WRITTEN QUESTION E-2899/00 by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Council. Theft of computers.
Date: 2000-09-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Council of the European Union, computer, logistics, theft

C 340 E/2

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

In Greece, the company formed part of a consortium carrying out a major energy-producing project at
Komotini, which received part-financing amounting to € 72 million under the Community support
framework for the programming period 1994-1999. The company also worked on a number of projects
part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under national aid schemes. These totalled
€ 36 million.

In France, the following aid was provided for staff training under Objective 4 of the Structural Funds
during the programming period 1994-1999:

(cid:129) FRF 1 056 616 to the Alstom electrical machines company;

(cid:129) FRF 2 214 760 to the Alstom steam turbines company.

None of this part-financing was subject to conditions as regards the creation of jobs.

Companies in the Abb Alstom Power group also received funds from the European Social Fund (ESF) in
1994-1999 under Objective 4 (cid:145)Preparing workers for industrial changes and changes in systems
production(cid:146). In France this amounted to € 1 442 919, in Finland to € 44 107 and in Sweden to € 244 324.

In Germany, three training operations for some 220 partially unemployed workers in the ABB group took
place; the amount programmed was € 929 000. However, the group itself did not benefit directly from ESF
assistance.

The ESF contributed at the maximum rate of 50 % to a number of operations which were selected by
a programming committee of which the Commission was not a member. To be selected and benefit from
Community financial assistance they had to meet
the general eligibility criteria laid down by the
Commission and the specific criteria laid down by the Monitoring Committee. Checks on the eligibility and
correctness of the operations were carried out by the Member State, in compliance with its obligations
under Commission Regulation (EC) No 2064/97 of 15 October 1997 establishing detailed arrangements
for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 as regards the financial control by
Member States of operations co-financed by the Structural Funds (1), the Commission or the Court of
Auditors. In the event of an infringement, any sums wrongly paid were to be refunded.

The Commission would, however, draw the attention of the Honourable Members to the fact that regional
aid for the initial investment and related job creation must now be made conditional, by the method of
payment or the conditions attached to the grant, to maintenance of the investment in question or the job
created for at least five years.

The Commission introduced this new provision at the end of 1997 in its guidelines on national regional
aid (2). This condition, imposed by the Commission in its decisions on Community surveillance of State
aids, is gradually being introduced into all national provisions on regional aid to firms, whether or not
these include assistance under the Structural Funds.

(1) OJ L 290, 23.10.1997.
(2) OJ C 74, 10.3.1998.

(2001/C 340 E/003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2899/00

by Paul R(cid:252)big (PPE-DE) to the Council

(13 September 2000)

Subject: Theft of computers

It was reported on page 110 of the magazine (cid:145)EURO am Sonntag(cid:146) of 16 July 2000 that:

200 computers have disappeared from the Council building in Brussels. The magazine goes on to
quote Reuters news agency, according to which the security service is frustrated because security staff

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/3

are not allowed to check diplomats(cid:146) cars, even though some of those involved were transporting the
stolen goods openly on the passenger seat.

Is the Council aware of the fact that more than 200 computers have been stolen from its building?

What will the Council do to put a stop to such incidents?

Will the Council allow the security service to check diplomats in future in order to cut theft?

Should the Council not demand better protection for the institutions on the part of the Belgian executive?

Reply

(10 July 2001)

The Council takes note of the question put by the Honourable Member and would remind him that it is
not in the habit of commenting on the content of articles appearing in the press. Nevertheless, as part of
the procedures for keeping a physical
inventory of data-processing equipment within the General
Secretariat of the Council, it has been discovered that a number of PCs (50) are no longer to be found at
the physical locations indicated in the database used for administrative management of the inventory.

On the basis of the information available, particularly reports of disappearances of PCs, this situation is
not, in most of the cases, the result of systematic theft. Nor is there any reason to believe that diplomats
have been involved in the disappearance of these PCs. Moreover, the administrative value of the missing
equipment, a large proportion of which has had a service life which could give rise to decommissioning,
represents about € 14 000, which is of a similar level to that obtaining in public or private organisations of
a comparable size.

The Council would further point out that it is for the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General,
under the Council(cid:146)s responsibility, to take all the measures necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the
General Secretariat of the Council.

To that end, the General Secretariat of the Council has, among other things, initiated a process to ensure
more effective management of its data-processing equipment in order to limit as far as possible, by means
of organisational measures and intensified checks, the risk of disappearance of such equipment.

Various measures have already been taken or are being planned, including, in particular:

(cid:129) definition of new organisational structures within the Department responsible for information
technology and of procedures making it possible to follow more closely and systematically the
lifecycle of computer equipment from acquisition (purchase/leasing) to decommissioning. It will thus
location of the equipment
be possible constantly to obtain precise information on the physical
concerned;

(cid:129) implementation of both preventive and reactive security measures concerning regular checks and

targeted investigations.

Moreover, the new inventory software (ELS), which will be fully operational in 2001, will make searches
easier and inventory-taking more frequent.