WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2060/98 by Felipe CAMISÓN ASENSIO to the Commission. Delays in commercial payments
C 50/126 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 22. 2. 1999 3. In the framework of the above-mentioned Community legislation, the Commission will draw these test results to the attention of the relevant Member States, and invite them to take, in their capacity as flag state or port state, the necessary action to remedy the shortcomings which have been revealed. (1) OJ L 320, 30. 12. 1995. (2) OJ L 144, 15. 5. 1998. (3) OJ C 108, 7. 4. 1998. (1999/C 50/181) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2036/98 by Klaus Hänsch (PSE) to the Commission (7 July 1998) Subject: Allocation of EU resources to Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia Regarding the allocation of EU resources to the city of Duisburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, can the Commission indicate: 1. the sum of EU structural resources received and their breakdown by Funds and the various Community programmes and initiatives and of EU resources allocated to Duisburg from other budget lines since 1994 for pilot projects, measures or › as direct allocations › universities, research establishments, undertakings and other bodies, 2. the number of jobs created or preserved with the aid of these resources? Supplementary answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (23 September 1998) In view of the length of its answer, the Commission is sending it direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliamentís Secretariat. (1999/C 50/182) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2060/98 by Felipe Camisón Asensio (PPE) to the Commission Subject: Delays in commercial payments (7 July 1998) The European institutions have frequently raised the issue of the slowness with which commercial debts are settled. The adverse effects of this, in the form of financial and administrative charges, mainly affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whether it is the public or the private sector which is the guilty party. By means of the laws devised in response to this issue, an attempt is being made to impose deterrent measures and appeal procedures designed to ensure that uncontested debts are paid within the stipulated time limit, and the idea of a reserve fund has even been put forward. Which are the Member States most affected by this problem, and which are least affected? Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (2 October 1998) In its report on late payments in commercial transactions (1), the Commission has collected information from different sources on payment periods in the countries of the European economic area. According to one survey (2) used as reference in the communication, the actual average payment period (time between delivery of the goods or services and actual payment) in Europe is 54 days whereas the average contractual payment period (time between delivery of the goods or services and the due date) is 39 days. This means that payments were on average