WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3615/97 by Eva KJER HANSEN to the Commission. Protection of the Community's financial interests
30. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 134/177 (98/C 134/242) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3615/97 by Eva Kjer Hansen (ELDR) to the Commission (6 November 1997) Subject: Protection of the Communityís financial interests What specific initiatives does the Commission intend to take in the light of the changes made by the Amsterdam Treaty to Article 209a? Will the Commission re-examine the Convention on the protection of the European Communitiesí financial interests (which no Member State has yet ratified), given that parts of the Convention can be adopted under the new Article 209a? Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (8 December 1997) The Commission welcomes the changes made to Article 209A of the EC Treaty by the Amsterdam Treaty. This Article will become Article 280 of the EC Treaty and it will constitute a legal basis for proposals concerning the protection of the financial interests of the Community, with a more active role for the Parliament (co-decision procedure). The Treaty still needs to be ratified by the Member States. Although the Commission is currently examining the potential of the new Article 280, it is too early at this stage to decide on concrete initiatives. As indicated in its answer to the written question E-3349/97 by Mrs Torres Marques (1), the Commission is aware that no Member State has yet ratified the Convention on the protection of the financial interests of the Communities. The Justice and home affairs Council of 28 April 1997 introduced the target date of mid 1998 for this ratification, with the subsequent approval of the European Council of Amsterdam. The Commission considers ratification to be a matter of urgency and continues to follow closely the situation in each Member State. After the adoption of the two protocols to the Convention on the protection of the financial interests as well as the adoption of the Convention on the fight against corruption, Member States not willing to start separately the ratification procedure for each instrument drawn up on the basis of Article K. 3 of the Treaty on European Union can now ratify them all together. (1) OJ C 117, 16. 4. 1998, p. 177. (98/C 134/243) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3665/97 by Maria Berger (PSE) to the Commission (10 November 1997) Subject: Directive on package travel, package holidays and package tours Does the Commission plan to amend the Directive on package travel, package holidays and package tours 1. so that hoteliers too are obliged to take out appropriate cancellation insurance or insurance against loss incurred through insolvency, which is said to be already possible in all the Member States on a voluntary basis? Practices such as withholding passports or luggage do not seem to be appropriate measures to settle problems and are surely not in accordance with the intentions of the directive. 2. Does the Commission plan to define more closely in the directive the ánecessary costs for the return journeyí so as to prevent a situation in which for example hotel guests have to pay tourist taxes and their hotel bill twice just in order to be able to leave the hotel?