WRITTEN QUESTION E-1921/01 by Karin Riis-Jørgensen (ELDR) to the Commission. Public procurement and invitations to tender.
Date: 2001-06-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, award of contract, economic statistics, public contract

20.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 364 E/223

The reports presented to the Commission by the Member States concerned indicate that the number of
joint enterprises established in 2000 with support from the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance
(FIFG) was very small. Only Spain provided financing for two such projects, for an investment totalling
some € 2,67 million. The contribution from the Community amounted to € 1,33 million.

It should be noted that in the first year of implementation of FIFG structural programmes the number of
projects selected for financing by the national authorities is smaller on account of the time required by the
Member States to put in place national aid schemes.

(1) OJ L 337, 30.12.1999.

(2001/C 364 E/244)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1921/01

by Karin Riis-Jłrgensen (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: Public procurement and invitations to tender

(28 June 2001)

Further to Parliament(cid:146)s consideration of the directives on tendering, will the Commission state:

1.

2.

the percentage of GDP represented by public procurement in each Member State, and

the percentage of the value of public procurement represented by public invitation to tender in each
Member State?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2001)

The Commission has estimated the value of total public procurement as a percentage of the gross domestic
product (GDP) for the period 1993 to 1998.

Total Procurement as a percentage of GDP

(%)

Belgium

Denmark

Germany

Greece

Spain

France

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Austria

Portugal

Finland

Sweden

United Kingdom

1993

8,49

14,92

16,51

12,65

13,45

11,70

11,60

12,29

15,60

11,80

16,88

12,91

13,76

15,83

22,11

14,93

1994

8,42

15,02

16,23

11,99

13,04

11,11

11,85

11,65

13,60

11,51

17,08

12,59

13,71

18,15

23,71

14,92

1995

7,85

15,19

15,91

13,37

12,47

10,70

11,57

11,12

13,63

11,22

16,21

12,57

13,27

17,34

24,31

14,62

1996

7,50

15,82

15,86

12,90

11,45

10,30

10,81

10,85

13,97

11,14

16,27

13,45

13,47

18,02

23,62

14,34

1997

8,09

15,82

15,19

12,63

11,29

10,06

10,76

10,63

13,25

11,01

16,64

15,04

13,95

18,15

21,27

14,00

1998

8,02

15,81

14,72

13,41

11,35

9,79

11,29

10,85

13,02

10,99

17,43

14,90

13,60

16,80

22,84

14,13

C 364 E/224

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.12.2001

These figures are based on the General Government Data as reported to the Commission by Member
States(cid:146) National Statistical Institutes according to the European Standard of Integrated Economic Accounts
(ESA)79 accounting rules, and verified by the Statistical Office of the European Communites (Eurostat).
They include estimates for the Utilities based on data provided by the entities themselves in 1994 and
1998.

This figures may be revised upwards on the basis of ESA 95 accounting rules, which started being applied
practically from 1998.

The Commission has also estimated the value of public procurement advertised in the Official Journal of
the European Communities Supplement S, as a percentage of GDP for the period 1994 to 1999. The table
is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

The change to the European System of Accounts also affects the estimate of the amount of public
procurement published in the Official Journal as a percentage of GDP, since the calculation of GDP has
changed, although the estimate of published public procurement has not.

To maintain comparability, therefore, in the following table the figures for 1998 are given both according
to the previous accounting rules and according to ESA95.

(2001/C 364 E/245)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1924/01

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Racist organisations in applicant countries

(22 June 2001)

In her answer of 7 June 2001 to my Question No E-0601/01 (1), Commissioner Diamantopoulou refers to
a number of measures which the Commission has taken or is to take in order to curb instances of racism
and xenophobia in the Member States and in those countries preparing for membership of the EU.

One of the applicant countries is Turkey, whose human rights record has little in common with the
standards applying in Europe. As I pointed out in my Question No 0601/01, however, Turkey (cid:145)exports(cid:146)
racist fanaticism outside Turkey, as evidenced by the brutal murders in 1996 of two unarmed Cypriot
citizens on the (cid:145)green line(cid:146) in Cyprus by members of the racist organisation the (cid:145)Grey Wolves(cid:146), warrants for
whose arrest have been officially issued by the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus. Despite that, the
Commissioner(cid:146)s answer is extremely (cid:145)woolly(cid:146). She avoids answering my Question whether this fascist
organisation(cid:146)s activities have been raised with Turkish officials, while adding that (cid:145)the Commission has not
raised specific incidents or the existence of specific organisations in this context(cid:146).

Does the Commissioner(cid:146)s reluctance to answer the Question mean that the (cid:145)Grey Wolves(cid:146) acts of violence
and racial hatred inside and outside Turkey have not come to the attention of the Commission? Is the
Commission aware of this organisation? What are the Commission(cid:146)s views on its racist activities and the
murders it commits, and when does it intend to raise the issue of this organisation(cid:146)s terrorist operations
with Turkish officials?

(1) OJ C 318 E, 13.11.2001, p. 83.

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2001)

The Commission denounces all forms of racism and xenophobia wherever they may occur. The Union
equally condemns terrorism in all its forms.

As regards the events to which the Honourable Member refers, the Union issued on 16 August 1996
a declaration which stated that (cid:145)The European Union strongly deplores the recent violence in Cyprus and
the disproportionate use of force by the security forces in the north of Cyprus in response to unauthorised