WRITTEN QUESTION E-2574/01 by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission. Organisation of strategies for developing regional economic competitiveness.
Date: 2001-09-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU regional policy, European Regional Development Fund, action programme, information society, innovation, regional development

C 115 E/124

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

16.5.2002

The prior information is published in order to ensure that all the firms likely to submit a tender for a
public service contract are given sufficient notice of the awarding authority’s intention to launch a
competitive tender procedure for a given service. The prior information is simply an announcement of a
forthcoming procedure. The tender procedure proper is not officially launched and interested firms cannot
request the specifications for the contract concerned until the contract notice is published. The deadlines
for requests for the specifications and relevant documents are stipulated in the contract notice, as is the
deadline for the submission of tenders. It is vitally important that all the firms are treated on a strictly
equal footing and that they are all subject to the same time constraints when preparing their tenders.

In the specific case of the invitation to tender for the ‘Europe by Satellite’ broadcasting service contract, the
deadline set for requesting documents was 19 September 2001, and the Commission, in accordance with
the above directive, was required to respond to these requests and dispatch the necessary documents
within a period of 6 days. The Commission was therefore under no legal obligation to dispatch the
specifications before 28 August 2001. In actual fact, the first mailings were sent out on 22 August 2001
in response to two requests for information sent in following the publication of the prior information
without waiting for the contract notice to be published. Between 22 August 2001 and 6 September 2001,
19 further requests were received, each of which were answered by return.

Considering the number of applications already received, the Commission takes the view that publishing
the contract notice on 22 August 2001 in no way restricted the competitive tender procedure.

Nor does it view the very technical nature of the specifications or the deadline of 1 October 2001 for the
submission of tenders as presenting an obstacle to competition.

With reference to the first charge, the Commission would point out that this invitation to tender involved
a highly specialised field requiring highly sophisticated equipment. The complex technical specification is
unavoidable but nonetheless perfectly accessible to any specialist undertaking likely to submit a tender.

With reference to the second charge, the Commission would point out that, according to Directive 92/50/
EEC, the deadline set for the submission of tenders must not be less than 52 days after the date when the
contract notice was sent to the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. As the
contract notice was sent on 10 August 2001 for publication on 22 August 2001, the submission deadline
(1 October 2001) complies fully with the terms of the directive.

For all the above reasons, the Commission hereby refutes the Honourable Member’s suggestion that the
terms of this tender procedure were biased in favour of the present contractor, whose contract could
otherwise have been renewed automatically for two further years, and against its competitors.

(1) OJ S 121, 27.6.2001.
(2) OJ L 209, 24.7.1992.
(3) OJ S 160, 22.8.2001.

(2002/C 115 E/127)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2574/01

by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(21 September 2001)

Subject: Organisation of strategies for developing regional economic competitiveness

In order to enhance the effectiveness of its development strategies, the Commission is supporting on-the-
spot experiments with new ideas put forward by the regions to increase their economic competitiveness
and their own ability to meet the challenges of the information society.

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/125

To that end it has set out the following three themes to provide reference points for action by the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in this area for the period 2000-2001:

? regional economies based on technological knowledge and innovation,

? new information technologies serving regional development,

? regional identity and sustainable development.

The first invitations to tender have been published and the closing dates for submitting project proposals
have passed.

1. What has been the response by the regions to this opportunity?

2.

Do the three proposals reflect the three guidelines laid down by the Commission?

3. What are the timescales for approval of the projects and hence for getting them started?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 2001)

The Commission communication of 31 January 2001 concerning the guidelines for innovative actions
under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in 2000-2006 (1) aroused very great interest
among the regions. In response to the Commission’s invitation to present a regional programme of
innovative actions by 31 May of each year until 2005, 103 of the 156 eligible regions presented a
programme in the first year and three specific network programmes were also submitted.

The breakdown among the three strategic topics shows that over two thirds of the regions presented a
programme covering both technological
the
programmes shows that overall their quality is high and that a very large number of proposed actions
have an innovative content. Moreover, these programmes have stimulated a broad partnership across the
public, private and cooperative sectors for their preparation and implementation.

innovation and the information society. Appraisal of

Individual decisions on part-financing the majority of programmes could still be taken in 2001 or at the
beginning of 2002.

(1) COM(2001) 60 final.

(2002/C 115 E/128)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2581/01

by Torben Lund (PSE) to the Commission

(18 September 2001)

Subject: Chlorpropham

Foodstuffs such as potato crisps and chips are being sprayed with the toxic substance chlorpropham.
According to reports in the Danish press, this substance may cause liver and kidney cancer in humans. The
foodstuffs industry uses this substance to lighten the colour of crisps.

In the light of the above, is the Commission aware of any studies on the effects of this substance on
human health? Does it consider it justifiable to permit the continued use of a substance in food products
which are aimed in particular at children and young people, given that it may cause cancer or otherwise
harm human health?