Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-05-Speech-2-015"
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"en.20020205.2.2-015"2
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".
Mr President, I will make a few quick comments which have occurred to me during the debate. Firstly, I would like to thank Parliament for taking the initiative of holding a debate on the annual activities of the European Investment Bank. You know, and some of you have highlighted, the important role the Bank plays in the channelling of savings towards investment in key sectors of the European Union as well as sectors outside it.
You have highlighted the Bank’s fundamental objective of contributing to our aims in close cooperation with the Commission. The Bank has already implemented the Lisbon initiatives. Initiative 2000 is fully operational and continues to increase its actions in the funding of small and medium-sized businesses. President Maystadt will make some subsequent comments, but I would like to congratulate the Bank on the good work it is doing in this particular sector and, above all, on the transformation which has taken place as a result of paying greater attention to risk capital. In this respect, the European Investment Fund is turning risk capital into an important Community institution as a complement to the market forces which govern supply and demand.
Some of you have suggested that the Bank should pay greater attention to environmental factors. I believe that we must be aware that each institution has its own function and the function of the Bank is basically financial. Environmental issues are fundamental, of course, but each institution must play its corresponding role.
I would like to make two further comments. The first relates to the extension of the Bank to other areas. I believe that this issue is mentioned in the seventh point of the report. Nevertheless, we must not forget the extension of the Bank’s actions over recent years. We only need to remember that, in 2000, Croatia was included in the CCEE contribution and the special option for the Customs Union with Turkey, and that in November 2001 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was included.
Some of you have expressed your concern with regard to the careful monitoring of the Bank’s activities. It is true that the statutes of the European Central Bank open up this possibility, but it is also true that it has no authority whatsoever. Even if it had it, we would have to raise the question of whether the idea of monitoring the European Investment Bank is consistent.
The European Investment Bank is not a commercial bank. It is a multilateral bank which belongs to the Member States and has been established as a Community institution by the Treaty. Therefore, in my opinion, it is doubtful whether it is correct to have additional monitoring of one Community institution by another Community institution. Above all, bearing in mind that we now have a clear system for controlling the Bank by means of the auditing that is being carried out, which directly informs the Council and the government and is attended by external auditors. Furthermore, you also know that the Court of Auditors already carries out inspections of its activities when they involve European Union funding. Therefore, I believe that this issue warrants more profound analysis. We do not believe that we should create other monitoring posts or institutions.
Finally, with regard to the issue of Barcelona and the possibility of funding cooperation with the Mediterranean, raised by Mr Gasòliba, President Maystadt will comment on the actions of the European Investment Bank. I will simply say that the Commission is working on the Laeken mandate in order to have a report as soon as possible. We would all have liked it to have been finished for Barcelona, but, naturally, we will have to follow the normal procedures."@en1
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