Brussels, 22/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Presidents of four political groups in the European Parliament - Enrique Baron for the Socialists, Heidi Hautala and Paul Lannoye for the Greens/EFA, Francis Wurtz for United Left/Nordic Green Left and Jens-Peter Bonde for Europe of Democracies and Diversities - have written to President Prodi requesting a "swift and adequate response to the questions outlined in the oral question" about linen fraud in Spain which they have unsuccessfully attempted to include on the December plenary's agenda (see EUROPE of 16 November, p.6). In their letter, the MEPs write that in Strasbourg last Thursday at a meeting of the Conference of Presidents, the EPP-ED, Liberal and Union for Europe of the Nations groups felt that the question should be dealt with by the Budgetary Control Committee, but the MEPs write in their letter that "It was the slow reaction of the Santer Commission to the growing difficulties arising out of the discharge procedure in the Budgetary Control Committee that played a large part in creating the inter-institutional crisis of 1999." They continue, "The Commission will shortly have to make a political decision on the nature and size of the fine it exacts from Spain" (100% of the unduly received aid between 1996 and 1999, Ed) and "Given that the proposed find relates to the activities of senior officials of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture during the period when Loyola de Palacio was Minister of Agriculture, among them, those appointed by her, we believe that there is… a question mark concerning her political responsibility in the affair".