Brussels, 09/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The case of frauds in European subsidies for the production of linen in Spain would cross the borders of this country. The European anti-fraud office (OLAF) indicated on Friday that "the proof of links with other Member States has been established, which required extending the investigation" underway. OLAF will continue its investigations "in Spain and in the other Member States." Its final report should be ready at the end of next March. This report is eagerly awaited. In the European Parliament, notably, where the Socialist party group seems to be particularly interested for what, in this report, could possible concern the Vice-President Loyola de Palacio, who was at the time Agriculture Minister. The EPP group, on the contrary, supports Vice-President de Palacio, by notably underlining that the frauds had started well before she was nominated as Minister for Agriculture. During the hearing for her investiture before the EP, Mrs de Palacio had announced that "with regards to political responsibilities, the question was tackled" by the Spanish Parliament, and that, in Spain, the responsibility for the management of European aid and the checks over its use are that of the autonomous communities and not the Ministry for Agriculture. On the side of the Socialist group, they feel that "if the case can be closed before the Spanish Parliament, it is not so at the Community level." In its answers to a questionnaire from the EP Budgetary Control Committee over the 1999 discharge, the Commission has just brought details over this linen case. EUROPE will return to this story.