WRITTEN QUESTION P-3322/03 by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Vice-President Kinnock and indications of irregularities at Eurostat.
Date: 2003-11-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Anti-fraud Office, European Commission, Eurostat, administration of the Institutions, audit, fraud against the EU, personnel administration

C 78 E/520

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(23 December 2003)

The Commission has not been informed by the Maltese governance about the planned landfills in Malta.

In the accession negotiations, Malta gave its commitment to meet the provisions of the Landfill Directive (1)
from 1 May 2004. In the run-up to this date the Commission will be monitoring Malta’s progress with the
transposition and implementation of
the Landfill Directive and the commitments given during
negotiations.

Concerning the protection of nature and cultural patrimony in the area of the temporary landfills, the
decision of where to locate the landfills remains with the national authorities but must meet the general
requirements given in Annex I of the Directive.

Once Malta becomes a Member State then the Commission will ensure compliance with this Directive in
the same way as it does for all other Member States.

(1) Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste.

(2004/C 78 E/0541)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3322/03

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 November 2003)

Subject: Vice-President Kinnock and indications of irregularities at Eurostat

In a document passed on to Directors-General Brüner and Reichenbach on 31 August 2001 (‘File on
possible irregularities in many Commission services’), Paul van Buitenen also drew attention to numerous
irregularities in connection with Eurostat.

Van Buitenen informed the two Directors-General, inter alia, of the existence of an audit report describing
the practice, at Eurostat, of creating concealed cash reserves.

He also reported indications that a director of Eurostat had been guilty of numerous derelictions of duty.

When did Mr Kinnock (cid:1) the Commission Vice-President responsible for disciplinary issues (cid:1) receive the
copy of the document in question?

Were members of his cabinet also given the opportunity to read it? If so, when?

What steps did Mr Kinnock take to obtain a copy of the audit report concerned?

What steps did Mr Kinnock take to have the accusations against the director investigated? What was the
outcome?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(19 January 2004)

On 31 August 2001, Mr Van Buitenen submitted to the Director-General of the Antifraud Office (OLAF)
and to the Director-General of the Commission’s Directorate General (DG) Administration and Personnel
(ADMIN) a 5 000-page dossier. The dossier was later established by OLAF and ADMIN to contain
270 identifiable allegations.

As the Honourable Member will know from previous Parliamentary answers and Statements,
the
Vice-President of the Commission in charge of Personnel and Administration, Mr Kinnock, received a
copy of this document from DG ADMIN in early September 2001 in his capacity of Appointing Authority
for senior officials referred to in the document.

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/521

The voluminous nature of the allegations meant that neither the Commissioner nor members of his
cabinet were in a position to determine whether the matters identified in the dossier constituted or
amounted to irregularities. This issue could, rightly, only be properly determined by the investigative
bodies to whom the file was referred in accordance with established and relevant procedures and analysis
was correctly left to them.

As has been reported to Parliament, on the basis of preliminary drafts submitted by Mr Van Buitenen,
OLAF and DG ADMIN conducted an initial review of the material supplied by Mr Van Buitenen in order
to determine which of the allegations that he made fell within OLAF’s competence, as set out in Article 1(3)
of Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the Parliament and the Council of 25 May 1999 concerning
investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (1), and were therefore for OLAF to investigate.
The Honourable Member will know from previous answers that the material in the dossier relating to
Eurostat was considered to fall wholly within OLAF’s remit, particularly since OLAF was already
conducting investigations into the issues raised.

The information provided by Mr Van Buitenen in relation to Eurostat was, therefore, from the outset,
assessed by the competent analysts to be within OLAF’s remit and for OLAF, rather than for DG ADMIN
or Mr Kinnock, to investigate further. The OLAF investigating magistrates’ summary assessment of the
elements of the file attributed to OLAF was sent to the Commission’s Director General for Administration
and to the President of Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (Cocobu) on 15 February 2002.

In relation to Eurostat, OLAF concluded at that moment, that the information received did not justify
opening new investigations. However, the information supplied by Mr Van Buitenen on Eurostat was
transferred to the active files.

(1) OJ L 136, 31.5.1999.

(2004/C 78 E/0542)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3326/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(12 November 2003)

Subject: Emoluments of Commissioners

Further to the Commission’s answer to question E-2235/99 (1), will the Commission provide an update of
all the figures previously requested, giving the most recent figures available?

(1) OJ C 280 E, 3.10.2000, p. 19.

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(15 January 2004)

Pursuant to previous Parliamentary answers:

(cid:1) The basic salary to which Commissioners, the President and Vice-President are entitled on a monthly
basis (twelve times a year) is EUR 17 341 (calculated as 112,5 % of the basic salary of a grade A1/6)
for the Commissioners, EUR 19 268 (calculated as 125 % of the basic salary of a grade A1/6 official)
for the Vice-Presidents and EUR 21 272 (calculated as 138 % of the basic salary of a grade A1/6
official) for the President. These sums are, of course, subject to the taxes and deductions payable by
officials of the European Communities.

(cid:1) The family allowances to which Commissioners, the President and the Vice-Presidents are entitled (cid:1) if
qualified (cid:1) on a monthly basis consist of a household allowance of 5 % of basic salary (if there is a
dependent spouse), a children’s’ allowance of EUR 237,38 per dependent child, and education
allowances which vary according to the child’s age and stage of academic development (36 %, 50 % or
100 % of EUR 212,14 respectively for primary, secondary and university education).