WRITTEN QUESTION E-1837/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Rejection of citrus fruit restructuring programme in Greece.
1. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 219 E/31 ending in 1999). Among the shared cost projects, 17 contracts are related to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy/transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (BSE/TSE) (mad cow) issue. In addition 92 small and medium-sized enterprise stimulatory measures have been concluded, including 61 exploratory awards (all of them ending in 1999) and 31 cooperative research (4 of which ending in 1999). Of the overall Biomed 2 funding to research activities, 85 % is awarded to public institutions and 15 % to private bodies. A listing with the participants in the Biomed 2 programme, the total cost by participant and the Commission participation, is sent directly to the Honourable Member and to the Secretariat General of the Parliament. Concerning the verification of fund deployment and outcome of the initiatives, the Biomed 2 programme management ensured the review and the assessment of the activities until the end of 1998. The quality of life programme management, starting from January 1999 and up to the closing of all Biomed 2 contracts, will ensure that there is a review and an assessment of all ongoing activities related to Biomed 2 projects. Each scientific officer will continue to be in close contact with the project leaders by receiving the progress reports and responding to their needs. The Biomed 2 programme has established a project review board (PRB) consisting of external experts from all Member States (except Luxembourg) as well as from Norway and Iceland. The PRB has the task of assisting the Commission in the follow-up of ongoing projects through the analysis of periodic reports in view of the milestones outlined in the technical annexes of the contracts. During the years 1998-1999, the PRB will have reviewed a total of 98 contracts out of the 600 of Biomed 2. In addition, the Commission has established a system of external monitoring of the ongoing projects. The Biomed 2 programme has been monitored each year starting from 1995 and four reports have been produced for the years 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. All the reports are available on request and were positive. The external monitoring of the Biomed programme for the year 1999 will be performed by the panel, which is monitoring the quality of life programme. (2000/C 219 E/038) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1837/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission Subject: Rejection of citrus fruit restructuring programme in Greece (13 October 1999) According to published information the Commission has finally rejected the restructuring programme in the citrus fruit sector in Greece worth DRA 77 billion. which was submitted on 7 July 1998. In his reply to a previous question of mine on this topic (E-0002/99, 4. 3. 1999 (1)), Mr Fischler, the Commissioner responsible, mentioned that this programme was still being considered. Will the Commission say whether the above programme has been rejected and, if so, for what reasons? (1) OJ C 325, 12. 11. 1999, p. 57. Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (18 November 1999) By letter dated 7 July 1998, the Greek administration submitted to the Commission a draft programme for the improvement of citrus fruit production in Greece. The cost of this programme was EUR 294 million and Greece proposed that 75 % of this amount be financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) ü Guarantee Section while it would pay the remaining 25 %. By letter dated 23 November 1998, the Commission informed the Greek authorities that the amounts involved and the budgetary restrictions on this Section meant that the programme could not be financed by the EAGGF Guarantee Section. C 219 E/32 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 1. 8. 2000 It pointed out that the operational programmes to be implemented by producersí organisations under the new market organisation introduced by Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organization of the market in fruit and vegetables (1) may include restructuring and reminded the Greek authorities of the opportunities offered by the EAGGF Guidance Section. Following a meeting with the Greek authorities in December 1998, the Commission undertook a technical mission to the main production areas in Greece from 9 to 13 January 1999. Consideration of the results of the mission confirmed the conclusions sent in November 1998, which were therefore notified to the Greek authorities by letter dated 15 July 1999. (1) OJ L 297, 21. 11. 1996. (2000/C 219 E/039) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1844/99 by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Commission (11 October 1999) Subject: Article 58 ü Belgian law on bribes and compliance with competition rules Article 58 of the Belgian Tax Code explicitly grants firms the right to give bribes, euphemistically defined as ásecret commissionsí, if such payments are acknowledged as standard practice, stating that the Finance Ministry may stipulate that the sums involved should be regarded as professional expenses, provided that the commissions do not exceed normal limits and that the firm pays the relevant taxes. Is the Commission aware of this law on bribes in Belgium? Does it regard this law as being consistent with the letter and spirit of the Treaties? Has it been informed by Belgium of the countries in which that Member State regards such payments as being standard practice? In particular, can the Commission state whether Belgium regards such payments as standard practice in other Union countries? Moreover, does the Commission not regard the legalisation of bribes as a breach of the principles governing competition? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (8 November 1999) In the absence of harmonisation measures, direct taxation falls within the Member Statesí sphere of freedoms competence, subject provided for by the Treaty. to observance of Community law and in particular the fundamental As part of the efforts to combat corruption, the Council of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) adopted, in April 1996, a recommendation that its members should prohibit the tax deductibility of bribes paid to foreign public officials. The signing of the Convention of 17 December 1997 on combating bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions, which was ratified by Belgium, has had a major impact on the revision of the contracting countriesí legislation in implementation of the 1996 recommendation. In its communication of 21 May 1997 on the Communityís anti-corruption policy, the Commission stated that it would raise the question of tax deductibility for bribes with the Member States in the appropriate fora, with a view to reaching consensus to abolish such provisions in the framework of a joint concerted move (1). According to the information available to the Commission, Belgium has arrangements which, following authorisation from the Minister of Finance, allow ásecret commissioní to be treated, under certain conditions, as business expenditure where the firm pays tax on this commission, calculated at the standard rate, which is set by the Minister and may not be less than 20 %. However, Article 7 of the Law of 10 February 1999 on the elimination of corruption lays down that such authorisation may not be granted for obtaining or keeping public procurement contracts or administrative authorisations