WRITTEN QUESTION E-2172/00 by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Failure by SMEs to prepare for the single European currency.
Date: 2000-07-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, Economic and Monetary Union, VAT, accounting, dissemination of information, euro, national currency, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 81 E/164

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

The Commission wishes to inform the Honourable Member that its partner for the implementation of
financial cooperation with Turkey is a department of the Treasury, and that, from the time of the Helsinki
Council meeting, all funds allocated to Turkey have been directed to operations connected with the pre-
accession strategy. The Commission and the Turkish authorities are in complete agreement on this
approach.

The funds available for Turkey are committed in accordance with the Council regulations governing the
implementation of such cooperation, which expressly forbid all cooperation in military matters. The
Commission can confirm, moreover, that it has at no stage financed an operation connected to any activity
of the Turkish army, and that it has not the least intention of considering any project that comes within
the domain of military affairs.

The Commission would remind the Honourable Member that every project financed by the Commission is
submitted for an opinion to the Med Committee, composed of representatives of Member States, and that
a report on the use of funds is presented each year to Parliament.

During the implementation of operations which it is financing, the Commission monitors closely the
unfolding of events, in collaboration with its representatives in Ankara, checks that the results correspond
to the original objectives, and inspects the accounts.

(2001/C 81 E/209)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2172/00

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Failure by SMEs to prepare for the single European currency

(7 July 2000)

The length of
time being taken by many small and medium-sized businesses to prepare for the
introduction of the single European currency on 1 January 2002 is the reason for the worrying statements
which various members of the Commission have made in recent times.

Taking as a yardstick the submission of VAT returns in euros (which is the one used by governments), very
few businesses have so far adapted their accounting practices. According to one member of
the
Commission, most businesses are going to opt for a (cid:145)big bang(cid:146) on 1 January 2002.

What is the Commission(cid:146)s recipe for remedying the failings of which many Community businesses are
guilty in this area? Who is responsible for not having urged businesses to adapt, and what action would
the Commission advise business associations to take as a way of ensuring that its members finally adopt
the required approach to this issue?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(27 July 2000)

The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member(cid:146)s analysis that many small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) are not yet ready for the end of the transitional period and the bringing into circulation
of coins and notes denominated in euros on 1 January 2002. Most are continuing to carry out their
commercial operations (cid:129) and to make their VAT declarations (cid:129) in national currencies.

However, this does not mean that all SMEs are lagging behind. According to a Eurobarometer (cid:145)Flash(cid:146)
survey carried out in May-June 2000 for the Commission, 22 % of the SMEs questioned said they were
already prepared for the euro and 46 % believed it was time to prepare themselves. Furthermore, 48 % of
SMEs already had an action plan and in Spain and Italy over 65 % had such a plan. Compared with various
earlier surveys, a new level of awareness is apparent and more SMEs are now putting their preparations
into practice.

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/165

Since the Commission(cid:146)s objective is for all European enterprises to cope with the deadline of 1 January
2002 without difficulty, the Commission has made the preparation of SMEs a clear priority both for itself
and for the Member States, as underlined in the communication on communications strategy in the last
phases of
the Information
Programme for the European Citizen (PRINCE) aims to apply this priority through the Commission(cid:146)s own
initiatives (support for transnational measures, partnerships with business intermediaries and communica-
tion products) and through action by the Member States.

the completion of EMU, adopted on 2 February 2000 (1).

In addition,

Nevertheless, the Commission is aware that many SMEs will tend to prefer to wait until the last minute to
take the necessary measures, which is a dangerous but deliberate choice by the business.

(1) COM(2000) 57 final.

(2001/C 81 E/210)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2176/00

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Encouraging US tourists to return to Spain(cid:146)s Costa de Sol

(7 July 2000)

For a variety of unknown reasons the number of US tourists visiting Spain(cid:146)s Costa del Sol (a major tourist
area) has fallen from 450 000 twenty years ago to the current figure of 80 000. This has had a serious
impact on account of the high spending power of visitors from the US.

For this reason the local authorities have launched an intensive campaign to win those visitors back,
focusing both on the quality of hotels, restaurants and other tourist establishments and on the training of
those employed in them.

How could the EU work with the Spanish authorities affected for the purpose of studying the causes of the
steep decline in holidaymakers visiting the Costa del Sol from the US and trying to remedy the situation?

(2001/C 81 E/211)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2240/00

by Carlos Ripoll y Mart(cid:237)nez de Bedoya (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 July 2000)

Subject: Tourism

What measures does the Commission intend to propose to the Member States of the European Union in
view of the decline in tourist numbers?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2176/00 and E-2240/00
given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(19 September 2000)

Under the implementation of the subsidiarity principle, it is up to the Member States(cid:146) local, regional or
national authorities to know, study, analyse and, where appropriate, to remedy the structural causes that
may cause a diminution of tourists in the Costa del Sol, or elsewhere.

The Commission, in its role of catalyst of the different policies and Community instruments, can help
Member States authorities develop the tourism potential. Recently, the Commission has published, in its
Internet site, a guide entitled (cid:145)EU schemes in support of tourism. An Internet road-map for the tourism
sector(cid:146).