WRITTEN QUESTION No. 611/98 by Bartho PRONK to the Commission. Net payments by the Netherlands in 1997
Date: 1998-03-09
Institutions: European Parliament, PRONK
Subjects: EU publication, European Commission, Netherlands, financing of the EU budget, net contributor

2. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 304/139

(98/C 304/206)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0606/98

by Jose· Valverde Lo·pez (PPE) to the Council

(16 March 1998)

Subject: Ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty

On  2  October  1997  the  Amsterdam  Treaty  was  signed  at  the  Spanish  Royal  Palace.  What  does  the  Council
envisage by way of a timetable for the ratification of the Treaty by the various national parliaments? In view of
the political importance of the Treaty, what institutional activities has the Council undertaken in order to win
over public opinion? What is the situation as regards each individual Member State?

Answer

(28 May 1998)

The Amsterdam Treaty (cid:150) which emerged from the Conference of the Representatives of the Governments of the
Member States held from March 1996 to June 1997 (cid:150) is to be ratified by the signatory States in accordance with
their respective constitutional rules. It is not for the Council to set a timetable for ratification or to take action to
influence public opinion in the Member States in that context.

(98/C 304/207)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0611/98

by Bartho Pronk (PPE) to the Commission

(9 March 1998)

Subject: Net payments by the Netherlands in 1997

Further to my question of 10 December 1997 (P-4054/97) (1) and the Commission(cid:146)s reply of 19 January 1998,
I have the following supplementary questions to put.

1. 

2. 

3. 

If the Commission cannot answer my question, why did it take so long to send me any reply at all? Please
note that mine was a priority question.

Is  not  the  reply  unnecessarily  denigratory,  as  the  Commission  seems  to  assume  that  Members  of  the
European Parliament do not know that Commission publications are available on the Internet?

In its reply the Commission says that it does not have any data for the budgetary position of the Netherlands
in 1997. Afterwards, however, it mentions the Commission(cid:146)s position on this matter. The Commission(cid:146)s
position is that it does not wish to provide any information on the subject. Under Article 140 of the Treaty on
European  Union,  the  Commission  must  reply  orally  or  in  writing  to  questions  put  to  it  by  the  European
Parliament  or  by  its  Members.  The  Commission  must  supply  information  in  response  to  questions  from
Members of the European Parliament.

Is not the Commission violating Article 140 of the Treaty by refusing to share information which it possesses?

(1)  OJ C 196, 22.6.1998, p. 69.

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(16 March 1998)

The Commission considers it gave a full reply to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s previous question. The reply

1.
was given inside the time limit communicated by the Parliament to the Commission.

The  Commission  does  not  in  fact  make  available  on  the  Internet  all  the  documents  it  presents  to  the

2.
Council. The previous reply did not contain any comment about members of the Parliament.

The Commission attaches great importance to full and rapid replies to parliamentary questions, and devotes

3.
considerable care and resources to fulfilling its duty under Article 140 EC Treaty.