WRITTEN QUESTION E-3462/02 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Economic integration.
Date: 2002-12-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, exchange of information, foreign enterprise, gross domestic product, industrial statistics

12.6.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 137 E/211

How much have Eurocost’s debts to the Commission increased?

An audit report on Eurocost was produced by external auditors. Will the Parliament be given access to the
audit report on Eurocost?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(3 February 2003)

Amounts in euro of salaries paid with the weighting applied:

(cid:1) 1990: Not available (files kept for only ten years)

(cid:1) 1991: Not available (files kept for only ten years)

(cid:1) 1992: 3 503 268

(cid:1) 1993: 3 416 472

(cid:1) 1994: 2 139 027

(cid:1) 1995: 2 981 949

(cid:1) 1996: 2 501 742

(cid:1) 1997: 1 661 738

(cid:1) 1998: 1 959 123

(cid:1) 1999: 2 214 210

(cid:1) 2000: 2 394 710

Between 1990 and 1999,
EUR 18 111 086,86.

the amounts from the Community budget attributed to Eurocost were

Eurocost had no debts to the Commission until the conclusion of the audit in 2000. A recovery order has
been issued for EUR 1 009 016 on the basis of the findings of an audit conducted in 2000. The recovery
order is still open because Eurocost ASBL’s liquidation is not yet completed. Eurocost’s debts have not
increased since the recovery order.

There was no audit report produced by external auditors. An audit was launched at the joint initiative of
Eurostat’s Internal Audit Service and Directorate General (DG) Financial Control (DG Audit at the time)
and carried out during the first quarter of 2000. The Commission does not automatically transmit internal
audit reports to the Parliament, but any formal request from the Parliament would be dealt with in
accordance with existing rules and procedures.

(2003/C 137 E/238)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3462/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(6 December 2002)

Subject: Economic integration

Will the Commission estimate the proportion of each Member State’s GDP accounted for by corporations
in foreign (including other Member State) ownership?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2003)

An appropriate indicator is the share of value added generated by foreign-controlled enterprises on the
value added of the whole business economy (including enterprises controlled by the compiling economy).

C 137 E/212

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

12.6.2003

Enclosed herein there are results obtained in the Structural Business Statistics-Framework with data for
reference year 1999 for seven participating Member States. For more detailed information, the publication
‘Foreign-owned enterprises’ with data for reference year 1997 and the Statistics in Focus ‘Foreign-owned
enterprises’ with data for reference year 1998 are sent direct
to the Honourable Member and to
Parliament’s Secretariat (1)

Contribution of foreign-controlled
enterprises to business economy
in seven Member States, 1999

Member State

Value added at factor cost

(%)

Denmark

Spain

France

Netherlands

Portugal

Finland

Sweden

9,2

15,4

15,6

17,4

13,2

13,7

19,8

For France and Luxembourg the number of employees is used as a proxy

Business economy: NACE Sections C to I, and K

However, this measure is not available for all Member States and not for the Union aggregate. A draft
Regulation on the structure and activity on foreign affiliates is presently under discussion following
Eurostat initiative. This legal framework would enable to provide the requested information for all Member
States and for the Union as a whole.

(1) See also answer given by the Commission to written question E-3453/02 by the Honourable Member, See p. 210.

(2003/C 137 E/239)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3464/02

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(6 December 2002)

Subject: Withdrawal of a medicinal product in Italy

‘Leishmaniosi
is a tropical disease transmitted by an insect bite. Over the last few years it has been
spreading through various parts of Italy and has even become endemic (i.e. firmly established in the
regions concerned). In humans the disease manifests itself in the form of cutaneous eruptions which are
easily treatable. Problems arise when it adopts its canine form, in which it is fatal. There exists an effective
medicinal product produced by the Avensis pharmaceutical company under the name of Glucantin. It used
to cost three euros per box (cid:1) used to, because it has been unavailable in Italy for some time.’

This information is taken from the 17 November 2002 edition of the Italian daily newspaper Libero.

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. What reasons have prompted the manufacturer to withdraw the product in question from circulation

within Italy?

2.

3.

Is the product still freely available in other European countries?

If so, is this on account of the fact that its price is much higher there than in Italy?