WRITTEN QUESTION E-0482/02 by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN), Cristiana Muscardini (UEN),Roberta Angelilli (UEN), Sergio Berlato (UEN), Roberto Bigliardo (UEN),Antonio Mussa (UEN), Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN), Mauro Nobilia (UEN)and Franz Turchi (UEN) to the Commission. Survey on non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Date: 2002-02-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: ECHO, EU financing, access to EU information, administrative procedure, administrative transparency, economic support, non-governmental organisation

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This group has denounced the fact that:

(cid:18) there are better alternative locations for the waste dump, which have been rejected in order to give
priority to its location in Gomacello, by means of an irregular reassessment of the land, originally
intended for agricultural use (ideal for the cultivation of Armuña lentils, which have a registered
designation of origin);

(cid:18) a proper procedure of public information, as laid down in Community legislation, has not been

carried out, whilst the complaints submitted by those affected have mostly been ignored;

(cid:18) the statement of environmental impact is largely inadequate, according to the provisions of Directive

85/337/EEC (1) and subsequent amendments.

In view of the above, can the Commission say whether the project for the solid urban waste treatment
plant at Gomacello is receiving any kind of Community funding?

Does the Commission consider that the installation of the plant in its present form complies with
European Union legislation, in particular as regards public access to environmental information and the
environmental impact assessment?

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(21 March 2002)

The Spanish authorities have sent the Commission an application for part-financing from the Cohesion
Fund for a project for a centre for the treatment of solid urban waste (‘Centro de Tratamiento de Residuos
Urbanos de Gomecello’) in the province of Salamanca.

The Commission recently received the further information it had requested from the national authorities,
concerning in particular whether or not an environmental impact assessment had been carried out in
accordance with Council Directive 97/11/EC amending Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the
effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (1). The Commission will take no decision
on part-financing until it has thoroughly considered this information.

The Commission would also point out that, under Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 establishing a Cohesion
Fund (2), any project receiving part-financing from the Fund must comply with Community law, including
law on the protection of the environment.

The facts referred to by the Honourable Member do not enable the Commission to assess compliance with
the obligations imposed by Council Directive 90/313/EEC on the freedom of access to information on the
environment (3). It would also point out that citizens’ rights in this respect are protected by national law on
freedom of information.

(1) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(2) OJ L 130, 25.5.1994, as amended by Regulations (EC) Nos 1264/1999 and 1265/1999, OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
(3) OJ L 158, 23.6.1990.

(2002/C 205 E/160)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0482/02

by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN), Cristiana Muscardini (UEN),
Roberta Angelilli (UEN), Sergio Berlato (UEN), Roberto Bigliardo (UEN),
Antonio Mussa (UEN), Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN), Mauro Nobilia (UEN)
and Franz Turchi (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Survey on non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

(22 February 2002)

NGOs (non-governmental organisations) are taking on an increasingly important role on the international
institutions as well as
political and economic scene. Many international, European and national

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governments have given such organisations responsibility for the administrative and economic manage-
ment of substantial funds allocated to large-scale projects, especially in the field of humanitarian aid. Many
of these organisations have also become major partners of governments and international institutions and
are consulted prior to any important decision being taken.

In view of this increasingly important role which they play in the EU’s consultation and, hence, decision-
making processes, but also the repeated cases of mismanagement which have come to light, it is clearly
necessary to guarantee maximum transparency and to establish specific rules governing the status of
NGOs, as partners recognised and respected by the Community institutions.

In view of the above,

1. would the Commission indicate what criteria are used as a basis for recognising an organisation as an
NGO and what checks are carried out, before and after recognition is granted, to ensure that the
organisation is entirely reliable?

2. will the Commission supply a list of non-governmental organisations recognised to date, indicating
which of them are responsible for the management of substantial funds from the Community budget?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(8 April 2002)

The Commission would like to stress that it does not apply an overall accreditation system under
1.
which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) could acquire the status of an organisation recognised by
the Commission.

