WRITTEN QUESTION E-3566/02 by Freddy Blak (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Contracts between Eurostat and Eurogramme.
Date: 2002-12-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Anti-fraud Office, Eurostat, administration of the Institutions, confidentiality, contract, fraud against the EU, incorporation, services company

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/297

(2004/C 88 E/0303)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3540/02

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(11 December 2002)

Subject: Health inequalities

I refer the Commission to the paper ‘A strategy for tackling health inequalities in the Netherlands’, by
Professors Johan P Mackenbach and Karien Stronks of the University of Amsterdam, published in the
British Medical Journal, volume 325, 2 November 2002.

The study points to a number of innovations that have helped reduce socio-economic inequalities in health
in that country but concludes that no single country has the capacity to contribute more than a fraction of
the knowledge necessary to support and develop such strategies. It suggests that there is an important role
for the European Union in promoting such collaboration.

What are the Commission’s current commitments and future plans in this respect?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2003)

The Commission is well aware of the work conducted by Professor Mackenbach and his collaborators, on
health inequalities. Some of this has been supported from the Community’s health promotion programme.

The new Public Health Programme (2003-2008) highlights the importance of addressing the (wider)
determinants of health. Areas such as low income/poverty, unhealthy living conditions, working
important determinants of health. The
conditions, unemployment, as well as life-style factors are all
unequal distribution of health and its determinants is associated with social class/ socio-economic position.

The programme includes specific actions to tackle inequalities in health. It recognises that strategies to
reduce health inequalities in the Community are required to provide co-ordinated actions across major
policy areas.

Initially, it is planned to focus work on developing health inequality indicators, collecting information and
best practice across Europe about policies and interventions and developing pilot networks to assure
effective exchanges between countries on addressing health inequalities.

(2004/C 88 E/0304)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3566/02

by Freddy Blak (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(12 December 2002)

Subject: Contracts between Eurostat and Eurogramme

On 14 November 2002 I sent the following letter to Commissoner Pedro Solbes: ‘I have been informed
that the contracts of the company Eurogramme Ltd, with which Eurostat has several contracts, have been
moved from this company to a new company simply called Eurogramme. Can you confirm this and if so,
could you please explain how this is compatible with the rule that Eurostat only enters into contracts with
companies that can show three years’ full and correct accounts?’

In his answer Commissioner Solbes writes:
‘Thank you for your letter of 14 November concerning the
contracts of Eurostat with the company Eurogramme. This issue has been transmitted for investigation to
OLAF, and I am therefore not in a position to comment until the investigation has been completed.’

C 88 E/298

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

My questions to the Commission are now:

1. What rules determine that the Commission cannot answer a question about its present contractors

only because there is an ongoing OLAF investigation into its former contractors?

2. What is the name of the Eurostat contractor? Is it Eurogramme Limited or Eurogramme? And if it is
Eurogramme, could you please then tell me how this change of contractor is compatible with the rule
that Eurostat only enters into contracts with companies that can show three years’ full and correct
accounts?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(6 February 2003)

As a matter of principle, the Commission does not wish to comment on this file which is subject to
investigation by European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the
Parliament and of
the Council of 25 May 1999 concerning investigations conducted by OLAF (1),
governing the investigations of OLAF, the information obtained in the context of OLAF investigations is
subject to confidentiality and the protection of data rules.

The name of
the contractor is Eurogramme SARL. This company signed an Addendum with the
Commission at the end of 2001, by which it succeeded to all contractual rights and obligations of
Eurogramme Limited Succursale Luxembourg.

There is no rule that the Commission may only enter into contracts with companies that can show three
years’ accounts. Article 31 of Council Directive 92/50/EEC of 18 June 1992 (2) relating to the coordination
of procedures for the award of public service contracts sets out a number of alternative methods for
proving financial capacity. Such alternative methods are appropriate, for example, in the case of newly
created companies.

(1) OJ L 136, 31.5.1999.
(2) OJ L 209, 24.7.1992.

(2004/C 88 E/0305)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3607/02

by Mary Banotti (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 December 2002)

Subject: Interchangeability of postage stamps of the euro zone

Given that postage stamps are now the same price in many countries of the euro zone, will there be a
possibility of interchanging stamps within the euro zone (e.g. using an Irish stamp in Belgium)?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(30 January 2003)

It appears that there are a number of preconditions for stamps to become interchangeable. The prices
would have to be identical, the services the same, and the possibility of easily administered and non
controversial stamp revenue allocation between postal operators assured.

As the Honourable Member is aware, there remain differences in postal tariffs across the Community. This
reflects the Postal Directive 97/67 requirement that tariffs should ‘be geared to costs’, in that different
postal service providers incur different levels of cost in the provision of postal services, due for example to
national conditions, such as geography or cost of living, and also to different domestic quality of service
standards.