Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 1360/90 establishing a European Training Foundation (1) (94/C 195/16)

On 9 March 1994, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the abovementioned proposal.

The Section for External Relations, Trade and Development Policy, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 18 April 1994. The Rapporteur was Mr E. Müller.

At its 315th Plenary Session (meeting of 27 April 1994), the Economic and Social Committee unanimously adopted the following Opinion.

1. The Economic and Social Committee endorses this Council Regulation (EC), while raising a number of points for consideration.

2. General comments

2.1. Council Regulation (EEC) No 1360/90 of 7 May 1990 establishes and regulates the 'European Training Foundation' which was set up to contribute to the development of vocational training systems in the countries of central and eastern Europe (ESC Opinion of 25 April 1990 on the European Training Foundation) (2).

2.2. The Regulation specifies the Foundation's objectives, defines its sphere of action, its functions and internal bodies, and indicates how it is to cooperate with other Community bodies, particularly CEDEFOP, and with other Community actions, especially the Tempus programme.

2.3. The basic considerations which led to the establishment of the Foundation have proved to be particularly urgent. The reform process, launched under different conditions and to varying extents in the countries of central and eastern Europe, with the support of an array of Community and other programmes, will only be successful if backed up by actions providing a real response to the need for human resources development, of which vocational training constitutes a basic element.

2.4. Adopted by the Council on 7 May 1990, Regulation (EEC) No 1360/90 only entered into force on 30 October 1993, in the wake of a decision taken on 29 October 1993 by national Government representatives to locate the Foundation's headquarters in Turin.

2.5. The Committee notes with satisfaction that the Commission has lost no time in taking steps to get the Foundation up and running. It also considers that the parent Regulation should be amended forthwith in a number of areas to cater for developments which have taken place since 1990.

2.6. The Committee welcomes the provisions set out in Articles 5 and 7 of Regulation 1360/90 which provide for the Committee to receive 1) the annual report on the Foundation's activities and 2) the report containing the results of the assessment of the experience gained in the course of these activities.

2.6.1. The Committee nevertheless feels that this is merely a preliminary step. Indeed it notes that these provisions do not allow the Commission to benefit from the considerable experience which ESC members have in the area of vocational training. Arrangements should be made to ensure that the Committee is fully involved in devising the vocational training policies to be implemented in the countries covered by the Foundation's programmes.

2.6.2. The Committee underlines that vocational training policy is a key factor in the economic and social development of the countries covered by Phare and Tacis, particularly in their transition to a market economy.

3. Specific comments

Thus the proposed amendments should pose no problems for the running of the Foundation:

3.1. It is proposed to extend the Foundation's responsibility for countries covered by the Phare programme [Regulation (EEC) No 3906/89] (1) to embrace Tacis programme beneficiaries [Regulation (EEC) No 2053/93] (2). This is warranted both from a geographical viewpoint and also in terms of these programmes' objectives.

3.2. It is also proposed that the Foundation staff be covered by the rules and regulations applying to officials and other staff of the European Community. The Committee endorses this aim, which is designed to achieve greater consistency and a more unified approach to staff management in the decentralized organizations of the European Union, insofar as these staff regulations would facilitate attainment of the Foundation's goals. The Committee hopes moreover that these steps will promote greater mobility for established staff between the various European Union institutions.

3.3. The proposal to make the Commission financial controller responsible for the internal financial supervision of the 'satellite' organizations is warranted for practical and efficiency reasons. It is reasonable to assume that the proposed arrangements will make a considerable contribution to effective, flexible management of the budget and finances of these organizations and, in this case, of the Turin Foundation.

3.4. The proposed updating of points 7 and 9 of the proposal does not call for any comments.

4. Conclusion

4.1. In conclusion, the Committee endorses this draft Regulation and hopes that the Foundation will be a key element and valuable tool for development in the countries concerned.

Done at Brussels, 27 April 1994.

The Chairman

of the Economic and Social Committee

Susanne TIEMANN

(1) OJ No C 82, 19. 3. 1994, p. 11.

(2) OJ No C 168, 10. 7. 1990, p. 13.

(3) Countries currently covered by the Phare programme: AlÍbania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia.

(4) Countries currently covered by the Tacis programme:Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Russian Federation, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Mongolia.