WRITTEN QUESTION E-1859/02 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. European regions' responsibilities as regards compliance with the Stability Pact.
Date: 2002-06-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: budgetary equilibrium, local budget, regional budget, relations between the State and the regions, stability pact

C 137 E/32

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

12.6.2003

It emerges from a paper forwarded to Parliament by the Commission (‘Factual responses to allegations and
claims made by Mrs Andreasen in her letter to MEPs on 24 May 2002 and elsewhere’) that the balance
sheet for the 2001 financial year was not signed by the accounting officer who had been in office since
1 January 2002, because the official transfer of office from her predecessor to herself as provided for in
Article 18 of the implementing measures had not yet taken place and because, in addition, she obviously
had doubts as to the correctness of the closing accounts.

Her predecessor, also, did not sign the balance sheet until 17 May 2002, that is to say after it had already
been adopted by the Commission.

Can the Commission say on whose responsibility the balance sheet was drawn up and presented to the
Commission for adoption?

Can the Commission say when and by whom the balance sheet was submitted to the Commission’s
accounting officer for audit pursuant to Article 18 of the implementing measures and what the outcome of
that audit was?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(12 August 2002)

1.
Under Article 20 of the Commission Regulation laying down detailed rules for the implementation of
certain provisions of the Financial Regulation, the Commission’s accounting officer centralises all the
information he needs and draws up the consolidated revenue and expenditure account and balance sheet
of the European Communities so that the Commission can adopt them and send them to Parliament, the
Council and the Court of Auditors by 1 May.

Pursuant to this provision, the accounts for 2001 were prepared by the relevant departments in the Budget
Directorate-General and were presented under the responsibility of the accounting officer in office on
31 December to the Director-General of DG Budget and then to the Commissioner for the Budget, who
adopted them on behalf of the Commission on 30 April, as empowered to do so by the Members of the
Commission.

The second question relates to when and by whom the balance sheet was submitted to the

2.
Commission’s Financial Controller for audit.

Such submission is required by Article 18 of the Commission Regulation laying down detailed rules for the
implementation of certain provisions of the Financial Regulation.

Under this procedure, the Financial Controller gives an opinion, but not approval. Only the German
version of Article 18 refers to approval (zwecks Erteilung des Sichtvermerks), which is not mentioned in
the other language versions.

Given the deadlines for the closure of the annual accounts, the accounts for 2001 were not submitted by
the accounting officer to the Financial Controller prior to adoption.

(2003/C 137 E/036)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1859/02

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(28 June 2002)

Subject: European regions’ responsibilities as regards compliance with the Stability Pact

The Stability Pact of December 1996 imposes strict budgetary discipline on the Member States. Some
Member States find it hard to operate within such financial constraints, and this is certainly true of
Member States’ regions and federal states.

12.6.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 137 E/33

Does the Commission acknowledge this problem and will it urge Member States to take action against
federal states and regions that systematically spend more than is permitted under Stability Pact rules?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(12 August 2002)

The Commission acknowledges that the effective respect of the medium-term objective of budgetary
positions of close to balance in surplus objective, to which the Stability and Growth Pact commits the
Member States, depends on behaviour at all levels of government. Within the framework of multilateral
surveillance set out by the EC Treaty and complemented by the Stability and Growth Pact, the Commission
levels of
has recommended that national governments ensure strict budgetary implementation at all
government, where this was a significant issue. The Commission follows with interest developments in
Member States aiming at coupling fiscal decentralisation with making sub-national levels of government
responsible for the achievement of
the overall budgetary objectives. However, national government
remains responsible for ensuring the respect of Community law, and this includes the obligations deriving
from the Stability and Growth Pact.

(2003/C 137 E/037)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1863/02

by Gerard Collins (UEN) to the Council

(28 June 2002)

Subject: Afghanistan

According to UNHCR figures, by 24 April 2002 the number of refugees returning to Afghanistan in a
period of less than eight weeks was more than 353 000, with people returning from Pakistan representing
by far the largest number.

Will the Council now provide an assessment of the impact of EU assistance on Afghanistan and does it
consider that EU aid should now focus on additional areas and, if so, which areas and is it satisfied that
enough is being done to ensure the welfare of children?

Reply

(6 February 2003)

1.
The EU is firmly committed to delivering humanitarian aid and to making a substantial contribution
to alleviate the plight of Afghan refugees. In general, the EU’s co-operation objectives in Afghanistan are to
support the implementation of the Bonn Agreement that sets out the path for long-term stabilisation and
development of Afghanistan. The EC development programme and Member States’ bilateral programmes
all feed into this central objective.

2.
In addition to the aid provided by individual Member States, the European Community (ECHO) has
provided EUR 60 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and refugees in neighbouring Iran and
Pakistan in 2002. This humanitarian support has been a mainstay of EU support to the country over the
last ten years.

3.
As for additional areas of aid that could be considered in the future, the Honourable Member might
wish to request further details from the European Commission. The National Indicative Programme of EC
support to Afghanistan for 2003-2004 is under discussion.