WRITTEN QUESTION E-0350/99

by Joaquín Sisó Cruellas (PPE) to the Commission

(23 February 1999)

Subject: Fraud involving euros

A number of cases have been reported to the Barcelona police where attempts have been made to defraud pensioners in connection with the third stage of EMU. The swindle is always the same: a well-dressed young man pays a visit to pensioners claiming to be a representative of the financial institute in which they keep their savings. He tells them that the peseta will soon cease to be legal tender and that, consequently, they need to exchange it for euros, offering to do so on their behalf as a service provided by the bank. Some victims have lost up to 80 000 pesetas and similar cases of fraud have taken place in other towns in Catalonia.

Recently, Commissioner De Silguy said that in order to ensure that citizens cope with the transition to the euro, account will need to be taken of priority sections of the population such as consumers, women and vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the disabled. In view of the events described above, has Mr Silguy considered the possibility of adopting specific measures to avoid, in so far as possible, such things happening to the most vulnerable sections of society in particular?

Joint answer

to Written Questions E-0219/99 and E-0350/99 given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(30 March 1999)

Apart from the work done among the Member States during the negotiation of the agreements in connectiom with the Prince programme, the Commission has launched a series of specific or general initiatives aimed at preparing consumers for the arrival of the euro, in accordance with calls from Parliament (reports by Mr Pérez Royo - A4-0415/97 - and Mr Arroni - A4-0485/98).

In general, consumer representatives have worked closely with the Commission since 1996, particularly through the work done by the Consumer Committee's "euro" working party in establishing the legal framework for the introduction of the euro. Under the auspices of the Commission, they negotiated and signed a voluntary code of conduct for the distribution sector on 30 June 1998. In addition, training in the euro for representatives of consumer associations was organised in Brussels in the autumn of 1998. This was in the context of the general efforts by the Commission to strengthen the policy of information and training for consumers on all aspects of the euro.

The example of fraud referred to by the Honourable Member confirms the fact that a considerable amount of effort is still required in order to inform the public about the arrangements for introducing the euro, particularly for certain sections of the population such as elderly people. Studies carried out at the Commission show that, for a variety of reasons, a significant proportion of the population could not be reached by the usual information policies (brochures, printed material, television), and that for these people more personal information, particularly through the use of "trusted mediators", is required.

In response to these findings, the Commission set up the "Euro made easy" pilot projects in 1998, with the aim at European level of identifying the problems, questions and language of vulnerable population groups on the one hand and, on the other, creating training tools for trainers and mediators, pyramid-shaped training mechanisms and information tools designed for use by mediators and, finally, making the authorities aware of these problems in order to encourage them to develop euro information campaigns aimed at these target groups, using all or part of the material developed in this way.

The two main projects aimed specifically at population groups in economic or social difficulty and at elderly people have already made it possible to analyse the needs of those involved, using 20 working parties in Belgium, France and Italy. Once the results have been validated in all the Member States, the projects should continue between March and September 1999 to develop training and information tools and materials.

The Commission is also funding parallel projects aimed at determining specific problems and appropriate responses for disabled population groups. At the moment, two projects are already under way in partnership with the European Blind Union and the European Union of the Deaf.