WRITTEN QUESTION P-3963/00 by Gary Titley (PSE) to the Commission. Administration of the ERDF.
Date: 2000-12-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Regional Development Fund, access to information, contract, invitation to tender, management, national law, small and medium-sized enterprises

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/231

(2001/C 163 E/271)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3963/00

by Gary Titley (PSE) to the Commission

(8 December 2000)

Subject: Administration of the ERDF

Further to the Commission(cid:146)s reply to my Oral Question H-0584/00 (1), could the Commission inform me if
contracts co-financed by the structural funds for investment in, and advice to, SMEs and concluded by the
authorities of Member States should be open to public inspection? If not, why not?

(1) Written answer of 5.7.2000.

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(19 January 2001)

The Member States are responsible for the management of Structural Funds programmes. Contracts
concluded by the national administrations and part-financed by the European Regional Development
Fund are therefore subject to national labour law and national provisions on public access to government
documents.

Moreover, as the Commission has already had occasion to recall in reply to Oral Question H-0584/00 (1)
by the Honourable Member during the July 2000 session, the conclusion of service contracts with local
staff to provide services such as guidance to small and medium-sized enterprises comes under national
rules for public calls to tender, and the Member States are required to comply with the relevant
Community legislation.

(1) Debates of the European Parliament (July 2000).

(2001/C 163 E/272)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3973/00

by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Commission

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Tunisia

Despite yet another announcement of reforms by President Ben Ali on 7 November 2000, there has been
no improvement in the situation with regard to the rule of law and fundamental freedoms in Tunisia.
A number of prisoners who have been on hunger strike for several weeks are in a critical condition.

The Tunisian Human Rights League has been placed under judicial administration by a judge sitting in
chambers to deal with urgent matters, after four disgruntled candidates brought an action against the
League seeking annulment of the results of its last congress. The congress had agreed to a policy of
autonomy from the Tunisian authorities. The summons was issued 24 hours after the statements by the
new President of the Tunisian Human Rights League, the lawyer Mohktar Trifi, concerning the orchestra-
tion by the Tunisian authorities of the legal action, which is designed to bring about the dissolution of the
association. The case is to be heard on 25 December 2000.

Does the lack of any response from the Commission to these new assaults on fundamental freedoms in
Tunisia mean that the Commission regards Article 2 of the Association Agreement between the EU and
Tunisia as an optional clause? Does not the Commission consider that the lack of any response on its part,
in conjunction with the EIB(cid:146)s granting of two loans to Tunisia, valued at € 70 million, within just a few
hours of the placing under judicial administration of the Tunisian Human Rights League, will be perceived
by the citizens of Tunisia as demonstrating that the Union is not interested in their fundamental rights and
as giving the Tunisian authorities carte blanche for their policy?