WRITTEN QUESTION E-1402/00

by Jeffrey Titford (EDD) to the Commission

(5 May 2000)

Subject: European Commission and European Central Bank

Will the Commission please indicate what meetings have taken place at senior level between staff of the European Commission and the European Central Bank, that information to include:

(a) the dates of those meetings;

(b) the venues of those meetings;

(c) the identities of those attending the meetings;

(together with a summary of the issues discussed on each occasion).

Can the Commission also indicate if the European Central Bank is entirely independent of the Commission, or whether the European Central Bank can in any shape or form be said to be influenced by the Commission?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(23 June 2000)

The Commission entertains numerous contacts at staff level with the staff of the European Central Bank (ECB) on the phone, in writing and at meetings. These contacts are a natural consequence of the respective tasks of the two institutions and serve to strengthen the efficiency of their work.

One type of contact is the participation of Commission representatives in certain ECB sub-committees or working groups, where staff from the ECB and the national central banks prepare decisions or positions of the decision-making bodies of the ECB. The Commission is usually invited to the banking supervisory sub-committee, the working group on payments systems, and the working group on statistics.

In turn, the Commission invites staff members of the ECB to certain meetings organized by the Commission, where ECB representation is desirable, like the banking advisory committee or the meetings on macro-economic forecasts. Besides this, staff members frequently organize ad hoc meetings on subjects of common interest. An example is a meeting held on 6 April 2000 in Brussels on the preparation of legislation against counterfeiting of euro banknotes, chaired by the Director general for Economic and financial affairs.

Finally, it may be recalled that Commission staff at senior level meet regularly with senior representatives of the ECB in the economic and financial committee. Senior staff members of both institutions also meet frequently at international fora (International monetary fund, Organization for economic cooperation and development, etc.).

Like in any other area, the Commission fully respects the provisions of the EC Treaty in its relations with the ECB.