WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3502/97 by Eryl McNALLY to the Commission. Bribery in EU Member States
Date: 1997-11-10
Institutions: European Parliament, MCNALLY
Subjects: EU national, European Union, International Monetary Fund, OECD, corruption, fourth Lomé Convention, homicide, international civil service, international trade

16. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187/15

Should enlargement have taken place by that time, the necessary calculations would be made on the basis of data
for the enlarged Community. Given present Commission forecasts for economic growth and assuming that all six
countries  in  respect  of  which  the  Commission  has  proposed  to  open  accession  negotiations  were  to  become
members by 2003, Spain should even on that basis still be eligible for Cohesion fund support. The Honourable
Member(cid:146)s questions refer to situations in which only individual candidates or small groups of them accede by
2003.  This  is  not  the  basis  of  the  Commission(cid:146)s  financial  calculations  in  Agenda  2000.  Such  hypothetical
situations would, however, be no less favourable to Spain.

The 45 000 MECU proposed by the Commission for structural measures in favour of the Central and Eastern
European countries (CEECs) include an allocation for Cohesion fund type measures. Therefore the budget of
20  000  MECU  for  the  Cohesion  fund  proposed  in  Agenda  2000  would  be  divided  only  between  the  present
Member  States  fulfilling  the  eligibility  criteria.  Spain(cid:146)s  future  allocation  will  thus  depend  on  its  position
compared to the other recipients among the present Member States.

(1)  OJ L 130, 25.5.1994.
(2)  COM(97) 2000 final.

(98/C 187/23)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3482/97

by Panayotis Lambrias (PPE) to the Commission

(31 October 1997)

Subject: Involvement of private individuals in monitoring the application of Community law

The Commission has acknowledged on numerous occasions that the application of Community law calls for
vigilance  on  the  part  of  private  individuals,  bringing  matters  to  the  attention  of  the  Union(cid:146)s  Institutions  by
exercising their right to complain to the relevant administrative services. However, in the past, the volume of
complaints  has  led  to  administrative  failings  in  investigating  the  problems  involved.  Will  the  Commission,
therefore, say whether it has planned to take a more systematic approach so that individuals(cid:146) rights in this respect
are not undermined?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 1997)

Complaints from individuals are certainly one of the main sources on which the Commission bases itself when
monitoring the application of Community law (the Honourable Member is referred to Annex I, Table 1.1 of the
annual reports on monitoring the application of Community law).

On the other hand, the Commission does not know which case the Honourable Member has in mind when he
speaks  of  (cid:145)administrative  failings  in  investigating  the  problems  involved(cid:146)  and  of  ensuring  that  (cid:145)individuals(cid:146)
rights in this respect are not undermined(cid:146).

Every complaint lodged with the Commission is duly recorded and examined.

Infringement proceedings are initiated in all cases where the examination of a complaint leads the Commission to
suspect that a Member State is in breach of the Community rules. Only where no such suspicions are warranted
does the Commission consider the matter closed and inform the complainant accordingly.

(98/C 187/24)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3502/97

by Eryl McNally (PSE) to the Commission

(10 November 1997)

Subject: Bribery in EU Member States

In 1985 in Abidjan, a British man employed by BT was murdered; evidence associated with his murder indicates
that the aid project he was working on was being subjected to corrupt practice.