WRITTEN QUESTION E-1982/03 by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Auditing of Eurostat by the European Court of Auditors.
Date: 2003-06-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Court of Auditors, Eurostat, interinstitutional relations (EU), management audit, report

C 33 E/194

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2004

(2004/C 33 E/196)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1959/03

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(13 June 2003)

Subject: On-the-spot checks at EAGGF Guarantee Section national paying agencies

In the light of the assessment contained in the 2001 Annual Report of the Court of Auditors regarding
national paying agencies for the EAGGF Guarantee Section, has the Commission made plans to increase its
on-the-spot checks in 2003?

Could it specify the total number of external inspection missions that it intends to carry out in 2003
where the EAGGF Guarantee Section is concerned?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(4 July 2003)

The Commission considers the work of the certification bodies to form an adequate basis for clearing the
accounts of the paying agencies. The Commission closely monitors compliance with the clearance criteria
to ensure that all improvement measures are implemented by the paying agencies.

In 2002 the Commission carried out 164 external inspection missions on the EAGGF Guarantee Section
including 27 on-the-spot checks at the national paying agencies (certification for 2001, accreditation,
computer audit, etc.).

inspection missions on the EAGGF Guarantee
For 2003 the Commission has scheduled 185 external
Section (i.e. a 12,81 % increase over 2002),
including 34 on-the-spot checks at the national paying
agencies (certification for 2002, certification and pre-accreditation of the accession countries’ paying
agencies, delegated bodies, etc.).

in Decision 2003/313/EC of 8 May 2003 (1) the
By way of information, for the 2002 financial year,
Commission disjoined the accounts of 17 paying agencies out of a total of 91 (i.e. 18,68 %), broken down
as follows:

(cid:1) Germany (2);

(cid:1) Greece (1);

(cid:1) Spain (2);

(cid:1) France (8);

(cid:1) Italy (2);

(cid:1) Portugal (1);

(cid:1) United Kingdom (1).

(1) OJ L 114, 8.5.2003.

(2004/C 33 E/197)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1982/03

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Auditing of Eurostat by the European Court of Auditors

(16 June 2003)

Can the Commission say when over the last 10 years, and in what connection, Eurostat has been audited
by the European Court of Auditors?

6.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33 E/195

Can the Commission say whether the audits have been selective or whether the management of Eurostat
has been comprehensively audited, too?

Can the Commission say what recommendations the Court of Auditors has made in its reports and sector
letters and what steps have been taken by the Commission to comply with those recommendations?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(29 August 2003)

These questions were already discussed during the Budgetary Control Committee (Cocobu) meeting on
17 June 2003, and the Commission would like to refer to the written answers which the Members of the
Commission gave to committee members following the meeting.

At the same time, the Commission notes that the Court of Auditors has still not published a specific audit
of Eurostat’s operational expenditure or of its management.

The honourable Member’s attention is drawn to the recent publications by the Court of Auditors
concerning Eurostat’s statistical activities:

(cid:1) Annual Report concerning the financial year 2000 (paragraphs 1.71, 1.119 and 1.120 on Eurostat
procedures concerning gross national product (GNP) data used for budgetary purposes, as well as their
quality) (1);

(cid:1) Special Report No 17/2000 (paragraph 1.25 on the Commission’s control of the reliability and

comparability of the Member States’ GNP) (2);

(cid:1) Annual Report concerning the financial year 1999 (paragraph 1.21 on the quality of GNP data) (3);

(cid:1) Annual Report concerning the financial year 1997 (paragraph 1.25 on the quality of GNP data) (4).

The Commission, in collaboration with the Member States, takes care to implement every recommendation
by the Court in this field. In addition, it has been working with the GNP Committee since 1988 in order to
ensure the quality of statistical data used for budgetary purposes, as requested by the Court in its various
reports. Quality assurance procedures are currently used by Eurostat in close liaison with the statistical
offices of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 359, 15.12.2001.
(2) OJ C 336, 27.11.2000.
(3) OJ C 342, 1.12.2000.
(4) OJ C 349, 17.11.1998.

(2004/C 33 E/198)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1995/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Railway lines in the centre of Athens

(11 June 2003)

A decision has been made to modernise 13 kilometres of railway line linking Piraeus with the rail hub at
Acharnon via Athens, which will also form part of the suburban rail network. The projected completion
date is May 2004 and the project has a budget of EUR 160,4 million. The invitation to tender announced
by the Greek Railways Organisation (OSE) is for the replacement of the line by a new, electrified line
widened to four tracks.

The inhabitants of Athens are concerned that the route of the railway will continue to divide the city into
two, creating not only major bottlenecks and more pollution but also travel problems for the population
and a feeling of isolation and ghettoisation.