WRITTEN QUESTION E-2483/00 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Euro information campaign.
Date: 2000-07-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, European Central Bank, United Kingdom, euro, promotion of the European idea, public awareness campaign

C 136 E/40

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.5.2001

The joint PEACE II programme is expected to be adopted in the autumn. This should enable projects to be
financed on the ground by the end of 2000.

(1) Point 44 (b) of Presidency Conclusions (cid:129) Berlin 24/25 March 1999.
(2) Article 7 (4) of Council Regulation (EC) No1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the

Structural Funds (OJ L 161, 26.6.1999).

(2001/C 136 E/043)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2465/00

by Mary Banotti (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2000)

Subject: European standards for the embalming and transfer of remains

The question of repatriation of human remains within the EU was dramatically brought to my attention
with the case of the transfer of the body of a person who died suddenly in Portugal to Ireland. The body
arrived in such an advanced state of decay that the family were unable to view the body before the funeral,
thus causing unnecessary added stress to the family concerned.

Given that EU citizens are moving more and more frequently between Member States both for work and
leisure and that inevitably there will be an increase in the number of transfers of remains from one EU
Member State to another, would the Commission consider looking into the provision of a regulation
governing standards in the field of embalming and transfer of remains in order to avoid such distressing
circumstances arising in the future?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(11 October 2000)

The Commission regrets the distress suffered by the family of the dead person to whom the question
refers.

Regulations governing the transfer of remains of dead persons are laid down in the International
Agreement of Berlin (1937, No 4391 League of Nations Treaty Series) and by the Agreement on the
transfer of corpses of the Council of Europe concluded in September 1973. As stated in its reply to
Written Questions E-0144/95 and E-0428/95 by Mr White (1), the Commission, following extensive
consultations with all parties concerned, concluded that detailed harmonisation of national rules in this
area over and above what already exists is neither desirable nor necessary and would not be justified from
the point of view of subsidiarity and proportionality.

(1) OJ C 202, 7.8.1995.

(2001/C 136 E/044)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2483/00

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2000)

Subject: Euro information campaign

How much of the € 32 million allocated to the Prince programme in 2000 will be spent on the euro

1.
information campaign, and how much will be spent in 2001?

In its communication on communications strategy in the last phases of the completion of EMU

2.
(COM(2000) 57 final), the Commission states that:

The campaign the euro, one currency for Europe was launched in 1996 as part of the Prince
programme (information programme for the European citizen) and more than € 117 million has
been commited in the last four years. In 1998/1999 around two-thirds was spent through agreements.

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/41

Could the Commission please explain how the other one-third of the funding was spent, apart from
bilateral agreements? Did the United Kingdom receive any of this funding directly or indirectly? If so, for
what purposes? Will this funding continue in 2000 and 2001?

In her written answer dated 12 May 2000 to my Written Question E-0922/00 (1) Mrs Reding stated
3.
that (cid:145)the Commission has signed no bilateral agreements on the euro with the United Kingdom(cid:146) but that
the Commission was (cid:145)nevertheless willing to respond to any request for information that it may receive.(cid:146)
Has the Commission received any requests for information from the UK Government since this answer
was given? If so, could it provide details?

4.
The European Central Bank has allocated € 80 million to its (cid:145)Euro 2002 Information Campaign(cid:146) and
will concentrate on the visual appearance of notes and coins and their main security features, as well as
information about denominations and changeover procedures. Since this ECB campaign aims to provide
factual
information to citizens, how can the Commission justify its own large-scale and expensive
campaign?

(1) OJ C 374 E, 28.12.2000, p. 186.

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2000)

1.
The total budget for the Prince programme (heading B3-306) is € 37 million for 2000. Of this, € 32
million is earmarked for the euro information campaign. The budget procedure for 2001 has not yet been
completed, so no precise figure for appropriations can be given. However, the budget for the euro
information campaign next year should be of the same order of magnitude.

2.
Those Member States that are interested can conclude partnership agreements (between the
competent ministry and the Commission). Parliament is also involved. Thirteen such agreements have
been or are on the point of being signed for the year 2000, involving all of the Member States except
Denmark and the United Kingdom.

In addition to these agreements with the Member States, which account for roughly two-thirds of the
budget, the remaining third is used to fund transnational partnerships with civil society (non-governmental
organisations, associations, federations) on the basis of calls for proposals; information in non-member
countries; the development of basic reference material for communicating factual information about the
euro (internet site, newsletter, CD Rom, videos); coordination meetings between Member States, the
European Central Bank (ECB) and the institutions, and opinion polls.

Funding is provided under budget heading B3-306, and appropriations are planned for 2001 and 2002,
subject to the budget procedure and subsequent decisions.

3.

The Commission has received no request for information from the UK authorities.

The ECB will conduct an information campaign with very specific goals: to provide information
4.
about security aspects of euro coins and notes; to familiarise the general public with euro coins and notes
and prepare people for the changeover. All other aspects of information on monetary union and the single
currency are the responsibility of the Member States in partnership with the European institutions.

The Commission would point out to the Honourable Member that the Community has spent € 149,6
million on information about the euro since 1996, or less than half a euro per citizen over five years. This
is hardly excessive, given the importance of the issue.