WRITTEN QUESTION P-1073/00 by Gary Titley (PSE) to the Commission. Euratom loans to the applicant countries.
C 26 E/152 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 Reports of the misappropriation of € 9 million of Community funds, primarily from the ESF, by the Catalan authorities have resurfaced in the Spanish media in recent days. Some of those already implicated in previous cases are said to have been involved. The Commission has failed to give details of the outcome of the investigations and activities conducted by UCLAF or by its successor, OLAF, in spite of the ample time it has had in which to do so, the action taken by the Spanish police, and the fact that the courts have ordered international letters rogatory. if any, have emerged from UCLAF or OLAF Can the Commission say what conclusions or results, activities? Does it believe that OLAFís work on these cases can be described as áeffectiveí? What shortcomings as regards legislation or funding are preventing OLAF from fulfilling its remit promptly? Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission (22 June 2000) The Honourable Member is asked to refer to the Commissionís answer to his Written Question P-258/99 (1), in which it stated that the Task Force for Coordination of Fraud Prevention (UCLAF) had offered to cooperate with the Spanish judicial authorities. Since then, the Commission has been in regular contact with the Spanish authorities, both at central government level (UAFSE ü the unit responsible for administering the ESF) and in Catalonia (Directorate- General for Employment), while taking on board reports appearing in the press. The information received by the Commission through these channels has proved insufficient or even incomplete. Nevertheless, the Commission is still in contact with the above-mentioned authorities. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) (2) has informed the Commission that, having received no reports under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1681/94 of 11 July 1994 concerning irregularities and the recovery of sums wrongly paid in connection with the financing of the structural policies and the organisation of an information system in this field (3), it recently reminded the Spanish authorities of the Member Statesí obligation to report all fraud cases, including, where appropriate, new allegations appearing in the press. OLAF has also informed the Commission that the Spanish authorities have not requested its assistance. Under Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communitiesí interests against fraud and other irregularities (4), referred to in the new legislation on the financial establishment of OLAF, the Commission must take account of the inspections in progress or already carried out by the Member State, on the basis of its legislation, in respect of the same facts with regard to the economic operators concerned. (1) OJ C 348, 3. 12. 1999. (2) OLAF succeeded the Task Force for Coordination of Fraud Prevention on 1 June 1999. See the legislation published in OJ L 136, 31. 5. 1999. (3) OJ L 178, 12. 7. 1994. (4) OJ L 292, 15. 11. 1996. (2001/C 26 E/189) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1073/00 by Gary Titley (PSE) to the Commission (4 April 2000) Subject: Euratom loans to the applicant countries Loans by Euratom to the applicant countries are currently made solely on the basis of improving the safety of their old Soviet-era nuclear power plants, pending their eventual closure. 26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/153 In a number of applicant countries, however, notably Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia, such a restrictive policy does not take any account of political reality. For these governments, the complete closure of their nuclear power plants raises extremely difficult economic and social issues. In light of these difficulties, the best way to reconcile social and economic concerns with improved nuclear safety might be to replace old Soviet-design reactors with modern western-designed reactors, incorporating the latest safety technology. Will the Commission therefore consider widening the criteria for Euratom loans to take account of political reality in the applicant countries and allow the financing of new western-designed reactors? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (8 May 2000) Council Decision 94/179/Euratom of 21 March 1994 amending Decision 77/270/Euratom, to authorise the Commission to contract Euratom borrowings in order to contribute to the financing required for improving the degree of safety and efficiency of nuclear power stations in certain non-member countries (1) authorises the Commission, within the ceiling set by the Council (currently EUR 4 000m), to contract borrowings in the form of loans for the financing of projects designed solely to improve the safety and efficiency of nuclear power stations in non-member eligible countries, including the applicant countries which produce nuclear electricity. This Decision also allows the financing of new investment projects, but only where these are located in the Community. The Decision is based primarily on Article 203 of the Euratom Treaty, which provides that the Council shall act unanimously on a proposal from the Commission after consulting the European Parliament. The political circumstances would appear not to be conducive to establishing unanimous agreement on extending the eligibility of Euratom loans to new reactors to be built in applicant countries. The Commission will nonetheless analyse the conditions to be met before submitting a proposal along the lines proposed by the Honourable Member. As far as priorities are concerned, the Commission takes the view that the first problem regarding investment in applicant countries concerns the decommissioning of obsolete (non-modernisable) nuclear installations, as negotiated by the Commission, and nuclear safety upgrading of installations having to remain temporarily in operation. On 18 April 2000, for example, the Commission decided to issue a Euratom loan for the modernisation of units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy nuclear power station in Bulgaria. However, Euratom loans as such will not be sufficient to modernise installations that have to remain in operation. Applications will need to be made for funding available under the PHARE Programme and to the organisation of donorsí conferences (as in the case of the decommissioning of the Ignalina facility in Lithuania). (1) OJ L 84, 29. 3. 1994. (2001/C 26 E/190) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1077/00 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission (7 April 2000) Subject: Terms and conditions to which several Italian credit institutions subject their current account- holders Italian banks normally pay an annual interest rate of between 0,05 % and 1 % to their current account- holders, whilst demanding figures of around, or even above, 10-12 % when granting loans (credit lines)