WRITTEN QUESTION E-0914/02 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Problems in the electronic submission of tax declarations through Taxisnet.
Date: 2002-04-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Greece, information technology applications, project management, tax authorities

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/237

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(17 May 2002)

As the Honourable Member states, the Barcelona European Council of 15 and 16 March 2002 decided, in
line with the Commission’s suggestion in its action plan for mobility of 13 February 2003, that in order to
encourage mobility in the EU, a European Health Insurance Card will replace the current forms needed for
health treatment in a Member State other than the Member State in which a person is insured.

According to the conclusions of the Barcelona Council, the Commission will present a proposal to this
effect before the European Council meeting in the spring (2003).

The drawing-up of the Commission proposal requires detailed preparatory work of a legal and technical
nature involving the representatives of the Member States and health authorities at national level. This
matter will be discussed shortly in the Administrative Commission on Social Security for Migrant
Workers (1), which comprises representatives of the Member States and the Commission.

The Commission hopes that the decisions needed for the introduction of the Health Insurance Card can be
taken and put into effect in the course of 2004.

This work will take account of the results of the numerous research projects in this field which have been
funded over the last ten years, and the numerous applications already in place, particularly in order to
ensure the interoperability of the various systems used.

(1) Article 80 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 of 14 June 1971 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 149, 5.7.1971), amended and updated by Council Regulation (EC) No 118/97 of 2 December 1996 (OJ L 28,
30.1.1997).

(2002/C 205 E/260)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0914/02

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 April 2002)

Subject: Problems in the electronic submission of tax declarations through Taxisnet

In response to my previous questions (E-1802/98 (1), E-0044/99 (2) and P-0147/00 (3)) the Commission has
assured me that implementation of the TAXIS system which is co-funded by the Community is progressing
smoothly. Last week the General Secretariat for Information Systems announced that it would not accept
any new requests for registration for the electronic submission of tax declarations owing to various
problems that had arisen in the operation of the system.

1.

Is the Commission still satisfied with the progress of the project?

2. What was the original budget of the project and what is the present budget?

3. What was the original timetable for completion of the project and when is it now scheduled to be
completed?

(1) OJ C 13, 18.1.1999, p. 88.
(2) OJ C 297, 15.10.1999, p. 140.
(3) OJ C 280 E, 3.10.2000, p. 186.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(22 May 2002)

The TAXIS project has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the
European Social Fund (ESF) and the Greek authorities under the Operational Programme for the
Modernisation of the Public Administration in the framework of the Community Support Framework
(CSF) 1994-1999 for Greece.

C 205 E/238

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

This project was adopted during the 1st Monitoring Committee meeting in November 1994 with a total
budget of € 50 160 000. The implementation period foreseen was until October 1998.

However, considering the highly complex nature of the project it was agreed to extend the implementation
period originally foreseen until the first semester of 2001. Its total budget was adjusted to € 59 691 031, in
order to cover a number of additional software applications.

The Monitoring Committee of
informed the Commission that
the Operational Programme has
implementation of the TAXIS project as a whole has already been completed in the first semester of
2001 according to the timetable agreed.

A full
implementation report for the Operational Programme as a whole and the TAXIS project in
particular is expected by the Commission before the end of June 2002. This report that will contain
qualitative and quantitative data will be presented by the Greek authorities on the occasion of the
presentation of the final payment request and the closure of the programme.

(2002/C 205 E/261)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0919/02

by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Pollution of Lough Sheelin, County Cavan, Ireland

(26 March 2002)

Is the Commission aware of the seriously polluted state of Lough Sheelin, County Cavan, Ireland. That
scientific evidence shows this to be the result of phosphate enrichment, mainly from agricultural run-off,
which is inhibiting the growth of carophytes, protected under EU law as essential for the growth and
development of wild brown trout as well as other forms of wildlife.

What action has the Commission taken to ensure that the Irish Government is taking the requisite steps to
restore Lough Sheelin to an unpolluted state?

Will the Commission formally notify the Irish Government of its concerns about Lough Sheelin and the
Government’s negligence in the matter?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(19 April 2002)

The Commission is aware of the seriously polluted state of Lough Sheelin. It is one of a number of Irish
lakes suffering from eutrophication (i.e. nutrient enrichment, principally due to the substance phosphorus).
the Commission notified a Reasoned Opinion to Ireland (1) with regard to the
On 28 July 2000,
Community’s Dangerous Substances Directive (2), which provides for pollution reduction programmes for
phosphorus. It cited Lough Sheelin as an example of a water body where there had been a failure to
achieve phosphorus reduction. Since then, the Irish authorities have adopted further measures, including
agricultural bye-laws. It may also be mentioned that, in 2001, the Commission submitted a case against
Ireland before the European Court of Justice (3) for inadequate implementation of the Community’s Nitrates
Directive (4), which requires measures to manage animal manures to the extent that they contribute to
problems of nitrate pollution. Since then, there are indications that Ireland is contemplating a country-
wide application of this Directive. By requiring tighter controls on the use of manures, such an application
should have benefits for lakes such as Lough Sheelin.

(1) Procedure A 1990/5220.
(2) Council Directive 76/464/EEC of 4 May 1976 on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into

the aquatic environment of the Community, OJ L 129, 18.5.1976.

(3) Case C-396/01.
(4) Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused

by nitrates from agricultural sources, OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.