WRITTEN QUESTION E-3299/01 by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Aid to Slovakia.
Date: 2001-11-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, EU programme, European Anti-fraud Office, Slovakia, accession to the European Union, criminal investigation department, fraud against the EU

C 160 E/94

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.7.2002

However, in case of direct farming support schemes, several requirements can be highlighted from the
legal basis:

(cid:25) First, as concerns Compensatory allowances in Less Favoured Areas, following the provisions in
in order to be eligible for support the beneficiary shall

Article 14(2) of Regulation 1257/1999 (2),
adhere to Good Farming Practice, to be defined by the Member State.

(cid:25) Second,

in accordance with Article 3 of Regulation 1259/1999 (2),

in the case of direct support
schemes under the common agricultural policy, it is up to Member States to take the environmental
measures they consider to be appropriate in view of the situation of the agricultural land used or the
production concerned and which reflect the potential environmental effects. These measures may,
among other things,
include general mandatory environmental requirements and specific environ-
mental requirements constituting a condition for direct payments. However, animal welfare is not
explicitly mentioned in the Council Regulation.

(cid:25) Finally, and from a more general point of view, indent 11 of Article 33 in Regulation 1257/1999
provides Member States with possibilities to carry out measures in order to improve animal welfare.

(1) OJ C 340, 10.11.1997.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 160 E/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3299/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 November 2001)

Subject: Aid to Slovakia

Is the Commission hopeful that one or more individuals will be convicted in the courts for fraud in respect
of the Union’s financial aid to Slovakia, and is the Commission hopeful that the financial resources
misused will be recovered and repaid?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(24 January 2002)

At the beginning of April 2001 the Slovak criminal police was informed about the allegations concerning
the Director of the Foreign Aid Department responsible for PHARE coordination and started an assessment
of the case, which is still going on. At the end of this assessment, the Slovak authorities will decide
whether or not to begin a formal criminal investigation.

By the end of April 2001, shortly after being informed about the allegations, the European Anti-fraud
Office (OLAF) initiated an external investigation in the framework of which it provides expert assistance to
the Slovak investigators and facilitates access to information.

The Slovak Supreme Audit Office (SAO) completed an audit of the Slovak Office of the Government for
European Integration which is responsible for the implementation of pre-accession assistance. The
Chairman of the SAO stated that no evidence of misuse of pre-accession funds was found but that the
SAO report revealed serious deficiencies in the process of submitting, evaluating and approving of PHARE
projects in the period 1997-2000 and, that, therefore, scope for possible corruption was created.

If it would appear from the results of the ongoing investigations that pre-accession funds have been used
in a fraudulent or irregular way, the Commission would start the procedure to recover these funds. As a
precautionary measure,
the Commission has temporarily blocked 10 % of requests by the Slovak
Authorities for PHARE payments on the programmes 2000 and 2001.