WRITTEN QUESTION P-3112/00 by Evelyne Gebhardt (PSE) to the Commission. Disbursement of grants authorised under the Socrates Comenius programme.
Date: 2000-09-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Baden-Württemberg, EU financing arrangements, EU programme, cooperation in the field of education

C 151 E/66

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.5.2001

initial meeting of experts in March 1999 producers(cid:146) representatives nevertheless expressed reservations
about the technical details. The October and November 2000 meetings of the Advisory Committee(cid:146)s
standing and ad hoc groups are due to continue discussing the technical details, which would have to be
stipulated in a Commission Regulation in accordance with the management committee procedure.

(1) COM(2000) 522 final.
(2) OJ L 173, 6.7.1990.
(3) OJ L 282, 1.11.1975.
(4) COM(98) 135 final.

(2001/C 151 E/078)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3112/00

by Evelyne Gebhardt (PSE) to the Commission

(27 September 2000)

Subject: Disbursement of grants authorised under the Socrates Comenius programme

Schools in Baden-W(cid:252)rttemberg taking part in the Socrates Comenius programme have been waiting in
vain for disbursement of authorised grants by the Commission.

How does the Commission account for the delay in payment of grants under the Socrates Comenius
programme?

Are these isolated cases, or is there a general problem with implementation of the Socrates Comenius
programme?

When does the Commission intend to pay the outstanding sums?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(30 October 2000)

The delays in the payment of advances for decentralised actions under the Socrates programme are
exceptional and are due essentially to the fact that 2000 is the first year in the implementation of the new
programme (the decision establishing the second phase of Socrates has only been adopted during the first
semester of 2000).

As a result, several measures had to be taken by the Commission and the Member States. There were
delays in the setting up of the national agencies by some Member States, as well as in the completion of
the national work programmes and their operational budgets.

With the new programme, the Commission wanted to reinforce the management of decentralised funds,
with a view to improving their management. In this context, a new standardised form of operating
agreement with the national agencies had to be devised. All measures are being taken in order to ensure
the payments for decentralised actions are made as soon as possible.

As for the situation of schools in Germany, the work programme put forward by the P(cid:228)dagogischer
Austauschdienst (PAD) (the national agency nominated in Germany to handle Comenius grants to schools
under the Socrates programme) has been agreed by the Commission. A contract to enable payments for
the decentralised actions has been sent for signature to the PAD.

However, the Commission has now been informed by the German authorities that the distribution of work
as between the PAD and the other agency involved in grants to schools (the Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft)
cannot go ahead as was originally foreseen. This implies that the contract with the PAD as originally
drawn up is no longer appropriate, and it will have to be returned to the Commission for the cancellation
and re-commitment to the Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft of some of the credits involved.

This process will add a few weeks to the date before the contract can be signed with the PAD and the first
payment reaches them. Even so, credits should be available to them before mid-November 2000. It will
then be up to the PAD to process the funds as quickly as possible.