WRITTEN QUESTION P-0273/02 by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Preparation for the European Council meeting in Barcelona.
Date: 2002-02-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC Directive, award of contract, market access, proposal (EU), public contract, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 147 E/246

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

(2002/C 147 E/264)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0269/02

by Malcolm Harbour (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 February 2002)

Subject: Preparation for the European Council meeting in Barcelona

The 2000 Lisbon European Council asked ‘the Commission, the Council and the Member States, each in
accordance with their respective powers, to take the necessary steps to ensure that it is possible by 2003
for Community and government procurement to take place on-line.’ Does the Commission believe this
target will be met, and what evidence can it point to to support its view?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(22 February 2002)

As part of the e-Europe initiative, which was confirmed by the Lisbon European Council of 23 and
24 March 2000, the Commission has undertaken to work to put in place a legal framework designed for
on-line public procurement.

On 10 May 2000 the Commission adopted two proposals for Directives (1), one of the aims of which is to
enable public procurement to be carried out electronically. Discussion of these proposals is under way in
the Council and in Parliament, which presented its amendments at first reading on 16 January 2002.

The Commission has also taken initiatives to reinforce the legal framework for carrying out public
procurement electronically, by adopting the Directive on the use of standard forms in the publication of
public contract notices (Commission Directive 2001/78/EC of 13 September 2001) (2), and the proposal
for a Regulation on the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) (3).

The Commission, for its part, is doing all it can to ensure that the 2003 deadline is met.

(1) OJ C 29 E, 30.1.2001.
(2) Commission Directive 2001/78/EC of 13 September 2001 amending Annex IV to Council Directive 93/36/EEC,
Annexes IV, V and VI to Council Directive 93/37/EEC, Annexes III and IV to Council Directive 92/50/EEC, as
amended by Directive 97/52/EC, and Annexes XII to XV, XVII and XVIII to Council Directive 93/38/EEC, as
amended by Directive 98/4/EC (Directive on the use of standard forms in the publication of public contract notices),
OJ L 285, 29.10.2001.
(3) OJ C 25 E, 29.1.2002.

(2002/C 147 E/265)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0273/02

by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 February 2002)

Subject: Preparation for the European Council meeting in Barcelona

The 2000 Lisbon European Council asked ‘the Commission, the Council and the Member States, each in
accordance with their respective powers, to conclude work in good time on the forthcoming proposals to
update public procurement rules, in particular to make them accessible to SMEs, in order to allow the new
rules to enter into force by 2002’. Will the new rules come into force this year?

20.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 147 E/247

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(22 February 2002)

In May 2000 the Commission adopted two proposals for Directives (1), respectively concerning works,
supplies and services contracts awarded by public authorities (‘the Public Sector Directive’) and contracts
awarded in the water, energy and transport sectors (‘the Utilities Directive’).

With reference to the 2000 Lisbon European Council (23-24 March 2000), which asked ‘the Commission,
the Council and Member States’ to act in a timely manner in order to allow these two proposals enter into
force by 2002, the Honourable Member asks whether this goal will actually be reached this year.

As the Honourable Member might be aware, the Parliament adopted both reports concerning these
proposals on 17 January 2002, together with 103 amendments for the Public Sector Directive and 82
amendments for the Utilities Directive. Among others, these included amendments whose effect would be
to raise some of the relevant thresholds to unacceptably high levels ? furthermore not compatible with
the objective of facilitating access to public procurement for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Whether it will be possible to achieve adoption of the two proposals for Directives on public procurement
will depend on the time needed to conclude the legislative process within both branches of the legislature,
i. e. the Parliament and Council. To meet the objective set at Lisbon would therefore require all institutions
concerned to act speedily and constructively.

(1) OJ C 29 E, 30.1.2001.

(2002/C 147 E/266)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0335/02

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 February 2002)

Subject: Import of horses

Would the Commission state how many live horses were imported by the European Union from the
Central and East European countries in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001.

In particular, how many live horses were imported by the European Union in each of the two years from:

1.

Poland;

2.

Lithuania;

3. Romania?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(11 March 2002)

Because of the length of the answer, which includes a number of tables, the Commission is sending it
direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.