EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 65/51

(2004/C 65 E/050)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0881/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(21 March 2003)

Subject: Measures to support the family — proposal by Lazio Regional Council to build and restructure buildings for children

Following the extraordinary meeting of Lazio Regional Council, chaired by the Chairman Francesco Storace and held in Brussels on 21 November 2002 in the presence of the President of the Commission Romano Prodi, it was decided to ask the Commission to promote Community measures to funds projects aimed at building new facilities for young children.

The rise in the rate of unemployment among women and marriage breakdown are causing rapid changes in family structure and the situation of minors. Offering families efficient social and educational facilities is a way of safeguarding jobs and equal employment opportunities for women, who are still the family members most involved in looking after children and bringing them up. Furthermore, the rising cost of living is preventing young couples from settling down and starting a family, thereby causing the fall in the population which has been a subject of debate in Europe for years. For this reason a systematic policy needs to be launched, not least in view of the serious shortage of services for young children in Italy and the other Member States. A comparative study, commissioned by the British Government and carried out by the University of York in 2002, of measures for the benefit of children in the 15 countries of the Union and in Norway, the United States, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and New Zealand, showed that in some Member States the standards of assistance are unsatisfactory as regards both the granting of benefits and the provision of facilities.

In its answer of 15 July 2002 to Written Question E-1551/02 (1) of 3 June 2002 the Commission said it was interested in family issues, although there was no legal basis conferring any specific competence on the European Union in this sphere. Article 308 of the Treaty assigns power to adopt Community measures which may prove necessary for the operation of the common market even where the Treaty has not provided such powers.

In view of the many initiatives aimed at securing Union intervention in the area of family policy and the importance which the Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 9) attributes to the family, can the Commission say:

1. whether it intends to take action to fill gaps of this kind;

2. whether there are any programmes which, whilst not targeting policies for the benefit of families, may in some way meet Lazio Regional Council's request for the funding of projects to build facilities for young children or convert existing ones?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(7 May 2003)

On the question on whether the Commission intend to take action on the family policy sphere, the Commission reiterates the fact that there is no legal basis to develop and implement measures at Union level in the area of family policy. These come under national remit and are defined and implemented exclusively by the Member States. This approach is in line with the 1998 Court Case decision on legal basis (United Kingdom vs Community actions to combat social exclusion — Case C-106/96 from 12/05/1998). In this context, and considering the principle of subsidiary, the Commission does not envisage to promote or financially support initiatives in the family policy area.

As far as childcare facilities are related, and in the context of the European Employment Strategy, the Commission has actively promoted (proposing guidelines for Member States employment policies) the adequate provision of affordable, accessible and good quality care for children in order to support female participation in the labour market. Furthermore, the Commission monitors the implementation by the Member States of the targets for the provision of childcare facilities set by the European Councils of Stockholm and Barcelona. In the framework of the Social Inclusion Process and the fight against poverty, the reconciliation of work and family life, the provision of care and the elimination of social exclusion among children are also addressed and monitored.

This means that, as recalled by the Honourable Member, the issue of the provision of childcare facilities is high in the political agenda. However, the concrete actions to implement the policy orientations, although monitored by the Commission, remain a Member States responsibility.

More specifically on the request for programmes to fund the building of facilities for young children in the Lazio Region, the programmes managed directly by the Commission (and governed by the rules of public procurement), do not include any possibility for funding the building of child care infrastructure. However, this type of infrastructure is eligible under the Structural Funds provided that it is foreseen in a regional programme. Nevertheless, as these Funds are mainly managed at regional level, any funding possibility has to be checked with the relevant regional body.

(1) OJ C 301 E, 5.12.2002, p. 177.