WRITTEN QUESTION E-3566/03 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Refund of budgetary resources.
Date: 2003-12-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, implementation of the budget

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/593

the various mobile operators active in each Member State propose to their subscribers. Should specific
problems of consumer awareness arise in a particular Member State, the Commission believes that the
relevant National Regulatory Authority is in a position to take adequate steps.

(1) Working document on mobile roaming charges, DG Competition, December 2000, which can be found at the
following Web address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/antitrust/others/sector_inquiries/roaming, EEC Coun-
cil: Regulation No 17: First Regulation implementing Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty, OJ P 13, 21.2.1962.
(2) The last survey can be found at the following Web address: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/telecoms/

regulatory/studies/documents/tariff_report_2002_12.pdf

(3) See page 416.

(2004/C 78 E/0626)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3566/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(2 December 2003)

Subject: Refund of budgetary resources

In a communication dated 29 October 2003, the Commission has proposed that unused budgetary
resources from the 2003 Community budget amounting to EUR 5 billion be refunded to the Member
States.

From which actions funded by the budget are these unused resources derived?

Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(22 December 2003)

The Honourable Member is referring to the proposal made by the Commission in the Preliminary Draft
Amending Budget No7 to hand back to the Member States EUR 5 billion in surplus payment
appropriations in heading 2 of the Budget. The surplus appropriations were on the budget lines for the
completion of the pre-2000 Structural Funds programmes.

The Commission’s proposal has now been adopted, as an Amending Budget No 6, by the Budgetary
Authority.

(2004/C 78 E/0627)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3568/03

by Herman Schmid (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(25 November 2003)

Subject: Draft Constitution no solution to the EU’s lack of democratic legitimacy

According to one view, the democratic deficit in the EU consists in the fact that more and more decisions
are taken at EU level, while the people still identify with the national level of politics. Evidence of this is
provided by the very low turnout for elections to the European Parliament, a pattern which does not look
likely to be broken ahead of subsequent elections. According to this view, the core of the problem is that
there quite simply is no European identity or a single European people. On the basis of this view, several
countries (Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, the UK) have opposed the development of the EU towards a state
(they prefer the EU to remain an organisation which cooperates to resolve practical issues). If the draft
Constitution is adopted, a few more steps will have been taken towards a future state. However, according
to the above view, such a development is a denial of democracy in the EU. As long as the democratic
legitimacy of the European Parliament is low, any strengthening of its power entails a weakening of
democracy and a corresponding weakening of the influence of the national parliaments via the Council of
Ministers. This does not reduce but increases the distance between decision-makers at EU level and the
electorate. It is also defeats the object of establishing a constitution for the EU.