Vol. 551 No. 4
62 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to complaints that some payments by the European Union to some eastern European countries have been used for purposes for which they were not intended (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the adequacy of controls. [10940/02]
I am aware of the recent television programme concerning the orphanage in Negravoda, and the distressing conditions there which the film revealed. My officials have been in contact with the European Commission Directorate General for Enlargement, which is responsible for pre-accession funding for Romania, regarding allegations that EU funds are being provided to orphanages in which children are not treated properly.
As regards the adequacy of controls, the Commission noted in its response that it is aware of the situation and is monitoring it closely. As part of the pre-accession process, the Commission conducts an ongoing review of the progress made by each accession country based on a number of economic, social and political criteria set by the European Council, and publishes regular reports based on concrete measures which have actually been taken by the state. In its most recent regular report on Romania's progress towards accession, published in November 2001, the Commission outlined a number of important steps which have been taken by the Government of Romania to improve the child welfare system. These include the establishment of a national agency for the protection of children's rights; the adoption of normative standards and levels of care for child care services; the adoption of a national strategy on the reform of the child care system and an increase in the level of funding provided in the national budget for child care.
