WRITTEN QUESTION E-0569/04 by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission. Leonardo da Vinci programme.
Date: 2004-02-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU financing, European Commission, administration of the Institutions, administrative formalities, management accounting, project evaluation, vocational training

C 88 E/700

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

station. The negative impact of the building of the first phase of the scheme on SCI ES7010053 will be
worsened still further. Windsurfing and surfing in this area, which is visited by some ten thousand
windsurfers per year, will be seriously affected, and will no longer be possible in Punta de La Gaviota and
subject to restrictions in Pozo Izquierdo, which site is famed for its ideal windsurfing conditions, as
indicated by the various world championships which have been held there for the last 13 years.

Can the Commission verify whether the environmental
the
consequences of extending the port, and the establishment of a system for compensating for the effects on
part of an SCI, part of an IBA, the loss of a saline system and of a major leisure and sporting area?

impact study has taken account of all

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0526/04 and E-0527/04
given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(21 April 2004)

The Commission is not aware of the alleged facts referred to by the Honourable Member.

Article 6 of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and
of wild fauna and flora (1) states that any plan or project not directly connected with or necessary to the
management of the site but likely to have a significant effect thereon, either individually or in combination
with other plans or projects, shall be subject to appropriate assessment of its implications for the site in
view of the site’s conservation objectives. In light of the conclusions of the assessment of the implications
for the site and subject to the provisions of paragraph 4, the competent national authorities shall agree to
the plan or project only after having ascertained that it will not adversely affect the integrity of the site
concerned and, if appropriate, after having obtained the opinion of the general public.

Similarly, port installations require environmental impact assessment (EIA) under the terms of Council
Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 (2) as amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 on
the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (3).

According to the available information, the Commission is not in a position to identify a breach of the
applicable Community environmental law.

(1) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.
(2) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(3) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.

(2004/C 88 E/0720)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0569/04

by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission

(26 February 2004)

Subject: Leonardo da Vinci programme

The Commission’s Leonardo da Vinci programme is intended to help implement EU vocational training
policy. The European Union needs to ensure its citizens are better prepared for entry into the job market
and, in doing so, reduce the number of unemployed. The economy is also in need of a skilled workforce in
order to keep up with the rapid scientific and technological developments. Against this backdrop, the
Leonardo da Vinci programme serves as a laboratory of innovation in the field of lifelong learning.

Can the Commission provide a list of
the projects that have been approved under the Leonardo
programme over the last three years, including details of the promoters and the level of funding, stating
how much has been paid out and how much is outstanding?

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/701

Are there any noticeable differences in outlook between the countries and the project managers with
regard to various criteria, such as budget, share of funding and the actual results?

How does the Commission ensure that an audit of the funded projects is carried out quickly and
efficiently, and how much time elapses on average between a project’s completion and the audit?

In which countries do difficulties frequently arise when it comes to the audit?

Supplementary answer
given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(11 June 2004)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member’s concerns regarding the quality of
innovative Leonardo da Vinci projects and the need for effective management procedures.

the results of

Between 2000 and 2003, almost 1 100 innovative projects were selected by the Commission, with a total
budget of around EUR 350 million. Lists of the projects selected, including, in particular, each project’s
budget and the name of the project promoter, were sent to Parliament at the time of their selection, in
accordance with the comitology rules.

After selection by the Commission, projects are managed (signature of contracts with the promoters,
project monitoring, analysis of reports, payments), in more than 90 % of cases, by a network of national
agencies appointed by the national authorities of the participating countries. Only a small minority of
projects are managed directly by the Commission.

The first projects started in December 2000. They usually last for 36 months, with the promoter’s final
report due two months after the project ends.

In order to ensure the proper management of Community funds, the final payments are evaluated on the
basis of an audit of the expenditure and the results obtained. The Commission or the national agencies
must be provided with supporting documents for each item of expenditure.

When the final reports are submitted, the results are analysed by the Commission or national agencies and
an independent expert.

The national agencies are currently processing the final reports on the projects selected in 2000 and, for
the first time, will submit their own report to the Commission in the summer of 2004. It should be noted
that the Commission has already transferred sufficient funds to the national agencies for them to pay the
balance of the contracts to the promoters as soon as they have completed the evaluation and accepted the
final reports.

It is still too early to say whether there will be more problematic cases in certain countries than in others
or more evaluation differences between the agencies and the promoters.

The Commission has already received around thirty final reports for the projects it is managing directly.
The final payment has already been made for half of them. The remaining dossiers are still being analysed
or are about to be paid. The final report and the results of each project are analysed in parallel by a person
working at the Commission and by an external expert recruited for this purpose, with logistical support
from a Technical Assistance Office.

Promoters often fail to include certain documents with their final reports, leading to additional requests
and slowing down the process.

The Commission will use the lessons learnt in analysing these initial dossiers to cut the time taken to
evaluate the final reports and to make the payments, thanks to better follow-up and simplification of the
evaluation procedures.