WRITTEN QUESTION E-0962/02 by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Possible cases of favouritism in connection with EU funds in Schwerin.
Date: 2002-04-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Social Fund, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, award of contract, exchange of information, fraud, fund (EU)

C 229 E/168

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

26.9.2002

(2002/C 229 E/194)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0962/02

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 April 2002)

Subject: Possible cases of favouritism in connection with EU funds in Schwerin

In response to my Written Question E-2806/01 (1) the Commission informed me on 3 December 2001
that it had asked the Land Government in Schwerin by letter of 30 August 2001 for information in
connection with the accusations raised by the current affairs magazine Der Spiegel. The publication had
reported favouritism and irregularities in the award of contracts for the administration of EU funds, one
beneficiary of which was said to be the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Has the Commission received a reply from Schwerin?

If so, will the Commission send me a copy of its correspondence with the Land Government?

(1) OJ C 134 E, 6.6.2002, p. 110.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(31 May 2002)

By letter of 30 August 2001 to the European Social Fund (ESF) managing authority, the Commission
requested information about the award of contracts to BBJ Servis GmbH, Schwerin, in particular regarding
compliance with Community public procurement law. Furthermore, the Commission asked that managing
authority to send it such audit reports as might be produced relating to those contracts.

After several telephone reminders, the ESF managing authority confirmed in a letter of 4 December 2001
that investigations were being undertaken by the Landesrechnungshof (Court of Auditors) and promised
that they would send the first non-binding draft of the Landesrechnungshof’s report which was expected to
be produced by the second half of December 2001.

The ‘Unverbindlicher Entwurf’ (non-binding draft report) was finished by the Landesrechnungshof at the
end of January 2002 and was sent to the Ministry of Labour in early February 2002. This report and a
statement by the Ministry of Labour were discussed by the Ministry and the Landesrechnungshof on
26 February, as a result of which the Landesrechnungshof withdrew the report. The Landesrechnungshof
explained that this withdrawal was the result of additional information and new legal considerations which
had to be examined before redrafting and publishing the report.

To date the Landesrechnungshof has not yet published its final report.

(2002/C 229 E/195)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0984/02

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(15 April 2002)

Subject: Community directives on waste oils

Article 3, paragraph 1 of Directive 75/439/EEC (1), amended by Directive 87/101/EEC (2) stipulates ‘where
technical, economic and organisational constraints so allow, Member States shall take the measures
necessary to give priority to the processing of waste oils by regeneration’. Unfortunately, this directive has
not yet been implemented by the Member States, who apparently do not ensure that waste oils are
regenerated rather than disposed of.