WRITTEN QUESTION P-2821/00 by Cecilia Malmström (ELDR) to the Commission. Belated conclusion of contract for aid funding.
Date: 2000-09-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Afghanistan, EU aid, European Commission, consortium, contract, cooperation policy, financial aid, non-governmental organisation

C 113 E/184

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

(2001/C 113 E/195)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2821/00

by Cecilia Malmstr(cid:246)m (ELDR) to the Commission

(4 September 2000)

Subject: Belated conclusion of contract for aid funding

to carry out aid work in Afghanistan.

For a number of years the Swedish Afghanistan Committee has received support from the Commission to
enable it
the Commission, aid
organisations from a number of Member States formed a consortium with a view to applying for fresh
funds for aid to Afghanistan. The organisation which concluded a contract with GD Yttre F(cid:246)rbindelser for
this purpose was the Danish Dacaar.

the request of

In 1999, at

The consortium, whose application was approved on 16 November 1999, received a promise that a
contract worth € 17,6 million would be concluded before the end of 1999. For reasons which remain
unclear, the Commission did not succeed in signing the contract before the end of the year. This in turn
meant that, for auditing reasons, the contract could not be concluded before 17 March 2000.

The project which had already been approved by the Commission runs from 1 January 2000 to
31 December 2001. As GD Yttre F(cid:246)rbindelser(cid:146)s rules do not allow expenditure to be charged retro-
spectively,
impossible for the Swedish Afghanistan
Committee and its consortium to obtain reimbursement of the expenditure incurred on the project
between 1 January and 17 March 2000. Consequently, the Swedish Afghanistan Committee has been
compelled to cut its total aid budget, since two and a half months(cid:146) expenditure could not be refunded.

the delayed action by the Commission made it

the Commission ought

I consider that
to shoulder its responsibility for delays which occur in its
administration. Naturally the consortium, whose members include Dacaar and the Swedish Afghanistan
Committee, should therefore be compensated for the expenditure incurred during the part of the project
which preceded the signature of the contract. Because of the Commission(cid:146)s action, the results of the EU-
funded aid will be inferior to what was planned. Moreover, the delays within the Commission are likely to
damage confidence among cooperation partners and aid recipients. What will the Commission do with
regard to the above matter and in general in order to improve its administration of aid funding for GD
Yttre F(cid:246)rbindelser?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(5 October 2000)

The contract AFG/B7-3020/IB/1990/0282 between the Commission and Dacaar was signed by the parties
on 17 and 21 March respectively and is financed under the budget heading for aid for uprooted people in
Asian and Latin American developing countries (Council Regulation (EC) No 443/97 of 3 March 1997 on
operations to aid uprooted people in Asian and Latin American developing countries) (1). The contract
worth € 17,6 million over a 28 month period consists of five subprojects implemented by non-govern-
mental organisations (NGOs) Dacaar,
the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, Afghanaid, Healthnet
International and German Agro Action.

The Management Committee on the developing countries of Asia and Latin America (PC-ALA) approved
the Commission(cid:146)s financing proposal at its meeting on 18 November 1999. The Commission took its
financing decision on 13 December 1999 (2), which made it difficult or even impossible to sign the
contract before the end of the year, the date on which Regulation (EC) No 443/97 expired.

At the beginning of 2000 the Commission had to determine the validity of grant contracts signed after the
legal basis had expired. It reached an agreement in February, which made it possible for the majority of the
contracts financed under the 1999 budget to be signed.

18.4.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/185

While the Commission is aware of the possible impact on the ground of delays in signing contracts, it is
not authorised by the financial regulations to grant aid retrospectively (Article 2(2) of the specific terms of
the contract states that the project begins from the date of the last signature of one or other of the parties).
In this particular case the delay is mainly due to a question linked to the expiry of the basic Regulation.

Measures on the reform of external aid management are proposed in the Communication of 16 May in
order to streamline internal procedures, thus making it easier to approve project proposals more quickly.

(1) OJ L 68, 8.3.1997.
(2) SEC(1999) 2121.

(2001/C 113 E/196)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2827/00

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(6 September 2000)

Subject: Granting of political asylum to Turkish citizen Fehriye Erdal

According to press reports, the Belgian Government is refusing to grant political asylum to Fehriye Erdal,
a Turkish citizen of Kurdish origin, despite the ruling by the Belgium supreme court clearing her of all
charges, and has agreed that she should be handed over to a (cid:145)third country(cid:146). According to the same
sources, Turkey is threatening to impose economic sanctions if Fehriye Erdal is not extradited.

Given that the conduct of the Belgian authorities amounts to a fresh violation of European Union
legislation and international treaties on the protection of refugees and the granting of asylum and that
this affair could once again blatantly undermine the Union(cid:146)s credibility as an area where human rights are
respected, as happened in the O(cid:231)alan case, will the Council say:

1. whether the (cid:145)special principle(cid:146) referred to in Article 4 of the Council resolution of 20 June 1995 has

been respected in the case of Fehriye Erdal(cid:146)s asylum request?

2. whether it can provide assurances that it will

intervene to oppose any attempt by the Belgian

authorities to expel Fehriye Erdal to a (cid:145)third country(cid:146)?

3. what specific measures it intends to take in the face of the blackmail attempts by Ankara, which, as it
did with Italy in the O(cid:231)alan affair, is threatening a Member State with economic sanctions should it
grant political asylum as it is required to do in this instance?

Reply

(16 November 2000)

The case of Ms Erdal
circumstances, the Council considers it inappropriate to make statements about this case.

is still under investigation by judicial authorities in Belgium. Under these

The Council is not aware of any economic sanctions or threats thereof by the Turkish government against
the Community or any of its Member States.