WRITTEN QUESTION P-1728/02 by Carlos Carnero González (PSE) to the Commission. Complaint submitted by the Socialist-Progressive Municipal Group of Madrid City Council to the European Commission regarding an infringement of Community law.
Date: 2002-06-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community of Madrid, EU aid, European Anti-fraud Office, European Social Fund, complaint to the Commission, fraud against the EU, infringement of EU law, vocational training

14.11.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 277 E/241

(2002/C 277 E/265)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1727/02

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission

(10 June 2002)

Subject: Elections to the first European Student Council

The first elections (sponsored by the Commission) to the European Student Council were held from 9 to
23 May.

Voters had a choice between four ‘transnational’ student lists, all of which support the centralisation of
powers and responsibilities within the Brussels institutions.

Bearing in mind * inter alia * the results of the recent elections held in various European countries, the
fact that there is no Eurosceptic or ‘populist’ list, nor one which closely reflects current realities, means that
the elections to that Council will not be fully representative.

What is the exact value of the Commission’s financial support for the student elections?

Does the Commission not think that,
in future, this initiative should be more widely publicised (for
example, by means of announcements placed in major national newspapers), so as to enable parties of all
hues to take part in what constitutes a symbolic electoral contest?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(5 July 2002)

The ‘European Union Student Vote’ (EUSV) is a private initiative that does not benefit support from the
Commission.

In 2001 the EUSV organisers applied for financial support from the Commission (Directorates general
(DGs) Education and Culture and Information Society). Both DGs had carefully evaluated the project and
eventually rejected it.

Following the procedures, in April 2001 the organisers were regularly informed that their project had been
rejected.

The Commission does not recognise the ‘European Student Council’ elected through the EUSV. In the field
of Higher Education, the Students Associations that constantly dialogue with the Commission are those
which make up the ‘groupe de liaison européen’, i.e. the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), the European
Student Information Bureau (ESIB), and the Association des Etats généraux des étudiants de l’Europe
(AEGEE). For general matters related to the topic of ‘youth’, the Commission’s referent is the ‘European
Youth Forum’, a platform that gathers several European and national Associations.

(2002/C 277 E/266)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1728/02

by Carlos Carnero González (PSE) to the Commission

(10 June 2002)

Subject: Complaint submitted by the ‘Socialist-Progressive Municipal Group of Madrid City Council’ to the

European Commission regarding an infringement of Community law

On 31 May this year the city councillors Rafael Simancas Simancas and Isabel Villalonga Elviro submitted,
on their own behalf and on behalf of the ‘Socialist-Progressive Municipal Group of Madrid City Council’, a
complaint to the Commission alleging failure to comply with Community law on the part of the
Directorate-General for the Promotion of the Social Economy and the European Social Fund, the Sub-
Directorate-General of the European Social Fund Administration Unit (UAFSE) and implicating the Ministry
of Labour and Social Affairs too. The reasons for the complaint are that on 28 March 2001 the auditing
team from the UAFSE started checking the P.O. 940314 ES3 managed by the Madrid Institute for
Employment and Business Training (IMEFE). The checks led to the drawing up of two reports, one

C 277 E/242

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.11.2002

concerning the procedures carried out using own resources * which was published in 17 December last *
and the other regarding technical assistance contracts, which has not yet been published.

The UAFSE auditing team issued both audit reports. From the first provisional report notified to the IMEFE
on 20 December 2001, concerning the internal courses run by the IMEFE, it emerges that because of
irregularities discovered, the IMEFE will have to pay € 5 800 000 back to the ESF. The second report on the
external courses contracted out to outside firms by the IMEFE under the heading of technical assistance
was not notified as it should have been in order to comply with the compulsory counterclaim procedure,
as a result of a decision adopted by the Director-General for Promotion of the Social Economy and the ESF
* on which the UAFSE depends * requesting that Madrid City Council carry out an additional audit. This
meant
the contents of the second report were unknown and the relevant period allowed for
counterclaims could not be initiated. Furthermore, the decision to request an audit from the City Council
itself, which is an interested party, could mean that the second report drawn up by the UAFSE auditing
team about the IMEFE would not be delivered, which would constitute an infringement of the relevant
Community law.

that

What view does the Commission take of the complaint submitted by the ‘Socialist-Progressive Municipal
Group of Madrid City Council’? If it considers the allegations made in the complaint to be true, what may
the implications be for the application of Community law?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(29 July 2002)

In the light of information revealed by the Spanish press at the start of 2001 the European Anti-Fraud
Office (OLAF) launched a coordination investigation concerning suspected irregularities in the manage-
ment by the IMEFE of actions cofinanced by the European Social Fund.

Since then, in order to ensure that the case is followed up appropriately, there have been regular contacts
with the national authorities. As part of these contacts, the national authorities supplied OLAF with the
audit report produced by the Intervención General de la Administración del Estado (IGAE) as well as that
produced by the UAFSE on ‘own resources’. The Commission is awaiting the audit report produced by the
UAFSE regarding the ‘technical assistance contracts’.

On Friday June 2002, OLAF received a complaint lodged by the Socialist Group of Madrid City Council
concerning failure by the Spanish Ministry of Labour (UAFSE) to observe Community law concerning the
management of structural funds by the IMEFE.

The investigation is still in progress, and the elements mentioned above form part of this investigation.

(2002/C 277 E/267)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1754/02

by Jean Lambert (Verts/ALE) and Inger Schörling (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(19 June 2002)

Subject: Improper use of the European Social Fund in training courses for waitresses and waiters in

Tenerife

The Canary Islands Government in Tenerife’s programme of training courses for 2002 includes training
courses for floor waitresses and restaurant waiters that are financed by the European Social Fund. The
in
training programme will be run by Ashotel (Asociación de Empresarios de Hostelería de Tenerife)
various hotels on the island. Training is to be provided in two specialist areas: ‘floor-waitress’ (335 hours
in 4 months) and ‘restaurant waiters’ (800 hours in 9 months).

Does the Commission feel that this is exploiting Community funds to dress up seasonal employment
contracts as training courses?