheCommission
(10July2003)
TheCommissionhastakennoteoftheincreasedpossibilitiesforthetravelpassesissuedbyEuropean
RailwayUndertakings,suchastheInterrail,Scanrail,EuroDominoandEurailcards,notablythepossibility
forpersonsover26yearstousethiscard,aswellasthegroupingofcountriesintodifferentzones.
Validity, scope and conditionsofuse are determined by the European Railway Undertakings and theprovisions of the CIV/CIT, and have to be left to the decisions of the railway undertakings, whosemanagementindependenceshouldbeensuredaccordingtotheprovisionsofCouncilDirective91/440/EECof29July1991onthedevelopmentoftheCommunity’srailways(
1),unlessMemberStateshave
imposedpublic service obligationsunder Council Regulation (EEC) No 1191/69 of26June 1969onaction by Member States concerning the obligations inherent in the concept of a public service intransportbyrail,roadandinlandwaterway(
2),providingforothertermsofuse.
It should be observed though that the Commission can table proposals to determine the framework
conditions under which the market for international rail passengers services can operate, as it hasannouncedinitsworkprogrammefor2003(
3).InlinewiththeopinionoftheParliamentonthesecond
railwaypackage,expressedinitsplenarysessioninJanuary2003,theCommissionwilllookattheextentto which freedom to provide international railway services inside the Union should be completed.Furthermore, in the preparatory works for the proposal for a Regulation on Passengers’ Rights andObligations in International Rail Services, the Commission envisages to include provisions requiringrailway undertakings offering rail passenger services between major railway stations to co-operate inofferingthroughticketsonasingletransportcontracttopassengers.
(1) OJL237,24.8.1991,asamendedbyDirective2001/12/ECoftheParliamentandoftheCouncilof26February
2001,OJL75,15.3.2001.
(2) OJ L 156, 28.6.1969, as amended by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1893/91 of 20June 1991, OJ L 169,
29.6.1991.
(3) TheCommissionwilltableaproposalforaRegulationonPassengers’RightsandObligationsinInternationalrail
servicesaswellasaproposalforaDirectivetograduallyopenthemarketforinternationalpassengerservicesbyrail.
(2004/C58E/105) WRITTENQUESTIONP-1724/03
byFreddyBlak(GUE/NGL)totheCommission
(19May2003)
Subject:Contracts between the Commission and companies owned by Mr Ojo, such as Eurogramme
Limited,EurogrammeLimited(succursale),EurogrammeSarlandCalethonHoldingsSA
Commissionserviceshave,todate,signedmorethan70contractswithdifferentcompaniesbelongingtoa
MrOjo.Thefirstcontractwassignedin1996withEurogrammeLimited(UK),despitethefactthatthecompanygavefalsefinancialinformation(confirmedbyaninternalauditreportandOLAF)Eurostathassubsequentlysignedanother52contractswithEurogrammeLimited.
In1997,MrOjocreatedEurogrammeLimited(succursale)inLuxembourg,ofwhichthelegalbaseparent
companyisregisteredintheUK.Thiscompanywascloseddownin2002.InMay2001,MrOjocreatedanew company in Luxembourg, Eurogramme sarl. However, in 2003, the parent company in the UKtransferreditsstockholdingintheLuxembourgentity(EurogrammeSarl.)toCalethonHoldingsSA(formerMy-FalS.A.).6.3.2004EN C58E/89 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion