WRITTEN QUESTION E-0855/03 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Quality of economic projections.
Date: 2003-03-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, budgetary equilibrium, economic forecasting, economic statistics, gross domestic product, inflation, stability programme

26.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 51 E/53

in the context of protection against terrorism and in the civil sphere to tackle disasters, what action will
the Greek presidency take in this field? Will it actually promote the creation of this much-needed European
civil protection force? What tangible measures does it envisage in the immediate future and the medium
term?

Reply

(29 September 2003)

The Council recalls that the subsidiarity principle is the basis of all EU civil protection measures and
policies, which primarily aim at complementing and strengthening Member States’ policies in this field.

It should be noted that the results of the discussion and reflection within the Convention are not binding
and that, in conformity with the Laeken Declaration, an IGC will be convened to decide on the necessary
Treaty amendments.

The Council would point out that, in the framework of the civil protection mechanism established by
Council Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom, the Member States have already identified civil protection
capabilities that may be made available on a case-by-case basis. These capabilities include intervention
teams and assessment and/or coordination teams that are trained jointly.

The Council can inform the Honourable Member that
the mechanism has already been activated
successfully in the context of the ‘Prestige’ disaster on 13 November 2002, the summer floods in Central
Europe and the rescue of speleologists in Greece.

In addition, on 20 December 2002, the Council and Commission adopted a joint programme to improve
cooperation in the European Union for preventing and limiting the consequences of chemical, radiological
or nuclear terrorist threats to health, the food chain, the environment, and vulnerable industries and
transport.
threats, preventive measures to reduce
vulnerabilities, a monitoring for a prompt detection of attacks and mutual assistance in the event of a
terrorist threat. The civil protection mechanism is central to the programme.

It provides for a common assessment of terrorist

Taking into account past experience of disasters
Greek Presidency included the following in its priorities in the field of civil protection:

in Europe and the recent

‘Prestige’ case,

the

(cid:1) the acceleration of procedures for establishing the mechanism (cid:1) operated by the Commission (cid:1) for
civil protection interventions, both inside and outside the EU, so that it can be fully operational;

(cid:1) the adoption of European measures and legislation on the prevention of disasters, an EC initiative

currently under discussion.

(2004/C 51 E/054)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0855/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(20 March 2003)

Subject: Quality of economic projections

Further to the Commission’s answer to Written Question E-3315/02 (1) and Written Question E-0014/
03 (2), will the Commission please note that the question referred to the projections in each stability and
convergence programme for each Member State for real GDP growth, inflation and the budget balance,
together with the currently published outturns for each of those variables?

C 51 E/54

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

26.2.2004

This question clearly refers to each Member State’s stability and convergence programme since those
programmes began to be agreed, together with the outturns since that point. Will the Commission further
show a summary table for each variable and each stability and convergence programme detailing the
difference between the projection and the subsequent outturn for each Member State?

(1) OJ C 192 E, 14.8.2003, p. 107.
(2) See page 13.

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(24 April 2003)

In response to the question, a set of tables is being transmitted direct to the Honourable Member and to
Parliament’s Secretariat showing two key variables submitted by all the Member States in their stability and
convergence programmes, real gross domestic product (GDP) growth and the general government budget
balance as a percent of GDP. Since 1998 there have been five successive rounds of these programmes. The
first round of stability and convergence programmes was submitted between end 1998 and early 1999.
The latest and fifth round of programme was submitted between end 2002 and early 2003.

for each Member State,

The left-hand side of each table shows,
the targets/forecasts in successive
programmes and the actual outcome taken from the Commission’s Autumn 2002 Forecast. When
programmes contain different scenarios, one of the estimates is provided in the table while the other
scenarios are summarised as footnotes. The budget balance excludes the one-off receipts between 2000
and 2002 from the sale of universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)
licenses (details in
footnotes). The right-hand side of the table calculates the difference between the targets/forecasts and the
actual outcome.

A table is included showing inflation outcomes for each Member State over the period 1997-2002
(harmonised indices of consumer prices (HICP) definition). A table detailing performance-to-target has not
been compiled because it is only for Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom that the assessment of
inflation and monetary policy developments, in the context of their convergence programmes, is relevant.

Further information, including the texts of the stability and convergence programmes for each Member
State, can be found at the following Commission website. http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/
about/activities/sgp/scplist_en.htm.

(2004/C 51 E/055)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0872/03

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(20 March 2003)

Subject: Draft Regulation on trade in torture equipment

With regards to the draft proposal for a Council Regulation concerning trade in certain equipment and
products which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel,
inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment; does the Commission take the view that the EU should have prior scrutiny
regarding applications to competent authorities for authorisation for export
transactions and other
activities?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(24 April 2003)

On 30 December 2002, the Commission made a proposal for a Council Regulation concerning trade in
certain equipment and products which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel,