WRITTEN QUESTION E-2107/02 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Clearance of the EAGGF accounts for 2001.
Date: 2002-07-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EAGGF, Greece, closing of accounts, farm accountancy data network, financial year

6.2.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 28 E/187

(cid:1) the text of the Italian Constitution explicitly lays down the number of members of:

(a)

(b)

the Constitutional Court (Article 35, Title VI, Section I) and states that in the event of a vacancy
arising, for whatever reason, it must be filled within one month (Article 5(2) of Constitutional Law
No 2 of 22 November 1967),

the Chamber of Deputies (Article 56, Title I, Section I), and both electoral law (Unified Text 361/
1957, as amended by Law 277/1993), and the relevant implementing regulation (Presidential
Decree No 14 of 5 January 1994) cover all eventualities to enable all seats to be allocated and
specify the mechanisms for filling any seats which become vacant during the term of office.

(cid:1) In view of the fact that the Constitutional Court operated without the constitutional plenum of 15
members between 21 November 2000 and 24 April 2002 and was convened and deliberated with 13
members, and

(cid:1) In view of the fact that since 30 May 2001 the Chamber of Deputies has been operating without the
constitutional plenum of 630 members and has been convened and has deliberated with 618
members;

can the Commission say:

(cid:1) whether it has taken these facts into account in order to assess whether to take steps pursuant to

Article 7 of the TEU and, if so, what conclusions it has reached;

(cid:1) whether it already has or is considering acquiring any instruments to monitor respect

for the

principles referred to in Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(8 August 2002)

The Commission notes that a solution has been found to the problems referred to by the Honourable
Member concerning the composition of two Italian institutions (cid:1) the Constitutional Court and the
Chamber of Deputies. As the Honourable Member states in his question, since 24 April 2002, the
Constitutional Court consists of the number of judges required by the constitution; with regard to the
Chamber of Deputies an agreement was reached on 16 July 2002.

The Commission sees no reason for examining the matter in the light of Article 7 of the Treaty on
European Union.

(2003/C 28 E/212)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2107/02

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Clearance of the EAGGF accounts for 2001

(17 July 2002)

Pursuant to Commission Decision 2002/461/EC (1) of 12 June 2002 on the clearance of the accounts of
Member States’ expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund for the
2001 financial year, the accounts submitted by the paying agency for Greece (Gdidagep/Opekepe) were
not cleared but disjoined subject to further scrutiny and verification.

1.
For what specific reasons were the Greek accounts for 2001 not cleared? Where are the
shortcomings to be found in the accounts forwarded by Greece in terms of their completeness, accuracy
and veracity?

C 28 E/188

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2003

Did the problems in the organisation of Opekepe and in the overall control system (Commission
influence the decision not to clear the accounts and to impose

2.
answer to question E-0466/2002 (2))
financial corrections?

(1) OJ L 160, 18.6.2002, p. 28.
(2) OJ C 172 E, 18.7.2002, p. 200.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 September 2002)

Article 1 and 2 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999 of 25 October 1999 laying down detailed
rules of the application of Regulation (EC) No 1663/95 set out the form and content of accounting
information that the Member States must hold at the disposal of the Commission for the purposes of the
clearance of
the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Guarantee Section
accounts (1) (X-table data) and the way it is to be forwarded.

The Member States must forward this information, in form of computer records, to the Commission by
the 10th February 2002, along with the annual accounts of the paying agencies.

In the case of Greece, the information was not received by the deadline, and data received later was
incomplete.

The Commission considers that it is vital to receive adequate accounting information and will not clear the
accounts of any paying agency that does not provide this information. As Greece has not provided the
information, the Commission is not yet in a position to propose to clear the accounts of the Greek paying
agency for the EAGGF financial year 2001. Consequently, for the 2001 financial year, the accounts of the
Greek paying agency are disjoined from the decision of the Commission of 12 June 2002 on the clearance
of the accounts of Member States’ expenditure financing by the EAGGF, Guarantee Section, for the 2001
financial year and shall be the subject of a future clearance Decision.

From the above, it is clear that the disjunction of the accounts of the Greek paying agency is unrelated to
the corrections that may be applied for problems in the overall control system. Problems with the general
organisation in Greece are clearly behind the failure to deliver the computer data required, but these
problems pre-dated the existence of Opekepe.

(1) OJ L 295, 16.11.1999.

(2003/C 28 E/213)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2122/02

by Ian Hudghton (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(17 July 2002)

Subject: Fisheries (cid:1) Hague Preferences

The principle of relative stability which seeks to distribute fishing opportunities based on traditional fishing
rights and the maintenance of fisheries-dependent communities, has been elaborated by virtue of the
Hague Preference system which, for its part, seeks to address the special needs of Ireland and the northern
parts of the United Kingdom.

Can the Commission provide assurances that these special needs will continue to be recognised and that
the Hague Preferences system will not be undermined in the reform of the common fisheries policy which
is currently under review?