WRITTEN QUESTION No. 734/99 by James MOORHOUSE Funding of the Turkish European Foundation
C 348/124 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 12. 1999 The Director-General of the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) disclosed at the meeting of Parliament’s Subcommittee on Monetary Affairs of 17 February 1999 that the statistical data corresponding to the financial years 1994, 1995 and 1996 already included the data corresponding to the hidden economy of the regions analysed, although he did not say exactly what criteria had been followed in order to estimate or assess this type of activity. What proportion of the regional income corresponds to the ‘hidden economy’ and what proportion to the ‘regular economy’ in Melilla in each of the years in question? (1) OJ C 176, 9. 6. 1998, p. 1. Joint answer to Written Questions E-0698/99, E-0699/99, E-0700/99, E-0701/99, E-0702/99, E-0703/99, E-0704/99, E-0705/99, E-0706/99, E-0707/99, E-0708/99, E-0709/99, E-0710/99, E-0711/99, E-0712/99, E-0713/99, E-0714/99, E-0715/99 and E-0716/99 given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission (6 May 1999) As explained in the answer to the Honourable Member’s Written Question E-0697/99 (1), Eurostat does not directly measure the extent of the underground economy in the Member States. However, the Commission has asked the Member States to supplement the coverage of the underground economy by carrying out a number of procedures to verify and to improve estimates of gross national product (GNP) and gross domestic product (GDP). The national data for the years 1994 to 1996 submitted by Spain in October 1998 incorporate the result of this exercise. Therefore, they are exhaustive and cover the underground economy. However, on the basis of the national data supplied to Eurostat it is not possible to identify what proportion of the overall figure is attributable to the underground economy. Any such assessment at regional level is accordingly also impossible. (1) See page 115. (1999/C 348/168) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0734/99 by James Moorhouse (ELDR) to the Commission (29 March 1999) Subject: Funding of the Turkish European Foundation Can the Commission answer the following: 1. 2. 3. Is the EU funding the Turkish European Foundation (TEF), a body that has been set up in London to promote EU-Turkish relations, and if so, what is the sum involved; If the answer to the above is negative, would the TEF be eligible for funding, and has it approached the Commission in this regard; If the TEF is receiving, or is eligible to receive, EU funding, can the Commission explain how it can ensure that the TEF does not publish misleading or inaccurate information about Turkey at EU taxpayers’ expense? Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (15 April 1999) The Community is not funding the Turkish European foundation (TEF) which has been set up in London. Following an approach by the TEF, the Commission informed its executive director that it could not fund the expenses linked to the activities of his foundation. The Commission indicated that it would be up to the Turkish authorities or business community to finance activities geared towards ‘enlightening public and official opinion concerning the reasons for the Turkish quest for Union membership and the reasons why Member States should respond favourably to this quest’