WRITTEN QUESTION E-1890/03 by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Director-General of Eurostat.
Date: 2003-06-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, European official, Eurostat, board of management, contract, economic support, exchange of information, organisation, statistics

26.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 51 E/153

(2004/C 51 E/170)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1890/03

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Director-General of Eurostat

(6 June 2003)

Could the Commission confirm that the companies Institut TES, CESD-Communautaire and Deba were all
founded by Director-General of Eurostat Yves Franchet?

Could the Commission give details of these companies and the date at which the Commission knew of the
involvement of Yves Franchet?

Could the Commission forward to me a list of all the payments and grants which Institut TES, CESD-
Communautaire and Deba received from the EU budget?

Could the Commission give details of all contracts which were concluded with these companies without a
prior call for tenders and the amounts involved in each one?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(22 September 2003)

Institut TES

Institut TES (Training of European Statisticians)
Luxembourg law on 12 November 1996 by representatives of 11 national
Member States,
Luxembourg University Centre.

is a non-profit-making association set up under
statistical offices of
the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), and the

the national statistical offices of

Mr Yves Franchet was not one of the founder members of Institut TES in 1996. But he and two directors
of Eurostat did join as ‘members of the Institute’ on the day Institut TES was set up.

In a letter to Institut TES dated 16 April 1997 Mr Franchet told the chairman that he had decided to resign
his place as a member of the general meeting. He also confirmed that the other Eurostat members were
resigning with immediate effect.

CESD-Communautaire

The Centre Européen de formation des Statisticiens économistes des pays en voie de développement
(CESD) was a non-profit-making association set up under Luxembourg law on 29 February 1989.
On 26 May of the same year an extraordinary general meeting decided to amend its constitution, which
now stated that its name, Centre européen de formation des Statisticiens-Économistes des Pays en voie de
développement, was to be abbreviated to ‘CESD-Communautaire’.

The amended constitution of 26 May 1989 gives the title of ‘privileged member’ to the Director-General of
Eurostat and to others such as the heads of the national statistical offices in the Member States and the
Commission’s Directors-General for External Relations and for Development. Privileged members can
become full members of the association simply by making a statement to that effect, without the need for
a decision by the general meeting. Mr Franchet was chairman of CESD-Communautaire until 1995.

In a letter to the chairman of CESD-Communautaire dated 16 April 1997 Mr Franchet said he had decided
to resign his place as a member of the general meeting. He also confirmed that the other Eurostat
members were resigning with immediate effect.

DEBA

Data for European Business Analysis (DEBA GEIE) was a European economic interest grouping set up in
Luxembourg on 17 February 1992.

C 51 E/154

Official Journal of the European Union

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26.2.2004

Articles 6 and 8 of its constitution stated that the following were members:

(cid:1) the Commission, represented by Eurostat, with 50 % of the total votes;

(cid:1) European organisations representing staff working in the sector, with 25 % of the total votes;

(cid:1) national or European cross-industry employers’ organisations, with 25 % of the votes.

Eurostat officially withdrew on 31 December 1997, which in accordance with Article 7 of the constitution
entailed the winding up and liquidation of the grouping.

The Commission’s information on the participation of Eurostat in these bodies:

(cid:1) A Commission communication of 17 October 1995 authorised Eurostat to continue participating in
Eurocost, CESD-Communautaire and DEBA for the present, and accepted that its participation should
be phased out (1). In line with that decision, Mr Franchet wrote to the Chef de Cabinet to Mr de Silguy,
Member of the Commission, on 2 May 1997, to inform him that no member of Eurostat was any
longer a member of the decision-making bodies of TES, CESD or Eurocost. He pointed out that the
constitution of DEBA did not allow a member to resign. A change in the constitution had accordingly
finally resigned in
been sought. The Eurostat members of DEBA’s decision-making bodies
December 1997, as described above.

(cid:1) Tables containing the information requested have been sent directly to the Honourable Member. In
particular, Table 1 shows payments by all Directorates-General to Institut TES in the years 1997 to
2003. Table 2 shows payments by all Directorates-General to CESD-Communautaire in the years 1992
to 2003, and Table 3 shows payments by all Directorates-General to DEBA in the years 1992 to
2002.

(1) SEC(95) 1684.

(2004/C 51 E/171)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1896/03

by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission

(6 June 2003)

Subject: Alarming increase in the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Alcoy

The author of this question has (in a number of previous questions) drawn the Commission’s attention to
the serious recurrent outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in Alcoy. So far (figures for May of this year), 239
people in that locality have contracted the disease, of whom six have died.

In its earlier reply to question P-1159/02 (1) the Commission said ‘the Spanish authorities have taken the
appropriate steps to identify the root of the problem and its spread (…). Consequently, the Commission
has decided to drop the case.’

However, it is clear from the recent data for May that the situation in Alcoy is anything but under control
and is worsening daily, as further cases come to light.

As reported by the local suffers’ support group, the health authorities are not ensuring that the owners of
air-conditioning plants are complying with the requirement to clean and inspect their equipment.

Given that the number of recorded cases has now risen to 239, does the Commission consider that the
Valencia regional authorities are making an adequate effort and that the resources which they have so far
allocated will be sufficient to enable the outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in Alcoy to be brought entirely
under control?

Does the Commission still maintain that, in the case of the Alcoy outbreaks, Community law is being
correctly applied?

(1) OJ C 229 E, 26.9.2002, p. 188.