WRITTEN QUESTION P-1838/00 by Jan Mulder (ELDR) to the Commission. Attendance by representatives of Central and Eastern European countries at meetings of scientific and management committees on veterinary and plant health questions.
Date: 2000-05-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Central and Eastern European countries, plant health legislation, pre-accession strategy, veterinary legislation

C 53 E/192

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

(2001/C 53 E/248)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1836/00

by Francesco Musotto (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 May 2000)

Subject: Dionysos project put forward by the Innova association for inclusion in the Euromed Heritage

programme

The Commission recently informed the Innova non-profit-making association that it was terminating the
contract it had concluded with the association, covering the implementation of the Dionysos project under
the Euromed Heritage programme. Not content with simply terminating the contract for what was
acknowledged to be one of the most interesting projects put forward for inclusion in the Euromed
Heritage programme, the Commission also asked the association to return all of the Commission funds it
had already received.

This extremely heavy penalty places a question mark over Innova(cid:146)s future viability. As a non-profit-making
association, Innova has very little in the way of own resources. Therefore, were the Commission to put its
decision into effect, Innova(cid:146)s directors might well be forced to put up their own money in order to be able
to reimburse the Commission, since under Italian law the directors of non-profit-making associations have
joint and unlimited liability for any debts incurred by their associations.

Can this approach be the right one? How can one expect the general public in Europe to view the
Commission(cid:146)s activities in a positive light if that body takes unilateral decisions that place Community
citizens in an extremely difficult financial position, without allowing those concerned to put their own
case? Would the Commission not agree that the action taken by its staff is, to say the least, dispropor-
tionate?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(28 June 2000)

The Dionysos Project was selected under the Euromed Heritage Programme and was to be implemented
and managed by the Innova Association.

The Commission had noted on numerous occasions that Innova was failing to meet its contractual
obligations and had warned the association to this effect. Despite this no measure was taken to comply
with these obligations.

An audit undertaken at the Commission(cid:146)s request confirmed that a large amount of expenditure under-
taken was not eligible and that the contract had not been respected (keeping of separate accounts, reports,
interests, etc.).

The Commission terminated the contract and explained the reasons for its decision in a letter of 23 March
2000. The Commission has issued a recovery order for all the sum paid to the Innova Association in order
to safeguard the Community(cid:146)s financial interests.

(2001/C 53 E/249)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1838/00

by Jan Mulder (ELDR) to the Commission

(31 May 2000)

Subject: Attendance by representatives of Central and Eastern European countries at meetings of scientific

and management committees on veterinary and plant health questions

In the forthcoming accession negotiations with Central and Eastern European countries, the question as to
whether, and how, those countries can meet present European legislation will be one of the problem
issues.

Does the Commission therefore not think it desirable for those countries to be able to attend meetings of
the relevant committees as permanent observers? Is the Commission prepared to act accordingly?

20.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 53 E/193

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(17 July 2000)

Attendance at the meetings of the scientific committees is restricted to the members of a committee and to
Commission officials. Representatives of Member States(cid:146) governments and of interest groups never attend
committee meetings, in order to ensure the independence of the committees.

For the same reason of
representatives of the Central and Eastern European countries to attend those meetings.

independence of

the committees,

it

is thus not possible for government

However, membership of scientific committees is not restricted to scientists who are citizens of the Union.
Scientists from third countries can thus apply for membership and may be selected.

Representatives of the 13 candidate countries can participate, as observers and for the points which
concern them, in management committees responsible for monitoring the Community programmes in
which these countries participate and to which they have contributed financially.

For other matters, in particular the implementation of Community legislation, the Association Council
(composed of representatives of the Community and its Member States, on the one hand, and of each of
the candidate countries, on the other) has to establish to which degree the (cid:145)acquis communautaire(cid:146) has
been not only transposed into their internal order but applied by the candidate country in question. It is
related to this statement that the Commission will decide on a case-by-case basis on their participation.

In the meantime the Commission will inform the candidate countries of the most important developments
in the regular meetings held in the framework of the pre-accession strategy.

(2001/C 53 E/250)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1852/00

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(9 June 2000)

Subject: Health Action Plan

Can the Commission state whether it believes that the prioritisation of resources from health treatment
should remain the prerogative of individual Member States, as laid down in the Consolidated Treaty, and, if
so, whether it believes that there is a danger that the proposed new Health Action Plan, by highlighting the
different priorities accorded to the treatment of certain conditions in the various Member States, could
provoke a rash of both domestic litigation and appeals to the European Court of Human Rights in
Strasbourg?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(19 July 2000)

The Commission is duty bound to ensure that Community action in the field of public health fully respects
the responsibilities of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical
care.

The proposal for a decision of the Parliament and of the Council adopting a programme of action in the
field of public health aims to improve health information and knowledge, build up capacity in the
Community to respond rapidly to health threats, and tackle the roots of ill-health through the development
of health promotion and disease prevention measures. The proposed decision respects the aforementioned
responsibilities of the Member States and contains appropriate provisions to ensure that implementation of
the programme will be carried out in full compliance with the requirements of the EC Treaty.