WRITTEN QUESTION E-3914/02

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Council

(14 January 2003)

Subject: Europol

Heading B5-822 in the 2002 EU budget contains EUR 5 million (p.m.) to provide Europol with the necessary resources to support and coordinate Member States' activities in the fight against terrorism and to finance the creation of a crisis and communications centre. This amount was allocated under chapter B0-04 (provisional appropriations) pending adoption of a legal basis which would, for the first time, enable Europol activities to be financed directly by the European Union budget.

On the basis of the budgetary information provided by Europol, on 31 July 2002 the Commission submitted a proposal for a Council decision making provision for a total of EUR 3 038 600.

The Council decided to consult Parliament two months later, on 8 October 2002. Parliament, for its part, in order to allow the Council to adopt the proposal before the end of the year and to prevent the amount allocated under the 2002 budget from being cancelled and enable appropriations to be carried over to the 2003 budget, promptly approved the Commission proposal in its legislative resolution of 5 December 2002 and forwarded it to the Council in order for it to be adopted in time.

What are the Council's reasons for not adopting the Commission proposal for a decision?

Given that it has allowed appropriations to be lost, does the Council believe that, contrary to Europol estimates, the proposed funds are not necessary?

When it took its decision, did the Council take into account the opinions of Europol, the Commission and, in particular, the Parliament on this issue? What view does the Council take of Parliament's unanimous agreement to apportion a part of the Community budget to finance some Europol activities?

Reply

(5 and 6 May 2003)

The Council informs the Honourable Parliamentarian that the proposal for the creation of a legal base for allowing Community subsidies to Europol has been discussed within the Council. Several delegations were of the view that this proposal constituted an attempt to depart from the principle enshrined in the Europol Convention, that Europol's budget shall be financed from Member States' contributions, as distinct from a financing at the charge of the budget of the European Communities.

They felt that any modification of this principle would require a modification of Article 35 of the Europol Convention.

Against this background, the Council has not been in a position to agree on the Commission proposal for a Council Decision on the financing of certain activities carried out by Europol in connection with co-operation in the fight against terrorism.