WRITTEN QUESTION P-0130/00 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission. Administration of OLAF.
26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/13 (2001/C 26 E/015) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0090/00 by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (26 January 2000) Subject: Milk quotas in Galicia According to reports in the Galician press, a spokesman for and senior representative of the Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Fisheries (namely, the recently appointed Director-General of Agriculture) has stated that Galicia is not going to be granted an increase in its milk quota and should just be grateful for its small share of the 550 000-tonne increase granted to Spain for this and subsequent years. This is in spite of the fact that he is well aware (as any senior Commission representative should be) that Galicia has a clearly inadequate milk quota and is therefore unable to modernise its agricultural sector without putting farms out of business which are potentially capable of reaching a productivity level similar to the European average, with the result that Galicia could achieve a production performance comparable with that of countries and regions such as Ireland and Brittany. What rural development strategy could be followed by a region such as Galicia which is denied the opportunity to increase its milk production, even though that would be the principal and the most obvious and effective way for it to pursue regional development, notwithstanding the other forms of diversification which it is practising? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (28 February 2000) The Regulation on rural development contains a series of measures to promote the adjustment and development of rural areas. However, it is not the Commission but rather the national or regional authorities responsible for drawing up the regionís development programme that propose the development strategy and the measures to implement that strategy in the medium term, taking account of the regionís particular socio-economic situation. The Commissionís role is to examine whether the analysis made and the measures proposed constitute an adequate response to the regionís restructuring and conversion needs. With regard to milk quotas, the Honourable Member is referred to the reply to his written question E-91/00 (1). (1) OJ C 330 E, 21. 11. 2000. (2001/C 26 E/016) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0130/00 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: Administration of OLAF Will the Commission ensure that officials do not make public pronouncements on guilt when a national prosecuting authority has decided to drop its inquiries into a case begun at the prompting of UCLAF/ OLAF? Will the Commission ensure that funding for approved projects may not be withheld simply because the Commission believes it has outstanding claims against other projects when no legal proceedings have begun to enforce its claim? These questions relate to the Commissionís behaviour in the case against the Nordvestjysk Folkecenter for Vedvarende Energií (North-West Jutland Renewable Energy Centre), which was publicly branded a fraud by a Commission official although the fraud squad in Denmark had concluded that there is no evidence for the accusations. C 26 E/14 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 The Commission has also blocked payments of a subsidy to a group of recipients, among which the Centre is only one party, and is thus punishing undertakings having absolutely no involvement in this case. Supplementary answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission (27 April 2000) The Commission is not aware that one of its officials made a public statement on the matter of guilt in the case referred to by the Honourable Member. However, the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) has informed the Commission that a statement was made by one of the Officeís officials on the fact that, in this case, an appeal had been lodged with the Prosecutor general in accordance with the provisions of the code of criminal procedure of Denmark against the decision by the Prosecutor not to press charges. The Commission would point out that the matter of payments to beneficiaries is naturally assessed in the light of the protection of the Communityís financial interests. Other payments to the same beneficiaries in cases vitiated by irregularities may be suspended where necessary, or they may be recovered by offsetting in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977 applicable to the general budget of the European Communities and its implementing details (1), and the internal procedures relating to the recovery of entitlements under the EC and Euratom Treaties. To date, no final decision has been taken in the case to which the Honourable Member refers. (1) Commission Regulation (Euratom, ECSC, EC) No 3418/93 of 9 December 1993 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of certain provisions of the Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977, OJ L 315, 16. 12. 1993. (2001/C 26 E/017) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0176/00 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission (31 January 2000) Subject: Municipality of Romeís parking ban and levy of entry charge For the Jubilee, the municipality of Rome has decided to prevent tourist coaches parking in the city and has also imposed an entry charge on them. This decision is certain to cause significant losses for tourist and transport firms. Does the Commission not consider that the decision is also detrimental to non-Italian European tourist firms which had organised trips to Rome before the municipalityís decision? How does the Commission intend to reply to the protest it has received from the BDO, the association of German coach operators? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (29 March 2000) The closure of central Rome has prompted questions from various organisations. The Commission replied to the German Transport Association (BDO) by letter dated 18 January 2000 and is also preparing a reply