75. Acknowledges that a new methodology, similar to provisions adopted by the Commission, was established in 2011 for the survey and procurement of property; notes that under the new methodology transparency and competition will be further strengthened through the publication of procurement-related documents in the Official Journal; observes that the new methodology has already been implemented by the Buildings Committee to examine the applications and bids received for the property market survey in Brussels, i.e. the replacement of the Eastman and Montoyer 63 buildings and the search for new premises;

75. Acknowledges that a new methodology, similar to provisions adopted by the Commission, was established in 2011 for the survey and procurement of property; notes that under the new methodology transparency and competition will be further strengthened through the publication of procurement-related documents in the Official Journal; observes that the new methodology has already been implemented by the Buildings Committee to examine the applications and bids received for the property market survey in Brussels, i.e. the replacement of the Eastman and Montoyer 63 buildings and the search for new premises;

Question No. 226 Hon. Roy Cullen: With regard to collateralized debt obligations (CDO’s) and the sub-prime mortgage credit crisis in the North American financial sector: (a) in 2007, was the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) aware of the exposure of financial institutions in Canada to CDO’s, and specifically sub-prime mortgages; (b) when it became aware of the exposure of Canadian banks to sub-prime mortgages, how did OSFI evaluate the risk of these CDO’s in the context of the solvency, liquidity and stability of Canada’s financial institutions; (c) did OSFI undertake any sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of factors such as interest rate changes, economic slowdown or job losses and property market dec ...[+++]lines on the viability of sub-prime mortgages; (d) were CDO’s adequately secured or insured by Canada’s chartered banks, and were these CDO instruments appropriately rated by the rating agencies; (e) given the recent losses or write downs by chartered Canadian banks, what action is the OSFI taking to safeguard Canada’s financial sector, its depositors and shareholders; and (f) what steps is the Minister of Finance taking to address this issue, and to ensure that this type of situation does not occur again?

38. Recalls that a reserve of EUR 35 million was entered in the 2003 budget earmarked for the purchase of the Konrad Adenauer Building in Luxembourg; regrets, however, that the negotiations with the Luxembourg authorities have not been as successful as expected; invites the Luxembourg authorities not to forget their commitment given to Parliament to take previous lease payments into account; invites its Bureau to examine what other options could be available on the real estate market, should the negotiations with Luxembourg produce no satisfactory results; points out that the budgetary authority will not be willing to cover the finan ...[+++]cing for the unreasonable prices now being proposed;

38. Recalls that a reserve of EUR 35 m was entered into the 2003 Budget earmarked for the purchase of the Konrad Adenauer Building in Luxembourg; regrets, however, the negotiations with the authorities of Luxembourg have not been as successful as expected; invites the authorities of Luxembourg not to forget their commitment given to Parliament to take previous lease payments into account; invites its Bureau to examine what other options could be available on the real estate market, should the negotiations with Luxembourg lead to no satisfactory results; points out that the budgetary authority will not be willing to cover the financin ...[+++]g for unreasonable prices that are now being proposed;

According to previous Commission decisions, the real estate market may in fact be subdivided into two smaller markets: properties for residential use (housing), and properties for commercial use (offices, shops and industrial properties).