WRITTEN QUESTION E-1299/02 by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission. French farm fraud.
Date: 2002-05-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: France, audit, common agricultural policy, fraud against the EU, report

14.11.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 277 E/183

In the light of the above, the Commission does not conclude that Directive 97/11/EC has not been
properly transposed into Spanish law as regards giving the public concerned an opportunity to take part in
the procedure.

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(2) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(3) Case C-342/00.

(2002/C 277 E/205)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1299/02

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 May 2002)

Subject: French farm fraud

Further to Commissioner Fischler’s response to written question P-0440/02 (1) by Neil Parish, will the
Commission please confirm that it will inform the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control
as soon as the Commission has read and examined the report in detail? Will the Commission forward its
opinion as soon as possible? How does the Commission plan on recovering the missing funds?

(1) OJ C 229 E, 26.9.2002.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(10 June 2002)

The Commission is in the process of examining the report of the French Court of Auditors in detail. It will
inform the Parliament’s Committee, on Budgetary Control (Cocobu) about its opinion on the report if
invited to do so by the Committee. The results of the examination will be in principle available before the
summer break.

If there is any evidence of administrative weaknesses leading to a risk to the European Agricultural
Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) then this will be dealt with by proposing financial corrections
through the clearance of accounts process. This is a well established process, set out in Council Regulation
(EC) No 1258/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (1), which leads
to recoveries across the Union of € 600-800 million per year.
In the case of France these financial
corrections have amounted to € 457 million since 1994, or less that 1 % of the amount declared.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 277 E/206)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1311/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL), Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE)
and Elisabeth Schroedter (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(7 May 2002)

Subject: Devastation of the potential Natura 2000 area in the Kresna gorge in Bulgaria by implementation

of existing plans to build a motorway

Does the Commission recall a series of written questions, including No E-3147/00 (1) of 6 October
1.
2000, concerning plans for the construction of the E79 motorway between Sofia and Thessaloniki through
the Struma river valley in south-west Bulgaria as part of trans-European corridor No 4, which would
substantially alter the character of the gorge to the north of the city of Kresna which is an important
natural habitat and environmental transition zone, and its answer of 22 December 2000 in which it said
that any application for co-funding would require an environmental impact assessment and indicated that
the Commission delegation in Sofia was involved in consultations on planning the route and that it was
ready to support any application by Bulgaria for inclusion of the Kresna gorge in the Natura 2000
network?