WRITTEN QUESTION E-2687/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Composition and funding of the Commission President's communications team.
Date: 2000-01-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, President of the Commission, administration of the Institutions, communications policy, information policy

C 225 E/192

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.8.2000

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(8 February 2000)

The Commission feels that, should it prove necessary, it could recover the aid already paid under Article 14
of Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application
of Article 93 of the EC Treaty (1). For the moment, and for the same reasons set out in the answer to
written question E-2681/99 (2) by the Honourable Member, the Commission considers that there are no
grounds for exercising the power conferred by Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999.

(1) OJ L 83, 27.3.1999.
(2)
See page 191.

(2000/C 225 E/216)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2684/99

by Carlos Ripoll y Mart(cid:237)nez de Bedoya (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 January 2000)

Subject: Air transport

In the view of the Commission, what conditions must regional inter-island flights fulfil for the purposes of
the public service obligation declaration? In general, what are the Commission(cid:146)s views on this type of
declaration?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(1 February 2000)

Under Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92 of 23 July 1992 on access for Community air
carriers to intra-Community air routes (1), a Member State may impose a public service obligation in
respect of scheduled air services to an airport serving a peripheral or development region in its territory or
on a thin route to any regional airport in its territory, any such route being considered vital for the
economic development of the region in which the airport is located.

The services to the islands are particularly well suited to treatment under those provisions. Indeed, the
islands frequently emerge as peripheral or development regions. In addition the traffic to them is often of
low density. Finally, the routes in question are as a general rule considered to be vital to the economic
development of the islands in question.

Under those provisions France, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom have imposed public service
obligations on several routes serving islands in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

(1) OJ L 240, 24.12.1992.

(2000/C 225 E/217)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2687/99

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 January 2000)

Subject: Composition and funding of the Commission President(cid:146)s communications team

The Commission President has called in a communications team to put across his political message. This
approach (cid:129) not unintentionally (cid:129) displays many similarities with the British prime minister(cid:146)s methods.
One of Mr Prodi(cid:146)s advisers is apparently a former press secretary of Tony Blair.

8.8.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 225 E/193

Journalist Dorien Presser, writing in the Volkskrant, described this as propaganda. (cid:145) He [the British Prime
Minister] shows little interest in Parliament or the critical press. For Blair democracy is essentially a
propaganda technique. He has a command of this technique which would have made Goebbels jealous.
Using slick communications strategies he appeals directly to the people(cid:146).

1.

Since when has the President of the Commission been assisted by a communications team?

2. Who are the members of, or advisers taking part in, this team?

3. Who is responsible for the operational management of the team?

4. What division of responsibilities and hierarchical structure has been established in the team?

5. What are the links between the members of the team and the European Commission?

6.

Is the communications team dependent on the Press and Communication service?

7. What is the annual budget for funding the communications team?

8. What objectives are stressed by the communications team in its action plan?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(21 February 2000)

Neither the Commission nor the President has a (cid:145)communication team(cid:146) outside the Press and Communica-
tion Service, the organisation chart of which is being sent direct to the Honourable Member and to
Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat. No adviser or former adviser of the British Prime Minister is part of that Service.

The Press and Communication Service, which continues the functions of the former Spokesman(cid:146)s Service
and some of the activities of the former Directorate-General for Information, Communication, Culture and
the Audiovisual Media, is a Commission service just like all the other Directorates-General. It is run by a
Head of Service who reports to the President, as does the Commission Spokesman, who also belongs to
the Service.

The Press and Communication Service is financed from Part A of the Community budget. It is governed by
the same budgetary rules as all the Commission(cid:146)s Directorates-General.

The objective of the Press and Communication Service is not to issue propaganda but to communicate
comprehensive information on Commission activities in a transparent and open manner.

(2000/C 225 E/218)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2692/99

by Ursula Stenzel (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 January 2000)

Subject: Conversion of usufruct into ownership

Privatisation in Poland has been organised in such a way that the land holdings belonging to an enterprise
have in many cases not been transferred forthwith to private ownership. Instead, a statutory right of
usufruct has been conferred on the buyer of the enterprise. Conversion of this usufructuary enjoyment into
a full ownership right has since been discussed in Poland on several occasions.

Could the above debate spill over into the accession negotiations, and, if so, how would the issue make
itself felt?

Does the Commission, in any event, know how matters currently stand in the discussion, which in the
final analysis also affects Union firms operating in Poland?