WRITTEN QUESTION E-0265/03 by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Council. Mismanagement at Europol.
Date: 2003-02-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Europol, administration of the Institutions, budgetary discharge, financial management, management audit

18.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 222 E/175

(2003/C 222 E/201)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0265/03

by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Council

(6 February 2003)

Subject: Mismanagement at Europol

In its Internet edition of 22 January 2003, Stern magazine reports irregularities in the management of
Europol and breaches of its financial regulations. For example, a former high-ranking Europol employee is
said to have received a settlement of EUR 280 000, for which there was no legal basis.

Can the Council state from which Member State this employee was seconded to Europol and what position
he held?

Is it correct that in this high-ranking employee’s area of responsibility there had been incidences of fraud
and falsification of documents in connection with the purchase of computer systems?

Has the Council granted discharge in spite of the irregularities in management described in the Europol
audit report? If so, why?

Can the Council forward me a copy of the previously confidential audit report, now that the document is
clearly already in the hands of journalists?

Reply

(13 May 2003)

At its January 2003 meeting the Article 36 Committee decided, before submitting Europol’s discharge in
respect of its 2001 budget to the Council, to request Europol to forward further information regarding the
comments made in the audit report referred to by the Honourable Member. This information was
presented by the Europol representative at the meeting of the Committee on 19/20 February 2003. Since
the Europol Directorate has undertaken to improve the management system so as to avoid further financial
irregularities arising, the Article 36 Committee decided to recommend that the Council grant a discharge
for the 2001 Europol budget.

At its meeting on 18 March 2003, the Council gave a discharge to the Director of Europol in respect of
implementation of the 2001 Europol budget.

The Council, however, wishes to point out that the Europol budget is financed by the Member States and
that Europol is answerable for its financial management to the representatives of the Governments of the
Member States only.

(2003/C 222 E/202)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0266/03

by Joachim Wuermeling (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Monopoly held by copyright collecting societies

(6 February 2003)

In the Member States of the European Union there are national collecting societies, which administer
copyright and related rights, including exploitation rights, in trust. The collecting societies monitor public
events and collect the agreed royalties. In order to administer copyright law abroad, reciprocal contracts
have been concluded by the collecting societies in each individual Member State. According to these
contracts, each national collecting society also acts for foreign collecting societies in its home country,
representing foreign copyright owners and collecting the royalties, which are then considered in both
countries’ calculations. These territorially exclusive reciprocal contracts mean that, in each Member State,
performance rights can be bought only through an intermediary. There is no competition, which leads to a
steady rise in fees.