WRITTEN QUESTION E-0595/00 by Helmuth Markov (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Misuse by the Turkish Parliament of aid donations for earthquake victims.
Date: 2000-02-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, Türkiye, aid to disaster victims, earthquake, use of aid

C 53 E/12

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

and approaches. The Commission will continue to work with the European investment bank (EIB) and
European investment
the different Community instruments in
fund (EIF)
supporting PPPs, particularly on the 14 priority projects.

to ensure effective use of

(1) COM(98) 356.

(2001/C 53 E/014)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0595/00

by Helmuth Markov (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: Misuse by the Turkish Parliament of aid donations for earthquake victims

The Turkish newspaper H(cid:252)rriyet reported on 22 January 2000 that money from funds set up to help the
earthquake victims had been used to purchase 35 Renault Laguna cars for Members of the Turkish
Parliament at a total cost of 500 billion Turkish liras.

Can the Commission say how EU appropriations have been used, in which funds they were placed and
whether any misuse, notably for the purpose indicated above, can be ruled out?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(19 April 2000)

On 17 August 1999, a major earthquake hit the Marmara region of Turkey. The Commission, via ECHO
(cid:129) the Humanitarian Aid Office (cid:129) immediately responded by taking two separate funding decisions of
€ 2 million each. On 12 November 1999 a second major earthquake hit the Bolu region of Turkey. The
Commission again responded by allocating the sum of € 3 million. On 20 December 1999 a final funding
decision of € 23 million was adopted by the Commission thus bringing the overall amount of allocations
to be managed by ECHO for victims of the earthquakes in Turkey to € 30 million.

With regard to the newspaper article referred to by the Honourable Member, the Commission has not had
the opportunity to read this account. In any event, there appears to be no evidence that the donations
referred to in that article derive from Community funds. It should be emphasised that none of the
contracts concluded with ECHO partners in Turkey include the provision of motor vehicles to government
officials.

It may be useful to recall the various safeguards put in place to reduce the risk of misappropriations.

ECHO(cid:146)s programmes in Turkey include the provision of temporary shelter, distribution of medicines and
hygiene packs, the provision of post-trauma counselling and disaster preparedness. ECHO works on the
basis of a framework partnership agreement (FPA) with organisations which include non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), UN bodies and the Red Cross and Red Crescent family.

Partners are expected to be experienced in the field of humanitarian assistance and must adhere to the
criteria outlined in Council Regulation No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid (1) in
order to qualify to accede to the FPA. ECHO earmarks allocations to partners on the basis of project
proposals. When these project proposals are approved, contracts which itemise the work to be carried out
are concluded with the partner. According to the terms of the contracts, the partners are prohibited from
deviating from the actions included in the operational contracts. Deviations may call for a recovery of
funds. In addition and in accordance with the financial regulation applicable to the general budget of the
Communities, the humanitarian organisation shall give Commission departments or any organisation
mandated by the Commission and the Court of auditors access to its accounts at any given moment.
Invoices justifying expenses incurred during the life of a programme are kept at partners(cid:146) headquarters for
a period of five years during which they can be consulted for auditing purposes.

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In the majority of humanitarian aid crises, ECHO also relies on technical assistance in the field to monitor
programmes on a daily basis and report to ECHO headquarters regularly. This is the case for Turkey where
ECHO has an office in Istanbul. Partners are also required to submit regular reports during the life of the
contract. The checks and balances outlined above all serve the same purpose, that is to ensure as far as
possible the financial probity of humanitarian assistance programmes.

Finally, in order that the Honourable Member has a complete overview of Community intervention related
to the earthquakes in Turkey at this time, the following information relates to a recent initiative being
implemented by the European Investment Bank.

Council Decision No 1999/786/EC of 29 November 1999 provides for the granting of a Community
guarantee to the European Investment Bank (EIB) against
losses under loans for projects for the
reconstruction and rehabilitation of the earthquake-stricken areas of Turkey (2). This guarantee covers EIB
loans amounting to € 600 million, over a three year period, for investment projects carried out for the
replacement, rehabilitation or reconstruction of surface and sub-surface infrastructure, industrial installa-
tions and small and medium-sized enterprises as well as urban infrastructure and housing. The first
framework loan, amounting to € 450 million, was signed in February 2000.

(1) OJ L 163, 2.7.1996.
(2) OJ L 308, 3.12.1999.

(2001/C 53 E/015)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0597/00

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: Sanctions against Austria

Can the Commission indicate whether it regards the decision by the Portuguese government to invite other
EU governments to impose sanctions on a fellow Member State (Austria) as an abuse of the Presidency,
and whether it regards the decision by fourteen mostly inexperienced Socialist governments to threaten to
impose and to impose diplomatic sanctions on a Member State in order to affect the composition or
policies (however disagreeable they might be) of a freely-elected government as a lack of respect for due
democratic process within the Union and therefore, a violation of the principle of democracy referred to in
Article 6(1) of the consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union on which the Euroepan Union is
founded? If so, will the Commission uphold its role as (cid:145)the guardian of the Treaties(cid:146) by referring those
governments which have imposed sanctions against Austria to the European Court of Justice for a
determination on the legality of those sanctions, so that all European citizens will know in future whether
it is legitimate for Member States to interfere in the democratic processes of other Member States in this
way, and given the importance and seriousness of these unprecedented steps within the Union will the
Commission send an explanation of its decision to the President of the European Parliament?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(4 May 2000)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its statement on Austria of 1 February 2000, in
which it states that it shares the concerns underlying the declaration by the Portuguese Presidency of
31 January 2000 on behalf of 14 Member States and (cid:145)will continue to fulfil its duty as guardian of the
provisions and values set down in the Treaties, which provide that the Union is founded on the principles
of liberty, democracy, respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, as set out
notably in Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on European Union(cid:146).