WRITTEN QUESTION E-0776/03 by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Comitology.
Date: 2003-03-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, European Commission, comitology, committee (EU), executive competence, representative of local or regional authority

C 280 E/86

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

21.11.2003

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2003)

the concession contract signed in 1996 between the Greek Authorities and the
On the basis of
concessionaire for the construction of the Athens ring (Attiki odos), an amount of EUR 1 248,7 million, at
current prices, is provided for the lump sum price object of the contract. This object corresponds to the
project to be constructed and managed under the full responsibility of the concessionaire. The amount is
composed of EUR 418,2 million of public contribution and EUR 830,5 million of private contribution.

The same contract provides for parallel public works not
included in the lump sum object, of
EUR 146,75 million at current prices, and gives the possibility that the value of these parallel works is
increased by 50 %. The contract provides also for the possibility of additional works up to an amount of
50 % of the lump sum price of EUR 1 248,7 million. Such works have been subsequently approved, in
most cases after court decisions in relation to improved environmental conditions in some areas affected
by the Athens ring road.

On the basis of information provided by the responsible national authorities the total amount of parallel
and additional works as provided for in the concession contract is EUR 220 million and EUR 571,21 mil-
lion respectively at current prices. Together with the EUR 1 248,7 million allocated to the lump sum
object, this makes a grand total of around EUR 2 040 million.

Other cost elements of the project, which are not included in the concession contract, are expropriations,
fees for independent engineers and consultants, archaeology and moving the network of public utilities. If
these cost elements are also added to the above mentioned grand total of EUR 2 040 million corresponding
to the concession contract, then the total cost of the project of Attiki odos, including the concession
contract and the other cost elements not linked with it, is about EUR 3,2 billion.

Attiki odos is a measure of the Operational Programme ‘Road Axes-Ports-Urban Development 2000-2006’,
and at the same time a major project under the terms of Articles 25 and 26 of Council Regulation (EC)
No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the structural funds (1).

The European Regional Development Fund’s (ERDF) assistance requested for this project under the
Community Support Framework (CSF) III is EUR 476 million, corresponding to a public expenditure of
EUR 951 million and a total cost,
including private contribution, of EUR 1 713 million. The assistance
requested concerns a part of the lump sum object, parts of the parallel and additional works of the
concession contract, as well as parts of the other cost elements of the project. There is no possibility of
increasing this ERDF assistance amount in the future, with additional funds from the CSF 2000-2006 or
from the Cohesion Fund.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2003/C 280 E/092)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0776/03

by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(12 March 2003)

Subject: Comitology

The committees established pursuant to Decision 1999/468/EC (1), laying down the procedures for the
exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission, comprise one representative per Member
State, plus a Commission representative who acts as chairman.

Can the Council tell me whether there is any problem in Member States’ sending representatives of
regional governments as members of these committees? How many regional representatives, if any, are
currently members of these committees?

(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

21.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 280 E/87

Reply

(21 July 2003)

The Council would inform the Honourable Member that the Commission is responsible for determining
the number of regional representatives who are currently members of committees established pursuant to
Council Decision 1999/468/EC. Moreover, it is for each Member State to define the composition of its
delegation within those committees.

(2003/C 280 E/093)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0778/03

by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 March 2003)

Subject: Comitology

Article 7(4) of Decision 1999/468/EC (1), laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing
powers conferred on the Commission lays down that ‘the Commission shall, within six months of the date
in which the decision takes effect, publish in the Official Journal of the European Communities, a list of all
committees which assist the Commission in the exercise of implementing powers’. The decision came into
force on 18 July 1999, but the Commission finally published the requisite list over a year later (2). Why
was there this delay?

Article 7(5) lays down that ‘the references to all documents sent to the European Parliament […] shall be
made public in a register to be set up by the Commission in 2001’. In its most recent report on the work
of the committees for 2001 (3), the Commission indicates that this register will become operational ‘at the
beginning of 2003’. Why has there been a delay of two years?

(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.
(2) OJ C 225, 8.8.2000.
(3) COM(2002) 733.

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(10 April 2003)

The Commission is aware of the delays incurred for establishing the list of committees assisting the
Commission in the exercise of its implementing powers (1) and the register with references of documents
transmitted to the Parliament.

The attention of the Honourable Member is drawn to the fact that these two obligations were not foreseen
in the proposal of the Commission for a Council decision laying down the procedures for the exercise of
implementing powers conferred on the Commission (2), but have been inserted into the final text of
Council Decision 1999/468/EC on specific request of Member States’ delegations. The Commission
accepted the obligations in the negotiations subject to the availability of sufficient staff and budgetary
resources, which it is still awaiting. This has been, by the way, also expressly mentioned in the unilateral
commitment made by the Commission to amplify the register with an internet-based public repository of
the documents transmitted to the Parliament.

Of course, the Commission takes its obligations emanating from Council Decision 1999/468/EC (3) very
seriously and is giving a high priority to them within the limits of the resources it has available.

The list of committees has been published in the mid of the year 2000. The planning for both the register
and the repository was initiated in 2001 and the preparatory work was realised in 2002. Both instruments
are planned to become operational within the next few months.

(1) OJ C 225, 8.8.2000.
(2) OJ C 279, 8.9.1998.
(3) Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing

powers conferred on the Commission (cid:1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999.