Consequently, a participation of NGOs in Commission consultation processes or as beneficiaries of
Community programmes and projects is generally not depended on prior registration or accreditation.

In the field of humanitarian aid, effective response to emergency situations requires expedite decision-
making procedures. For this reason, a screening procedure of implementing organisations was introduced
in 1993, enabling the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) to avoid the cumbersome and time-consuming
need for repeated calls for tenders normally applicable to grant subsidies. This screening procedure is
known as the Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA).

The screening and selection procedure of implementing organisations obeys to precise and predefined
rules. ECHO’s standard procedure for processing applications stems from its legal basis (Council Regulation
(EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid (1), Articles 7.1 and 7.2), as well as from
the Financial Regulation and its implementing measures.

ECHO’s policy has always been to avail itself of the most adequate implementers for each humanitarian
operation, in order to guarantee that the aid is delivered in the most effective way to the beneficiaries. That
is why, on the basis of the operational needs and of the specific capacities of a given NGO, ECHO can
exceptionally conclude operational contracts with organisations that are not (yet) signatories of the FPA.

On the issue of consultation of NGOs, it should be noted that the Commission, in its White Paper on
Governance, has committed itself to make the participation of NGOs and other civil society organisations
in structured consultation bodies more transparent. The Commission is therefore creating a database that
will contain information about these consultation forums and the organisations represented in them. Once
all data have been collated, the database will be available on the EUROPA server.

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The Commission’s Vade-mecum on Grant Management stipulates that all Commission departments
2.
publicise all the information on grants awarded by these departments once a year on EUROPA. This is
done on a decentralised basis, i.e. on the homepages of the various departments concerned. The list of
ECHO’s partners is also publicly available on the Internet (2).

(1) OJ L 163, 2.7.1996.
(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/en/index_en.html.

(2002/C 205 E/161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0485/02

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(22 February 2002)

Subject: UK E-111 forms

It has been reported that Spain and France are refusing to accept E-111 forms that are more than a year
old. This is unlawful and denies free treatment to those who are entitled to it.

Is the Commission aware of such practice, and what will it do to ensure that UK citizens’ rights are not
denied them in future?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(18 April 2002)

Under Article 22(1)(c) of Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 (1), a person staying temporarily on the territory of
another Member State is entitled to receive urgently needed medical treatment during their stay. The
expenses for the treatment are charged to the Member State where the person is insured.

The E 111 form issued by the person’s Member State of insurance certifies that he/she is insured and
entitled to receive benefits in kind during a stay in another Member State.

As for the length of time for which the person is entitled to receive medical treatment during their stay,
the E 111 form states that the benefits in kind may be provided either between certain dates or
indefinitely.

The British authorities decided to issue E 111 forms for an indefinite duration to persons who are insured
by virtue of their status as national of a Member State and residence in the United Kingdom.

In accordance with the duty of sincere cooperation laid down by Article 10 of the EC Treaty and referred
to by the Court of Justice (2), the institutions of the other Member States should not refuse, on grounds of
duration of validity, E 111 forms issued for an indefinite duration submitted by British insured persons
who reside in the United Kingdom.

The Commission will contact the national authorities concerned and keep the Honourable Member
informed of future developments. The Commission would also request him to provide more details on any
individual cases of refusal to the Commission, more specifically the Directorate-General for Employment
and Social Affairs, so that it can look into them.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 574/72 of 21 March 1972 laying down the procedure for implementing Regulation
(EEC) No 1408/71 on the application of social security schemes to employed persons, to self-employed persons and
to members of their families moving within the Community, OJ L 74, 27.3.1972; amended and updated by Council
Regulation (EEC) No 118/97 of 2 December 1996, OJ L 28, 30.1.1997.

(2) Case C-202/97 Fitzwilliam Executive Search [2000 ECR I-883, Case C-178/97 Banks [2000] ECR I-2005.