WRITTEN QUESTION P-1919/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Cuts in Ekpizo funds.
8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 225 E/31 Use of funding allocated is determined by the contractual arrangements between the Commission and each of the beneficiaries. Monitoring is carried out mainly by the Commission, with technical assistance from the sectoral intermediary organisation which monitors performance of the contracts, and with technical assistance from the áhorizontalí intermediary organisation which monitors payment and collection; it is also assisted by random independent audits of the beneficiaries. With regard to the success of the initiatives implemented, the Honourable Member should consult the above report. (1) COM(1999) 91 final. (2) OJ L 321, 30. 12. 1995. (2000/C 225 E/032) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1919/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (14 October 1999) Subject: Cuts in Ekpizo funds Ekpizo is a well-known Greek consumers association recognised by the European Union which funds its programmes. Recently the Commissionís DG XXIV retroactively implemented Decision No 283/1999/EC (1) áestablishing a general framework for Community activities in favour of consumersí which entered into force in February 1999, cutting Drs. 15 million from the total amount due and suspending Ekpizoís two programmes for 1999 which had been approved in 1998. Given that the provisions of the Decision do not state that it applies retroactively, will the Commission say: 1. Why have these cuts been made to Ekpizo programmes? 2. What measures does it intend to take to ensure continued funding of the programmes that had been approved prior to publication of the above Decision? (1) OJ L 34, 9. 2. 1999, p. 1. Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (22 November 1999) The Commission does not árecogniseí as such any national consumers associations. It has identified more than 125 associations among which a number of Greek associations, including Ekpizo, which are kept directly informed about European consumer protection developments by the Commission. Ekpizo has presented for a number of years projects to be co-financed by the Commission. In 1997, the Commission agreed to finance two projects for a total amount of € 260 941 (DRA 81 million). In 1998, one project was financed by the Commission (€ 39 752). For the year 1999, two Ekpizo projects were approved in accordance with the procedures established by the legal base, Decision No 283/1999/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 25 January 1999 establishing a general framework for Community activities in favour of consumers. Under Article 7 of the contract signed by Ekpizo, the Commission decided to carry out a financial audit relating to the two projects financed in 1997. The main findings included the lack of any book-keeping which made control of total expenditure or total revenue impossible; the existence of unofficial receipts for salaries paid to free-lance employees and for suppliers, although official invoices are necessary to comply with Commission rules; and the fact that it was not possible to establish the effective payment of the counterpart of the Commissionís subsidy. As a result, the Commission decided not to pay the full amount for the two projects, but to retain a lump sum of 15 million Dra. This represents a reduction of less than 20 % compared to the payment foreseen and corresponds to the expenditure which has not been duly justified. C 225 E/32 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 8. 8. 2000 The audit also clearly showed that Ekpizo did not dispose of the necessary own resources for the two large projects in 1999. The total cost of the two projects originally amounted to € 572 605, of which 50 % was to be financed from Ekpizoís own funds. Ekpizo therefore decided to withdraw one of the two approved projects. As far as the remaining 1999 project is concerned, a final deadline of 15 October 1999 was given to present a financially acceptable project. To date, no modified application has been received by the Commission. The decisions concerning the projects from Ekpizo concern therefore the basic rules concerning financial management, rather than Decision No 283/1999/EC as such. (2000/C 225 E/033) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1927/99 by Reino Paasilinna (PSE) to the Commission (4 November 1999) Subject: Criteria for respect for minority rights One of the criteria for enlargement is respect for minority rights. However, no Commission publication contains an official list indicating what minority rights comprise. The Commission is drawing up the second annual report on the progress made by the applicant countries. The conditions applicable to the various countries differ. Has the Commission drawn up a list of minimum requirements? What qualitative and quantitative criteria does the Commission use in order to assess whether minority rights are adequately respected, with reference to ethnicity, race, language and religion? Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (2 December 1999) It is true, as the Honourable Member points out, that the Commission has not published an official list of minority rights. It notes, however, that such rights are set out in the 1996 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1992 UN Declaration on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom and, above all, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities drawn up in the framework of the Council of Europe in 1994. The rights referred to in these texts were taken into consideration when assessing the treatment and protection afforded to minorities by the countries applying for membership of the Union for the purposes of opinions on their accession requests in 1997 and the regular progress reports on individual countries sent to Parliament and the Council in 1998 and 1999. These opinions and reports show that the minority rights taken into account by the identity, particularly language, religion, Commission relate to the preservation of ethnic and cultural traditions and all other forms of cultural heritage. These rights also cover equality of treatment compared to people belonging to the majority in the various spheres of social and economic life, in particular access to employment, housing, education, goods and services, social protection and health care. The right to citizenship and the right on certain conditions to use the minority language in contacts with officialdom and in the courts, together with the right to association and freedom of expression, were also taken into account in the Commissionís analysis with a view to establishing whether the treatment of minorities was similar to the rest of the population. The rights in question also extend to protection of minorities against acts of hostility and violence on account of their ethnic, cultural and linguistic identity. The Commission can assure the Honourable Member that its analysis was carried out on the same basis for all the candidate countries and, while the terms of the appraisal might vary from one country to another, it is because the problems encountered differ, not the criteria used to assess them. The Commission also reminds the Honourable Member that the positions it adopted concerning the upholding of minority rights in these countries, both in the opinions and regular reports, were arrived at after consultations with the highest authorities and organisations acting in this area at international level, namely the High Commissioner for National Minorities of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the Council of Europe, the Helsinki Federation and Amnesty International