WRITTEN QUESTION E-1402/00 by Jeffrey Titford (EDD) to the Commission. European Commission and European Central Bank.
Date: 2000-05-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Central Bank, European Commission, interinstitutional relations (EU)

20.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 53 E/137

Does the Commission agree that it would make more sense to adopt a multiannual overall budget for
these programmes too so as to promote continuity and concerted measures rather than just short-term
actions?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(14 June 2000)

The new Daphne programme (2000-2003) is a multiannual programme, according to decision No 293/
2000/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 24 January 2000 adopting a programme of Community
action (the Daphne programme) (2000 to 2003) on preventive measures to fight violence against children,
young persons and women (1). As a consequence, the Daphne programme allows the setting up of
multiannual projects (1, 2 or 3 year projects).

As regards the STOP programme, it is now in its last financial year. The Commission intends to propose a
renewal of the programme, including a mechanism allowing for multiannual projects.

(1) OJ L 34, 9.2.2000.

(2001/C 53 E/174)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1402/00

by Jeffrey Titford (EDD) to the Commission

(5 May 2000)

Subject: European Commission and European Central Bank

Will the Commission please indicate what meetings have taken place at senior level between staff of the
European Commission and the European Central Bank, that information to include:

(a)

the dates of those meetings;

(b)

the venues of those meetings;

(c)

the identities of those attending the meetings;

(together with a summary of the issues discussed on each occasion).

Can the Commission also indicate if the European Central Bank is entirely independent of the Commission,
or whether the European Central Bank can in any shape or form be said to be influenced by the
Commission?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(23 June 2000)

The Commission entertains numerous contacts at staff level with the staff of the European Central Bank
(ECB) on the phone, in writing and at meetings. These contacts are a natural consequence of the respective
tasks of the two institutions and serve to strengthen the efficiency of their work.

One type of contact is the participation of Commission representatives in certain ECB sub-committees or
working groups, where staff from the ECB and the national central banks prepare decisions or positions of
the decision-making bodies of the ECB. The Commission is usually invited to the banking supervisory sub-
committee, the working group on payments systems, and the working group on statistics.

the Commission invites staff members of

the ECB to certain meetings organized by the
In turn,
Commission, where ECB representation is desirable, like the banking advisory committee or the meetings
on macro-economic forecasts. Besides this, staff members frequently organize ad hoc meetings on subjects
of common interest. An example is a meeting held on 6 April 2000 in Brussels on the preparation of
legislation against counterfeiting of euro banknotes, chaired by the Director general for Economic and
financial affairs.

C 53 E/138

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

Finally, it may be recalled that Commission staff at senior level meet regularly with senior representatives
of the ECB in the economic and financial committee. Senior staff members of both institutions also meet
frequently at international fora (International monetary fund, Organization for economic cooperation and
development, etc.).

Like in any other area, the Commission fully respects the provisions of the EC Treaty in its relations with
the ECB.

(2001/C 53 E/175)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1408/00

by Willy De Clercq (ELDR) to the Commission

(5 May 2000)

Subject: Sustainability Impact Assessments

The Commission(cid:146)s initiative in conducting a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) on the proposed new
WTO round is extremely important and welcome.

Will SIAs become mandatory prior to the negotiation of all EU bilateral, regional and multilateral trade
agreements in the future?

What mechanisms will be established to ensure that the results of this, and future SIAs are effectively
incorporated into EU trade policy-making?

Will the Commission continue to devote resources to the further development of the SIA methodology,
and will the Commission encourage EU Member States and other WTO members to conduct complemen-
tary work of their own, as well as to provide developing countries with technical assistance if they are
interested in initiating similar assessments themselves?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(8 June 2000)

The Commission is already bound by the EC Treaty to integrate environmental concerns into all areas of
Community policy and to promote sustainable development. There are various ways in which these
obligations can be fulfilled, of which carrying out sustainability impact assessments (SIAs) is one, but there
are no proposals to make such assessments mandatory. The Commission is committed to continuing the
SIA of the proposed World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations, as well as to starting such work in
relation to the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Zone.

The results of the SIAs of the proposed WTO negotiations will receive wide circulation within the
Commission and will be discussed by the Commission(cid:146)s SIA contact group which monitors the progress
of this project. They will also be published on the websites of both the Commission(cid:146)s contractor for this
project and Directorate general Trade, allowing all interested parties to provide direct input. The results
will be used to help decision-makers ensure that the outcome of the negotiations is consistent with the
objective of sustainable development. Other assessment projects have yet to be fully developed, but the
Commission is committed to the basic principle of transparency and is aware of the need to ensure a
consistent approach.

The Commission has dedicated considerable financial and human resources to the WTO-related SIA, the
next phase of which will include refinement of the assessment methodology. It will continue to provide
resources as appropriate, and where possible. Given the highly complex nature of this relatively new area
of work the Commission is, to a large extent, reliant upon the availability of suitable independent experts
to carry out the assessments. The Commission supports the international exchange of information and
experience on impact assessments, including the work currently being done in this field by the United
Nations Environment Programme and the Organisation for economic cooperation and development. The
Commission is also committed to the provision of technical assistance to developing countries in relation
to the development of trade policy to ensure that they are fully integrated into, and derive maximum
benefit from, the international trading system. It is for each WTO member (cid:129) including developing
countries (cid:129) to decide for itself what tools it should make use of in the development of its trade policy,
including whether, and how, it should carry out such impact assessments.