TheCommissionwouldfurthermoredrawtheHonourableMember’sattentiontothefactthatprojects
financed under the Structural Funds(1)oftenhave a cultural dimension,including the restorationand
utilisationofthearchitecturalandculturalheritage,thebuildingofculturalfacilities,thesetting-upofculturalandtouristservicesandtheprovisionoftrainingintheartsorinthemanagementofculturalactivities.
(1) More specifically: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the
EuropeanAgriculturalGuidanceandGuaranteeFund(EAGGF).
(2004/C58E/008) WRITTENQUESTIONP-2712/02
byMaríaIzquierdoRojo(PSE)totheCommission
(20September2002)
Subject:WelfarebenefitsforemigrantSpanishgrape-pickers
Morethan15000Spanishcasualworkersarecurrentlyemployedasgrape-pickersinFrance.Asfaras
theirrightsareconcerned,ithasbeenstatedthatforthepresentharvestingseasonof2002‘grape-pickersshallbeexemptedfromtheobligationtopaysicknessinsuranceandpensioncontributionsundertheFrenchsocialsecuritysystem’.Inaddition,theinformationbookletdistributedbytheSpanishMinistryofEmploymenttothegrape-pickersstatesclearlythat‘attheendofthecontract,workersshouldasktheir
employer to give them their pay receipts, which should include specification of the social security
paymentsmadeontheirbehalf’.Inthepresentcircumstances,itisdifficulttoseehowthisobligationcouldbemet.
CantheCommissionconfirmthatfortheharvestingseasonof2002grape-pickerswillbeexemptedfrom
theobligationtopaysicknessinsuranceandpensioncontributionsundertheFrenchsocialsecuritysystem,andwillthusnotbeentitledtothecorrespondingsocialandemploymentbenefits?DoestheCommissionnotconsiderthatthissituationpointsuptheineffectivenessoftheEUrulesonsocialsecurityandthefailuretorespecttheinternationalprinciplesgoverningwelfare?IsthisnotacaseofdiscriminationagainstworkersfromanotherMemberState?CantheCommissionprovideanestimateofthetotalsumoflostbenefitsfortheseworkers?
AnswergivenbyMrsDiamantopoulouonbehalfoftheCommission
(16October2002)
Community law, as laid down in Council Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 of 14June 1971 on the
application of social security schemes to employed persons, self-employed persons and their familiesmovingwithintheCommunityandinCouncilRegulation(EEC)No574/72of21March1972fixingtheprocedure for its implementation(
1), provides only for coordination of Member States’ social security
systemswithaviewtoprovidingsocialprotectiontopersonsmovingwithintheUnion.Seasonalworkers,asdefinedinArticle1(c)ofRegulation(EEC)No1408/71,enjoythesamerightsandobligationsasanyothercategoryofworkers.ThisisclearfromArticle2(personscovered),Article3(principleofequaltreatmentforMemberStateandCommunitynationals)andArticle13(2)(a)(applicablelegislation)oftheRegulation.
AsfarasthespecificbenefitsreferredtointheHonourableMember’squestionareconcerned,itshouldbe
pointedoutthat,inthecaseofsicknessbenefits,Article18(2)ofRegulation(EEC)No1408/71statesclearlythattheprovisionsgoverningtheaggregationofinsuranceperiods,periodsofemploymentandperiodsofresidenceapplyalsotothistypeofworkers,providedonlythattheworkerconcernedhasnotceasedtobeinsuredforperiodexceedingfourmonths.Tothisend,theseasonalworkermustpresenttotheinstitutionintheplaceofresidenceacertifiedstatementissuedbythecompetentinstitutionandvalidforthesamedurationastheseasonalwork(
2).C58E/8 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Asforoccupationalaccidentbenefits,Article52oftheaforementionedRegulationisclearinsofarasit
extendsthesameprotectiontoalltypesofworkersbyentitlingthemtobenefitsinkindofferedbytheStateofresidence andpaidbythecompetentState.Inthisrespect,Article60(3)ofRegulation(EEC)No574/72providesthatthecompetentStateshallissueacertifiedstatemententitlingtheholdertothesebenefitsintheStateofresidence.
