WRITTEN QUESTION P-1684/00 by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Council. Monitoring of the European Investment Bank's financial operations.
Date: 2000-05-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Court of Auditors, European Investment Bank, budgetary control, expenditure, revenue

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/71

(2001/C 81 E/084)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1684/00

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Council

(24 May 2000)

Subject: Monitoring of the European Investment Bank(cid:146)s financial operations

Is the Council concerned about the allegations made recently by a former employee of the European
Investment Bank (EIB). Carlo de Nicola, regarding losses of hundreds of millions of euros on the
international bond markets and the policy of dealing only through certain brokers, at least one of whom
was a former employee of the Bank, at exorbitant rates of commission? Does the Council believe that the
Consolidated Treaty should be altered at the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference so that the Court
of Auditors is given full powers to monitor the activities of the EIB?

Reply

(10 October 2000)

In accordance with the Treaty, the Court of Auditors examines the accounts of all revenue and expenditure
of the Community. Thus its audit of the accounts of the EIB is, in principle, limited to those items which
involve such revenue and expenditure.

In accordance with Article 14 of the Protocol on the Statute of the EIB, a committee of three members,
appointed on the grounds of their competence by the Board of Governors, shall annually verify that the
operations of the Bank have been conducted and its books kept in a proper manner. The committee shall,
furthermore, confirm that the balance sheet and profit and loss account are in agreement with the
accounts and faithfully reflect the position of the Bank in respect of its assets and liabilities.

the Council has no role in the Conference of the
As the Honourable Member is probably aware,
Representatives of the Governments of the Member States and is therefore unable to comment on work
being undertaken by the Conference. The European Parliament, on the other hand, has two observers who
are closely involved in the work of the Conference at the preparatory level.

(2001/C 81 E/085)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1688/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: Curvature of class 2 cucumbers

In the summer of 1997, a dispute took place between a cucumber grower and a Department of
Agriculture inspector. The inspector considered that the curvature of the cucumbers was too small. The
official maintained that if the cucumbers were to be sold as class 2, the curvature had to be two
centimetres. The grower said that, for safety(cid:146)s sake, he would describe the batch of cucumbers as class 1
and accepted that class 2 cucumbers had to curve 2 centimetres. During the dispute, however, the
cucumbers rotted.
In the Commission(cid:146)s view, what are the conditions affecting the classification of
cucumbers in terms of their curvature?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(20 July 2000)

The Commission was not aware of the case described and suggests asking the relevant Swedish inspection
department about the matter.