WRITTEN QUESTION E-1806/01 by Wolfgang Ilgenfritz (NI) to the Commission. Europe-wide invitations to tender.
Date: 2001-06-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: access to EU information, invitation to tender

C 350 E/230

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.12.2001

I have not yet received any reply to the question on this subject which I tabled on 30 March 2001.

In view of the foregoing, can the Commission say what action has been taken up to now and what action
will be taken in future to carry out this project, what the timetable for this action will be and the reason
whysix months of the financial year have elapsed without any action having been taken?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(16 July 2001)

The Commission refers to its answer to Question E-1245/01. In addition, it underlines that on 14 March
2001, the Commission has published the Daphne call for proposals, of which the profile was raised and
adapted by including a priority on the topics: paedophilia and child sexual abuses and exploitation.

The receipt of the proposals is now achieved. Around 65 proposals concerning the above mentioned
topics have been received. The result of the evaluation process will be known in September and the
accepted projects should be able to start around November-December 2001.

Concerning the remark of the Honourable Member about the absence of a similar budget line in the APB
2002, the same considerations about duplication of activities with the Daphne programme guided the
Commission in drafting the preliminary budget.

(2001/C 350 E/260)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1806/01

by Wolfgang Ilgenfritz (NI) to the Commission

(19 June 2001)

Subject: Europe-wide invitations to tender

I am frequently approached by interested firms for details about current invitations to tender. Hitherto I
have subscribed to the Europa Kontakt series in which many invitations to tender are published. However,
the promotional briefing is distributed only once a month and many of the invitations tender are therefore
no longer up-to-date.

I also consult the TED home page for details but searches are extremely time-consuming. Can the
Commission give other sources from which information on the latest invitations to tender or supply
contracts can be obtained cheaply and in good time? Is it possible to receive automatic notification of new
invitations to tender by e-mail?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2001)

The efficient dissemination of public procurement opportunities, their easy access and user-friendliness are
objectives on which the Commission is constantly working.

In accordance with Community legislation in force all Europe-wide calls for tender covered by the relevant
the European
Community directives are published in the Supplement
Communities (OJ S series). The OJ S series is currently available either on CD-ROM (against payment) or
online via the internet in the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) information service (free of charge).

to the Official

Journal of

The CD-ROM OJ S is published as a daily (five times/week) or as a twice-weekly subscription (appearing
on Wednesdays and Saturdays).

Furthermore, official sales agents of the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities and
worldwide intermediaries who are TED licence-holders can offer their clients cost-efficient services tailored
to specific needs, i.e. automatic notification of new calls for tender according to specific profiles.

11.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 350 E/231

The Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, which is responsible for the operation
and management of this service, intends to introduce an improved version early next year.

The Office for Official Publications may be contacted for further information (1).

(1) http://eur-op.eu.int/general/en/index.htm.

(2001/C 350 E/261)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1815/01

by Pietro-Paolo Mennea (ELDR) to the Commission

(14 June 2001)

Subject: CD prices in the European Union

Music CDs are an important source of income for CD producers in the European Union and should be
sold at prices which young people, who are the main buyers, can afford.

According to press reports, some music CD producers have adopted an anti-competitive pricing policy and
some of the leading companies in the music sector have obliged retailers to maintain CD prices above
a given level, thus placing an additional burden on consumers over and above the taxes already payable on
CDs.

Given the above, would the Commission:

(cid:129) not agree that it should open an formal inquiry with a view to determining whether anti-competitive

practices are being used;

(cid:129) ascertain whether the national anti-trust authorities in the various Member States are looking into the

possibility of a cartel of some kind having been set up by leading CD producers;

(cid:129) say how it intends to ensure that such products are sold in compliance with internal market rules,

with particular reference to the principle of fair competition?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(10 July 2001)

The Commission appreciates the cultural and economic importance of the music sector but at the same
time considers that it must remain vigilant to potential restrictions of competition harmful to consumers.

In 2000, the Commission was concerned that the merger of EMI and Time Warner, and in particular the
move from five major music companies to four, would have had anti-competitive effects. The merger was
abandoned before the end of the procedure.

Earlier this year, the Commission(cid:146)s anti-trust department opened an investigation into allegations of vertical
retail price maintenance by each of the five major music companies. This investigation has not yet
concluded, but the Commission has found limited evidence of questionable activities, such as the inclusion
of minimum advertised prices in some contracts for the provision of advertising funds. Those activities
were abandoned as soon as the Commission(cid:146)s investigation began. This investigation did not examine the
possibility of horizontal price fixing activities by the record companies as the Commission has seen no
hard evidence to suggest that such activities are taking place or that further investigation is appropriate.