WRITTEN QUESTION E-2061/00 by Per Gahrton (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Visa requirements in respect of Romania and Bulgaria.
Date: 2000-06-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Bulgaria, EU police cooperation, EU visa policy, Romania

C 72 E/174

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.3.2001

(2001/C 72 E/222)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2061/00

by Per Gahrton (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Visa requirements in respect of Romania and Bulgaria

(30 June 2000)

Since the beginning of 2000, the Commission has been working on plans to end visa requirements in
respect of Bulgaria and Romania. Such a move would be an important step towards helping the two
countries develop in a more positive way and in particular indicate that the European Union does not
intend to continue to discriminate against European countries that are not Member States.

What has been the upshot of the Commission(cid:146)s proposal to the Member States that visa requirements in
the Commission continue its efforts to end
respect of Bulgaria and Romania be abolished? Will
discrimination against these two countries?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(27 July 2000)

On 26 January the Commission adopted a proposal for a Council Regulation listing the third countries
whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose
nationals are exempt from that requirement (1). This proposal includes Bulgaria and Romania in the list of
countries whose nationals are exempt from the visa requirement.

The Commission proposal has been sent to the Council and to the European Parliament for examination in
accordance with the relevant procedures.

(1) COM(2000) 27 final.

(2001/C 72 E/223)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2064/00

by Luciana Sbarbati (ELDR) to the Commission

(16 June 2000)

Subject: Role of consultancy firms and project monitoring in the implementation of the LIFE (cid:129) Nature

programme

According to the standard application form for LIFE (cid:129) Nature projects, the Commission is assisted by
external consultancy groups in monitoring projects and ascertaining the formal and administrative
correctness of proposals. The consultancy firms cannot provide assistance in devising a project or be
involved in the institutional or financial preparation of a projects and must provide guarantees of
transparency and impartiality in order to be able to carry out their work properly.,

Can the Commission specify:

(cid:129) what requirements consultancy firms must meet in order to be declared suitable to draw up a contract

for implementing the LIFE (cid:129) Nature programme;

(cid:129) what role a consultancy firm must play in compliance with the terms of the contract;

(cid:129) whether it is the task of the consultancy firm to express opinions on the strategies and aims of the

measures carried out as part of the projects;

(cid:129) what costs should be considered justified for the purposes of such contracts?

Can the Commission also say whether those in charge of a consultancy firm may have contacts with or
hold strategic positions in companies or bodies benefiting under LIFE (cid:129) Nature projects?