WRITTEN QUESTION E-0487/00 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission. Comitology.
C 72 E/2 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 6. 3. 2001 It must be borne in mind that previous catch limitations in ICCAT (prior to the Communityís accession) assigned specific quotas only to Spain and Portugal, and considered catches by other countries (including other Community Member States) under a general provision recommending to keep their catches at existing levels. On this basis, the quota of Member States other than Spain and Portugal, to be added to the latter when calculating the total Community quota in ICCAT, corresponds to their catches in 1995 and 1996, as specified by the 1997 ICCAT recommendation. The measures adopted were agreed by Member States at co-ordination meetings on the spot. Further, the Community position with regard to swordfish was agreed independently from its position on bluefin tuna. There was no linkage of any kind between the two questions. In conclusion, the quotas adopted respond to the need for this essential resource to recover for the benefit of all concerned, including the Community. Any reduction of catches to that effect will be borne by all ICCAT parties having a quota, and not only by the Community. Furthermore, the internal allocation of the Community quota among Member States results from the translation of previous ICCAT measures in terms of catch limitations, and therefore does not represent a breach of the status quo. (2001/C 72 E/002) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0487/00 by Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD) to the Commission (24 February 2000) Subject: Comitology How many meetings fully or partly-funded by the Commission were held in 1998 and 1999 respectively in the following categories: ü meetings attended by less than six experts ü separate arrangements ü joint committees with non-Member States ü COST committees? Please also provide a full list of those participants in meetings who received travel expenses. Please give the figures for the 385 and 366 committees in 1998 and 1999, and for the 376 and 381 temporary expert working parties in 1998 and 1999. Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission (30 June 2000) The Honourable Member has raised several questions regarding the number of meetings held in the years 1998 and 1999, which were fully or partly funded by the Commission, in several categories. With regard to committees and the related working groups, the Commission sent already to the Honourable Member a computer print-out of all committee meetings in 1997 in response to his Written Question P-2282/99 (1). The Commission will add to this the figures for the year 1998, the most recent available at the moment. As for joint committees with non-Member States and COST committees in the research field, the Commission is currently checking the relevant figures in the policy areas concerned and will send these direct to the Honourable Member as soon as they are available. 6. 3. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 72 E/3 Identifying the number of meetings attended by less than six experts and all separate arrangements would require a lengthy and costly case-by-case research that the Commission is unable to undertake at the present time because of other priorities. The same applies to the request of the Honourable Member to provide a full list of the participants in meetings whose travel expenses were reimbursed. In addition, the names of participants who are not appointed personally as members have to be regarded as personal data within the meaning of Directive 95/46/EC of the Parliament and the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (2). Thus, by virtue of it is required that the data subject áunambiguously gives his or her Article 7 lit. (a) of the Directive, consentí to the disclosure of the names. This would require multiple single procedures in order to receive the consent of the several thousands of people participating in these meetings. (1) OJ C 219 E, 1. 8. 2000, p. 138. (2) OJ L 281, 23. 11. 1995. (2001/C 72 E/003) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0539/00 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Council (2 March 2000) Subject: Pay of officials of the European Investment Bank (EIB) The budget of the European Investment Bank (EIB) earmarks around ECU 129 million (ITL 250 billion) for the salaries of just under 1 000 (998, to be exact) employees. This figure includes not only various senior executives who apparently cost the institution around ECU 260 000 (ITL 500 million) per year, but also the administrative rank and file. Could the Council provide the following information: 1. the composition of the EIBís management bodies, 2. remuneration and tax treatment (gross and net pay, including additional benefits), 3. the average total emoluments of senior executives (EIB staff), 4. whether it is true that, on the basis of the amount allocated across the board for the remuneration of its c. 1 000 employees, the average cost to the EIB of salaries and other charges comes to ITL 250 million (c. € 130 million) per year per employee, or more than double the European average for bank employees of roughly ITL 100 million per year (less than € 52 000 per annum), 5. whether it is true that members of the EIBís Management Committee receive a total of ITL 50 million net per month, 6. whether it is true that directors-general receive ITL 40 million per month, 7. whether it is true that salaries are published only up to the level of head of division, 8. whether it is true that certain administrative staff are, for various reasons, in receipt of income of around € 500 000 per annum (around ITL 1 billion) from the bank, 9. whether it would consider providing for a reduction of 30 % in the emoluments in question from 1 January 2000, 10. exactly how much all the administrative staff and other employees of the EIB have been paid in the course of 1998?