Eurostat: Solbes aware in 2002

By David Cronin

Date: 20/11/03

ROMANO Prodi has admitted for the first time that Pedro Solbes was made aware of suspected irregularities in Eurostat in the summer of 2002 - almost a year before the economics and monetary affairs commissioner himself has claimed.

In a document received by the European Parliament yesterday (19 November), the Commission president said Solbes was first informed about problems with the Luxembourg-based data agency in July 2002.

This was through Parliamentary questions and press reports about Eurogramme, a firm which had been hired by Eurostat to compile data on manufacturing industry for a project known as Prodcom.

"He [Solbes] requested from Eurostat all the information at its disposal in order to reply to these questions," said Prodi. "From that, Mr Solbes learned about the problems with the tender for the 1999 Prodcom programme, namely that the company Eurogramme had provided erroneous figures on its financial situation."

Prodi's admission conflicts with remarks made by Solbes before the Parliament's budget control committee (Cocobu) in July. At that time the Spaniard, who bears political responsibility for Eurostat's activities, insisted he was unaware of alleged irregularities in the agency until May.

Prodi's statement goes further than one he made to the Parliament's political group leaders on 25 September, where he said that Solbes' advisors or cabinet had received a memo about alleged irregularities concerning Eurostat in July 2002, without stating if the details in it were passed on to Solbes.

Commission spokesman Reijo Kemppinen last night downplayed the significance of Prodi's latest statement: "We have no new information to give us any reason to change the things the president has said in Parliament."

Meanwhile, Solbes' cabinet confirmed that Yves Franchet, then Eurostat director-general, sent a memo to it concerning alleged irregularities involving Eurocost, another firm which had contracts with the agency, on 14 March 2000. But a cabinet member said he did not know if the letter was brought to Solbes' attention.

Danish Liberal MEP Ole Sørensen reiterated his call for Solbes to resign over the Eurostat affair. "For me, the cabinet is the same as a commissioner, there is no line in between," the deputy said. "I can't see how Solbes could claim during the Cocobu hearing in July that he wasn't informed. When his cabinet receives information, Solbes by definition also receives it."

European Commission President Romano Prodi submitted a document to the European Parliament on 19 November 2003 confirming that Pedro Solbes, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, was informed of financial irregularities at Eurostat in July 2002 - almost a year before Mr Solbes claims he first knew of the matter.