WRITTEN QUESTION E-3586/03 by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission. EU funding for an Italian company linked to Romano Prodi.
Date: 2003-12-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, President of the Commission, consultancy, image, political morality

C 84 E/508

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

(2004/C 84 E/0585)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3512/03

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 November 2003)

Subject: Probable impact of the strike of employees at the National Statistical Service of Greece on the

publication of European indicators

The strike by employees of the National Statistical Service of Greece following the continuing refusal of the
relevant minister to receive workers’ representatives and engage in discussions with them is in its sixth
week. As a result of the strike it is impossible to publish crucial statistical indicators on various sectors
(the economy, industrial production, culture, health, etc.), including indicators concerning inflation.

How long is it since Eurostat received statistics from the Greek National Statistical Service?

What impact is this delay (cid:1) which is set to continue (cid:1) having on the publication of European indicators
by Eurostat?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(8 January 2004)

The strike by employees of the National Statistical Service of Greece (NSSG) appears to be of some impact
on the ability of the Greek authorities to meet their Community statistical obligations.

For instance, some problems have occurred with regard to the timely delivery of current statistics. As an
example, short-term business statistics have not been delivered since the start of the strike. Similar
examples can be found in domains where the provision of statistical data is governed by gentlemen
agreements. However, it is important to note that, as a whole, the effect on Union and Eurozone level data
has been so far relatively small even if it is likely to imply a relative, but not substantial, fall in quality due
to the need for estimates to be included for Greece.

The disruption of work might also have an impact which will continue after the end of the strike. For
example, Eurostat has already been informed that Greece would probably be unable to respect the
timetable for delivery of data for the 2003 Farm Structure Survey. Similar effects may be expected in other
sectors.

Furthermore, working relations may have been disrupted by the absence of Greek delegates from working
party and other meetings. The negotiations for a number of grants to NSSG have equally been disrupted
which may be expected to have an indirect impact in the medium to long term on the ability of Greece to
meet some of its statistical obligations.

The Commission takes note however, that the strike is terminated and this will certainly contribute to the
resumption of normal cooperation of the NSSG with the Commission.

(2004/C 84 E/0586)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3586/03

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission

(5 December 2003)

Subject: EU funding for an Italian company linked to Romano Prodi

Does the Commission intend to respond to the questions raised by various newspapers (Sunday Times,
Sunday Telegraph, European Voice) concerning the fact that since 1999 (cid:1) the year in which Romano
Prodi became Commission President (cid:1) the EU has paid EUR 15 million to ItalTrend, an Italian
development aid consultancy with its registered office in Reggio Emilia, in which Sylvia Prodi, a niece of
Romano Prodi, has been employed since 1994 and is currently assistant to the director Silvana Garavelli?

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/509

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 2004)

to point out

including those

raised by various press organs,

The Commission considers that it has already provided full answers through its spokesman to the
questions
cited by the Honourable Member.
The Commission wishes
that cooperation with Italtrend in the area concerned,
i.e. development aid, goes back at least as far as 1992. Silvia Prodi, President Prodi’s niece, has worked
on projects covered by contracts with Italtrend in the nuclear safety field as a nuclear engineer since 1994.
On 31 December 2003, the value of contracts signed with Italtrend since 1 September 1999 amounted to
EUR 7,97 million. Payments made
company from 1 September 1999 amounted to
EUR 39,84 million, of which EUR 35,3 million (equal to 89 %) was paid under contracts signed prior to
1 September 1999 and EUR 4,54 million under contracts signed after 1 September 1999.

to the

(2004/C 84 E/0587)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3852/03

by Roberto Bigliardo (UEN) to the Commission

(16 December 2003)

Subject: Appointments and transparency in the Commission

How many members of the Commissioners’ private offices have been appointed to posts in Commission
departments with functions and/or grades that are senior to those they previously held?

Can the Commission also show that the appointments were based on merit rather than the now traditional
practice of finding important posts for the large number of staff employed in the private offices of the
President and Commissioners at the end of each term of office?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(12 March 2004)

The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that, to date during its period of office, 25 officials
have been assigned to more senior posts (cid:1) in terms of duties and/or grade (cid:1) in other departments after a
period of secondment in a Commissioner’s Cabinet.

Of these 25 officials:

(cid:1) 4 were appointed Director-General or Deputy Director-General;

(cid:1) 7 were appointed Director;

(cid:1) 14 were appointed Head of Unit and, of these:

(cid:1) 6 were appointed Head of Unit at the same grade;

(cid:1) 3 were appointed Head of Unit at a higher grade (A3);

(cid:1) 5, who had already been Heads of Unit in the past, were given a higher grade (A3).