WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3998/97 by Eva KJER HANSEN to the Commission. Delay in payments under the PACTE programme
22. 6. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 196/51 (98/C 196/69) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3998/97 by Eva Kjer Hansen (ELDR) to the Commission (14 January 1998) Subject: Delay in payments under the PACTE programme The Commission answered my last question (H-0718/97) (1) by reassuring me that it had learned from its mistakes and that problems will be solved in the future. Unfortunately, current problems have still not been solved, and I therefore feel obliged to raise once again the issue of the serious maladministration of the PACTE-programme that has resulted in serious delays in payments being made to the contractors. 1. Is the Commission aware of the financial impact of long delays in payments to subcontractors? In the case of a specific project dating from 1995, the subcontractor has been waiting for 22 months. Does the Commission find it acceptable that unpaid accounts should lead to professional and personal bankruptcy? 2. What specific measures is the Commission prepared to take to ensure the proper administration of the PACTE Office in Strasbourg and of the Commissionís internal administration of the programme › and to ensure that the subcontractors will be payed? (1) Debates of the European Parliament (November 1997). Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (27 February 1998) The Commission paid the final instalments of the Community contribution to the office administering this programme in February 1997 and in March 1997 reminded the PACTE office in Strasbourg of the urgent need to pay the balances due for these projects. After discovering irregularities committed by certain project leaders, the office carried out an audit of expenditure in order to verify that the payment claims submitted accurately reflected expenditure incurred. Project leaders should therefore contact the PACTE office to find out the situation as regards final payment for their project. The Commission is aware of the problems caused by delegated financial management and does not therefore plan to use this method of financing for such operations in future. (98/C 196/70) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4002/97 by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Commission (14 January 1998) Subject: European stock management system by pharmaceutical undertaking Since 1 March 1996 MSD has been using a European stock management system for seven important drugs. The amount of the drug available per six months per client (i. e. pharmaceutical wholesaler) is based on the sales forecasts for each of these drugs. These forecasts are drawn up on the basis of sales over the previous six months, adjusted by an anticipated growth factor per product. MSD reserves the right not to supply all orders which go above the forecast. Is the Commission aware of a European stock management system for seven important drugs which has 1. been applied since 1 March 1996 by MSD? Is such a system compatible with the competition rules which apply on the internal market? If not, what 2. does the Commission intend to do? 3. What action is the Commission taking to ensure that the drug producers in the Member States can determine the price of their drugs under the same conditions so that such stock management systems are no longer necessary as a protection against parallel imports? What are the results of this action?