WRITTEN QUESTION E-2954/02 by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Commission accounts with commercial banks.
Date: 2002-10-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, European Commission, administration of the Institutions, award of contract, bank deposit, commercial bank, contract, management accounting

C 192 E/86

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

(2003/C 192 E/086)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2954/02

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Commission accounts with commercial banks

(22 October 2002)

From a reading of the answer to my Written Question E-1851/02 (1), I gather that the Commission holds
accounts with at least one commercial bank in each Member State in order to make payments to recipients
holding bank accounts in the respective Member State.

According to the Commission, such banks are selected on the basis of an open call for tenders, and the
proposed contract is submitted to the Advisory Committee on Procurements and Contracts, even in
instances where this is not strictly necessary because of the threshold value (as a result of low charges).
it would appear that most of the contracts were
From the summary provided by the Commission,
concluded in 1998.

1.

2.

Can the Commission indicate for what duration the contracts were concluded?

Can it indicate the banks in respect of which existing contracts were extended or renewed?

Can it indicate, with respect to each country, how many banks submitted tenders in connection with

3.
the award procedures?

Can it indicate why contracts were concluded with several banks in Belgium, Italy and Sweden

4.
instead of with just one bank?

(1) See page 24.

Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(13 December 2002)

The contracts were concluded for a period of one year renewable automatically up to five years,

1.
unless notice to terminate is given.

No contracts were renewed or extended beyond five years. As the end of the period of five years

2.
approaches, or, before, if a contract is terminated by notice, a new call for tenders is issued.

Sometimes the bank whose contract has expired is successful in the new call for tenders and is awarded
the new contract.

Thus, among the banks referred to in part 3 of written question E-1851/02 by the Honourable Member,
the following had also been awarded the previous contract:

Banque Bruxelles Lambert SA

FORTIS Bank SA

KBC Bank NV

Nordea Bank Danmark A/S

Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel

Banca Nazionale del Lavoro

Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat

ABN AMRO Bank NV

Banco Totta e Açores

OKOBANK

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken

Lloyds Bank TSB

ECU/BEF

ECU/BEF

ECU/BEF

ECU/DKK

FRF

ECU

ECU

ECU/NLG

ECU/PTE

EUR

EUR

GBP

14.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/87

The bank names given above are the current ones following various mergers. They are not necessarily
those given in the contracts.

Similarly, since the reply to written question E-1851/02, the contracts with Nordea Bank Danmark A/S
and Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel referred to in part 3 of that question have expired and new
contracts awarded, following calls for tender. The new contracts were awarded to the same banks, Nordea
Bank Danmark A/S and Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel.

3.

The table below supplies the required information:

Requests for
documentation

Offers submitted

Belgium

Denmark

Germany

Greece

Spain

France

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Austria

Portugal

Finland

Sweden

United Kingdom

ECU

BEF

ECU

DKK

ECU

DEM

EUR

EUR

ECU

FRF

ECU

IEP

ECU

LIRE

ECU

LUF

ECU

NLG

EUR

ECU

PTE

EUR

EUR

SEK

ECU

GBP

21

21

8

8

17

17

13

17

16

16

12

12

21

21

14

14

11

11

7

13

13

5

6

11

17

18

7

6

2

1

3

2

1

8

5

5

2

2

3

5

1

1

1

1

2

4

4

1

2

1

4

4

4.
Before 1999, separate calls for tender were issued for contracts in ecus and in national currencies. In
some countries, the same bank was awarded both contracts; in other countries one bank was awarded the
ecu contract and another bank awarded the national currency contract. This was the case for Italy and
Sweden.

In Belgium, contracts were awarded to more than one bank because of the large number of payments,
both by transfer and in cash for mission advances, made in that country.