WRITTEN QUESTION E-0893/01 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Subsidies for the Sensus police project.
Date: 2001-03-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, EU police cooperation, Germany, financial control, linguistics, research project

20.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 364 E/21

(2001/C 364 E/026)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0893/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(28 March 2001)

Subject: Subsidies for the Sensus police project

In reply to Question P-0009/01 (1) the Commission stated that it would study the information brought to
its attention and assess whether it needed to reconsider its position, which might involve a financial audit
the contract. The information to which
being carried out
Commissioner Erkki Liikanen refers relates to the Sensus/Lernout & Hauspie/Bundesnachrichtendienst case
referred to in Question P-0009/01.

in accordance with the provisions of

Given the serious nature of this issue, and the Commission(cid:146)s close involvement, will the Commission
arrange for a financial audit to be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the contract? If not,
why does the Commission refuse a financial audit of Sensus/Lernout & Hauspie/Bundesnachrichtendienst?

(1) OJ C 187 E, 3.7.2001, p. 154.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(1 August 2001)

The need for a financial audit can reasonably be assessed only after the Commission has received all the
cost statements covering the entire duration of the project.

According to the Commission services, all project financial records and cost claims received to date appear
reasonable and within the budget foreseen in the contract.

Nevertheless, should inconsistencies appear in the incoming cost statements, in particular in the light of
information brought to the attention of the Commission, the Commission may initiate a financial audit on
some or all of the participants of the Sensus project, in accordance with the provisions of the contract.
Directorate General Information Society has already initiated an internal review of the management of the
Sensus project at
the Commission responsible for Enterprises and
Information Society.

the Member of

the request of

(2001/C 364 E/027)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0894/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(28 March 2001)

Subject: Subsidies for the Sensus police project

In reply to Question P-009/01 (1), Commissioner Erkki Liikanen said that the Commission was aware that
the AfA (Amt f(cid:252)r Auslandsfragen), which had been involved in both Aventinus and Sensus via its test
centre for language technology, was a government body reporting to the office of the German Federal
Chancellor. This is an implicit acknowledgement that the Commission is aware of the involvement of the
German federal security service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst.

Since the police and security services, including the Bundesnachrichtendienst, are the responsibility of the
EU Member States, they can always invoke national sovereignty as a means of evading any democratic
accountability at European level. To a certain extent, therefore, the Commission has given carte blanche to
Europol and, in particular, the German federal security service.

Does the Commission acknowledge that the European Parliament is not able to exercise any democratic
control over the activities of the police and security services, including the Bundesnachrichtendienst and
Europol, in the context of the Sensus project since they come under the responsibility of the EU Member
States? If not, in what way can the European Parliament exercise to the full its democratic right of control