WRITTEN QUESTION E-0894/01 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 control, EU police cooperation, Germany, competence of the Member States, linguistics, research project, secret service

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

C 364 E/22

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.12.2001

of the police and security services, including the Bundesnachrichtendienst and Europol, in the context of
the Sensus project, without running up against the limits of national sovereignty?

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

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2001)

The Commission draws the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that the question asked refers
to an institutional matter since it concerns the democratic control of the Parliament over activitites which
are included in the field of the competence of the Member States. This matter is beyond the Sensus project
and, in general, the framework Research and Technological Development (RDT) Programmes.

the Sensus project, however, AfA and Europol,

in signing a contract with the
In the context of
Commission, are subject to the same rights and obligations as the other Sensus project contractors, in
particular the requirement to submit cost statements, technical results and reports as well as accepting the
right of the Commission and the Court of Auditors to undertake audits.

(2001/C 364 E/028)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0895/01

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 March 2001)

Subject: Veterinary services and laboratories, programmes for eradicating and monitoring animal diseases

and spending in the veterinary sector in Greece

During the Year 2000 5 330 head of cattle, 3 500 goats and sheep and 450 pigs were slaughtered in
Greece (in the Prefectures of Evros and Xanthi) as a result of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease.
Furthermore, following checks carried out on the basis of Decisions 90/424/EEC (1) and 94/370/EEC (2) on
expenditure in the veterinary field and investigations into veterinary activities in specific sectors and the
programme for the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases, the Commission found that the
arrangements for combating various diseases in Greece (brucellosis among cattle and goats and sheep,
tuberculosis among cattle and scrapie among sheep) did not operate effectively and that the programmes
implemented were inadequate both from a veterinary point of view and from the point of view of financial
management.

To what extent do the veterinary services and laboratories in Greece operate on the basis of existing

1.
Community directives and regulations concerning the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases?

2.
How well equipped are the other Member States and Greece(cid:146)s neighbours (Turkey, Bulgaria, etc.) to
deal with foot-and-mouth disease, and what measures does it intend to take to tackle this disease
effectively?

On the basis of Decisions 2000/640/EC (3) and 2000/774/EC (4) on the adoption of certain
3.
programmes for the eradication, monitoring and prevention of zoonoses in Greece in 2001, what
measures must be taken to avoid losing Community funding, especially since the implementation of the
programmes for combating foot-and-mouth disease in Greece cost GRD 2,4 billion in the Year 2000?

(1) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19.
(2) OJ L 168, 2.7.1994, p. 31.
(3) OJ L 269, 21.10.2000, p. 56.
(4) OJ L 308, 8.12.2000, p. 39.