Inthecaseofunemploymentbenefits,itshouldbenotedthat,asageneralrule,unemployedpersonsare
entitledtounemploymentbenefitsin the Stateoftheir lastemployment.ThankstoRegulation (EEC)No1408/71,however,seasonalworkershavearighttochoosebetweenthecountryofresidenceandthecountryoflastemployment:theymaychoosetomakethemselvesavailabletotheemploymentservicesofeithertheircountryofemploymentortheircountryofresidence.Thisrightofoptionderivesfromsocialand practical efficiency considerations. It is, in fact, only natural that these workers, who have closepersonal and professional links with the country in which they have established themselves and areordinarilystaying,shouldhavethebestchancesofreintegratingintothelabourmarketinthatState(
3).
Finally,Article108ofRegulation(EEC)No574/72imposesanobligationonseasonalworkerstopresent
theirstampedcontractofemploymenttotheemploymentservicesoftheStateinwhichtheyarecarryingouttheiractivity.Thisprocedurecounterstheconcernexpressedinthequestionthatitwouldbedifficultforworkerstoasktheiremployertogivethemtheirpayreceiptsspecifyingthesocialsecuritypaymentsmadeontheirbehalf.
(1) OJL149,5.7.1971andOJL74,27.3.1972.
(2) Cf.Article17(3)ofRegulation(EEC)No1408/71.
(3) Cf.Article69(1)(c)ofRegulation(EEC)No1408/71.
(2004/C58E/009) WRITTENQUESTIONP-3549/02
byBenedettoDellaVedova(NI)totheCommission
(4December2002)
Subject:CompatibilityofLaw 69of3February 1963with the free movementofworkerswithin the
EuropeanCommunityguaranteedbytheECTreaty
On25July2002the LombardyAssociationofJournalistswrote tothe Presidentofthe Milan Court
requestingtheannulmentofthedecisionregisteringMrClaudeMarieJenacolas,aFrenchcitizen,aseditor-in-chiefoftheItalianmagazines‘GenteCasa’and‘SpazioCasa’publishedbyHachette-Rusconi.
TheLombardyAssociationofJournalistsclaimedthatClaudeJenacolascouldnotcarryoutthefunctions
ofeditor-in-chief because, although he hadbeen a journalistfordecades, he wasnotentered ontheprofessional register of journalists: Article 46 of Law 69 of 3February 1963 (law establishing theAssociationofJournalists)providesthattheeditoranddeputyeditorofadailynewspaper,periodicalorpress agency (…) must be entered on the register of professional journalists (a judgment by theConstitutionalCourthassinceruledthatthoseenteredontheregisterofpublicists/dashdesignedtocoverthosewhoworkasjournalistsonanon-exclusive,butregularandpaidbasis/dashmayalsocarryoutsuchfunctions).
TheLombardyAssociationofJournalistsseemstowanttoresolvethisissuewithasolutionwhichis
anythingbuttransparent,proposingthatMrClaudeMarieJenacolasshouldregisterwiththeassociationofpublicists;however,/dashaspointedoutabove/dashthisregisterisinfactintendedtocoverthosewhoworkasjournalistsonanon-exclusive,butregularandpaidbasis,andconsequentlydoesnotcoverthecaseofMrJenacolaswhoisworkingexclusivelyandpermanentlyasajournalist.Inthiscontext,itshouldalsobenotedthatthedecisionoftheCounciloftheLombardyAssociationofJournalistsof11November2002enteringMrJenacolasontheregisterofpublicistsappearsirregulartosaytheleast,giventhatArticle35ofLaw69/9063requiresthoseenteredtohaveworkedaspublicistsforatleasttwoyears,evidencedbyaminimumnumberofpublishedandpaidarticles,andcertifiedbyastatementbytheeditor-in-chiefoftheItalianpublicationinwhichthearticlesappeared.
DoestheCommissionnotconsiderthatArticle46ofLaw69of3February1963isincompatiblewith
Article39oftheECTreaty,whichprovidesforthefreemovementofworkerswithintheCommunity?6.3.2004EN C58E/9 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion