WRITTEN QUESTION P-2462/03 by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. European Investment Bank loans in Galicia.
Date: 2003-07-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EIB loan, Galicia, Spain, development plan, economic and social cohesion, financial statistics

6.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 58 E/171

investigations were handled by the Commission’s Investigation and Disciplinary Office (IDOC, part of DG
ADMIN) which was being set up at the time.

A preliminary verification of their respective parts of material provided by Mr van Buitenen was completed
by OLAF and IDOC in February 2002. As was reported to Parliament at the time, and in the Commission’s
press statements of 26 and 28 February 2002, as a result, 4 new investigations were launched by OLAF,
further verification was required in 4 cases before a decision on appropriate action could be taken, and
there was information of potential relevance to 31 on-going investigations which had commenced before
31 August 2001. This information was transferred to the appropriate files. Under the terms of the 1999
decision establishing OLAF, the Commission was neither informed about the nature of OLAF’s work on
Eurostat, nor was it briefed on which allegations this concerned.

Full investigation of all the matters raised by Mr van Buitenen and considered to give rise to concerns has
inevitably been very time consuming due to the volume of the material supplied. Reports on all IDOC
enquiries relating to that material have however been submitted to the appointing authority. On this basis,
the AIPN (1) has opened a number of disciplinary proceedings and has reviewed the conduct of a former
Commissioner to whom it has sent a draft statement of objections. In a limited number of cases, the AIPN
is still reviewing the IDOC reports.

The Commission is informed that OLAF has not completed all the investigations to which the material
provided by Mr Van Buitenen was considered to be potentially relevant. Until all
investigations are
complete, it is obviously impossible to determine whether correct action was taken in all cases.

Parliament will be informed of the outcome of any disciplinary procedures initiated on the basis of the
enquiry reports.

2.
The file submitted by Mr Van Buitenen contained a chapter on Eurostat. This chapter was considered
to fall wholly within OLAF’s remit, in particular since OLAF was already conducting investigations into
some of the issues raised: thus it was for OLAF to investigate, and not to DG ADMIN. Further, since the
whole report contained sensitive matters relating to possible disciplinary and criminal action, the only
officials concerned with the disciplinary process who had access to it were those, on a need to know basis.

5.
the
The Commission has recently taken a formal decision to request Directors General of
Commission to provide reports to their respective Commissioners which refers to cases of possible
financial irregularity detected or suspected in their Directorates General. In addition, in order to reinforce
co-operation and information flow between the Commission and OLAF, the parties have agreed the draft
Memorandum of Understanding. This document, which was put forward to the Commission on 23 July
2003, is already applied provisionally, pending consultation with the Parliament and OLAF’s Supervisory
Committee.

(1) Authorité Investie du Pouvoir de Nomination (Appointing Authority).

(2004/C 58 E/184)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2462/03

by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(16 July 2003)

Subject: European Investment Bank loans in Galicia

The European Investment Bank, whose task is to contribute to integration, balanced development and
economic and social cohesion in the Member States, grants loans on extremely favourable terms for this
purpose to Member State governments, regional governments and local councils, as well as to private
individuals.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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6.3.2004

Demand for these loans is very uneven, despite the fact that they are vitally necessary for the EU regions
lagging furthest behind to finance projects of all kinds and thus further their development. For example,
the bank’s most recent annual report, for 2002, reveals that, even though the EIB granted loans amounting
to EUR 5426 million in that year, many of them for autonomous communities, the Galician Government
is not listed for any of the 50 projects.

Can the Commission say what amounts were granted to Spain in EIB loans for each of the years 1998,
1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002?

Can the Commission further specify for which projects the Galician Government applied to the EIB for a
loan in those years, whether the loan was granted and what amount was involved?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(12 August 2003)

Galicia is an objective 1 region and as such is an European Investment Bank (EIB) priority. Regular
meetings take place between the EIB and Xunta de Galicia to identify where the EIB could be of assistance.
Since the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), Galicia has been successful in the capital markets, i.e.
Galicia has access to borrowing from sources other than EIB. Therefore, Galicia’s borrowing from EIB has
been rather modest.

From 1998 until 2002, the following amounts were granted by the EIB in Spain:

(cid:1) 1998: ECU 3 127 million;

(cid:1) 1999: EUR 4 020 million;

(cid:1) 2000: EUR 4 243 million;

(cid:1) 2001: EUR 4 559 million;

(cid:1) 2002: EUR 5 426 million.

As far as the EIB is aware, all financing applications introduced by the Galician Government were accepted
by the EIB and loans granted accordingly.

Annex 1 which is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat provides details of
the direct loans granted in Galicia during this period. The EIB also granted global
loans to financial
intermediaries, which allocated sub-loans to beneficiaries (SMEs or small public infrastructures) located in
Galicia. Those allocations are detailed in Annex 2, also sent direct to the Honourable Member and to
Parliament’s Secretariat.

(2004/C 58 E/185)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2483/03

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2003)

Subject: Prevention against the risk of forest fires: Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92

Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 (1), which made provision for the funding of measures to prevent against the
risk of forest fires, expired on 31 December 2002. The fact that Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 acted as an
incentive for regional and national fire prevention policies has been amply demonstrated over the past 10
years. During that period, the average area of forest damaged by each fire fell in the south of France, Spain
and Portugal. Nevertheless, the fresh Commission proposal for a regulation (Forest Focus) and the new
rural development regulation represent a renationalisation of policy on forest fires which entails the
disappearance of a Community financial arrangement for prevention against the risks of forest fires such as
that provided for in Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92. At the same time, this proposal does not accord with
the arguments brought by the Court of Justice of the European Communities to the effect that policy on
protection against forest fires is to be seen as a Community policy within the framework of environment
policy which is to be financed by funds drawn from the EU budget.