WRITTEN QUESTION E-2545/99 by Maurizio Turco (TDI) and Marco Cappato (TDI) to the Commission. Five-year EU action plan to combat drugs: information and evaluation.
C 280 E/72 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 10. 2000 3. The main aim of the programme as set out in the new Regulation remains know-how transfer. However, up to 20 % of the budget may now be used for investment promotion subject to certain conditions. The Commission believes that this increased ceiling creates significant scope for more investment prospects. (1) OJ L 12, 18. 1. 2000. (2) OJ L 165, 4. 7. 1996. (2000/C 280 E/071) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2545/99 by Maurizio Turco (TDI) and Marco Cappato (TDI) to the Commission Subject: Five-year EU action plan to combat drugs: information and evaluation (4 January 2000) The European Union allocates a considerable amount of funding to the fight against drugs, as is indicated in the Communication from the Commission on a European Union action plan to combat drugs, which gives the figures for 1998. Multiple budget lines are involved, covering more than a single pillar, ranging from prevention to the funding of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, and from the Phare and Tacis programmes to North-South cooperation and cooperation with the countries of Latin America. While the Commission Communication referred to above sketches an overall picture of EU activity in the fight against drugs, it does not provide more specific information about the individual projects which have been or are to be funded. Moreover, by contrast with the wishes expressed by the European Parliament and with the undertakings given by the Commission itself in the 1995-1999 five-year plan, there is no full and exhaustive evaluation of the preceding five-year action plan. Will the Commission therefore provide the European Parliament with a brief but detailed picture giving the following information in respect of each budget line involved in the fight against drugs, for previous years and for the current financial year: ü the projects which have been funded and the amount of funding received, ü the recipients and managers of the funds allocated, ü the objectives that it was intended to achieve, ü the means deployed to achieve the objectives, ü the results actually obtained, ü the checks and evaluations of individual projects or programmes carried out by the European Union. Will the Commission also state when it will issue an overall analysis evaluating the projects undertaken as part of the 1995-1999 five-year action plan. Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission (16 February 2000) The Commission agrees that evaluation should play an important role in all activities in the field of drugs. In its communication on a European Union action plan to combat drugs (2000-2004) (1) the Commission proposed that external experts should evaluate Community activities during this period and that the Commission should conduct a mid-term review of the action plan which would be presented to the Council and the Parliament. However, the action plan acknowledged that efforts at the Community level in the period 1995-1999 in the field of evaluation had been insufficient. The Commission is not therefore able to respond fully to the question. Nevertheless, the main programmes to combat drugs have either already been evaluated or are in the process of being evaluated. The Commission sent to the Parliament on 14 October 1999, an interim report on the implementation of the programmes of Community action on the prevention of cancer, AIDS and certain other communicable diseases, and drug dependence within the framework for action in the 3. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 280 E/73 field of public health (1996-2000) (2) and the final report is now available. The Commission has launched an evaluation to be completed by April 2000 of the OISIN and Falcone programmes, which cover Justice and Home Affairs. The Commission has launched an evaluation of the Communityís North/South Cooperation in the fight against drugs and drug addiction since 1991, which should be completed by October 2000. In addition, the Commission has sent the Parliament the agenda and the working documents for the meetings of the committee of the programme of Community action on the prevention of drug dependence (1996-2000); annual reports on the activities of including a description of the projects financed each year, and annual reports in 1996, 1997 and 1998 on the implementation of Council Regulation 2046/97 of 13 October 1997 on North-South cooperation in the campaign against drugs and drug addiction. the OISIN and Falcone programmes, More detailed information on these programmes and others that concern drugs are transmitted direct to the Secretariat of the Parliament and to the Honourable Members. (1) COM(99) 239 final. (2) COM(99) 463 final. (2000/C 280 E/072) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2551/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (4 January 2000) Subject: Financial services ombudsman Would the Commission please state whether it is satisfied with the adequacy of consumer redress procedures in the case of an internet bank which is based in one Member State but takes deposits or makes loans in others? If not, will it consider making proposals for means of redress for consumers/borrowers/bank depositors ü such as the ombudsman scheme in the UK or other ísoft lawí schemes ü which fall short of having to take civil action in the host country of the bank concerned? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (24 February 2000) The possibility of obtaining out-of-court consumer redress in case of a conflict between a bank and its customer exists in nearly all the Member States. These schemes also normally cover bank services which are offered via the Internet. With regard to cross-border transactions, the present situation is unsatisfactory since there is little cross-border co-operation between the existing complaint bodies. As said in the action plan for implementing the framework for financial markets (1) the Commission is encouraging networking between these bodies with a view to resolving cross-border disputes by develop- ment of an Union-wide complaints network. The operation of this network will be based on the Commission Recommendation 98/257 of 30. 3. 1998 on the principles applicable to the bodies responsible for out-of-court settlement of consumer disputes (2). A first meeting on cross-border redress with representatives from national complaint bodies in the banking and insurance sectors was held in October 1999 and the second in February 2000. There is wide-spread support from national complaint bodies to co-operate effectively cross-border. Progress will be reported in the regular progress report on the action plan. (1) COM(99) 232 final. (2) COM(98) 198 final