WRITTEN QUESTION E-3886/02

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 January 2003)

Subject: EU decentralised bodies

The European Union has set up a number of decentralised bodies in many Member States and is planning to set up others. Many of them, however, are not particularly productive despite their high operating costs (salaries, outgoings for communications, translations etc.), and the millions of euros invested by the EU to accommodate them in ultramodern premises.

Recently, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction located in Lisbon produced its 2002 annual report on the state of the drugs problem in the European Union and Norway which contains a large amount of information on the subject and was also drafted in Greek. However, other organisations such as, for example, the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen and the Cedefop in Thessaloniki are not particularly active in their respective fields, remaining unknown even to the citizens of the Member States in which they are situated.

The European Training Foundation (ETF) in Torino, which is concerned with vocational training (exactly the same field as Cedefop), is targeting its activities on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe which will within a few months, however, also be members of the EU. In view of this and the fact that the Cedefop

does not appear to be acquitting its task in such a way as to heighten its own profile or that of Thessaloniki where it is situated, will the Commission consider the possibility of merging it with the ETF, while keeping it in Greece's second city? Is the Commission satisfied with Cedefop's performance?

How could the centre be made more productive so as to contribute to improving vocational training standards in the European Union and in the host country, Greece (which suffers from high unemployment particularly among young people and women), with constant support being assured?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 2003)

In November 2000, the Commission launched an external evaluation of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) which provides a comprehensive view of the performance of the Centre since the last evaluation in 1995. The findings and conclusions of the evaluation concerning the Centre's services and products represent the views of 550 external stakeholders (including the Parliament, Commission, civil servants and social partners representatives). Overall, the evaluation report assessed positively the effectiveness and impact of the work of the Centre since 1995 and underlined that Cedefop does important work in the promotion and development of vocational education and training in the European context.

Cedefop is very active in Greece and the rest of Europe in providing information on developments in vocational education and training to support policy-makers, researchers and practitioners. Cedefop's information is provided through its two websites, the European Training Village (ETV) www.trainingvillage.gr and the Cedefop corporate website www.cedefop.eu.int, (also in Greek) as well as periodical and non-periodical publications. On the basis of information provided by the Centre, the ETV currently has about 30 000 registered users (over 2 100 from Greece, the fourth highest) and has an average of 38 000 hits and 930 user sessions per day. In 2002, Cedefop distributed over 12 500 copies of its publications in response to specific requests and many others at conferences and exhibitions. Cedefop also fosters exchanges and contacts through conferences, seminars and networks bringing over a 1 000 visitors from all over Europe, to Thessaloniki, every year. Cedefop welcomes visitors from Greece, and has hosted visits from a wide range of backgrounds from Ministers to students. Currently the Centre is also working with a number of Ministries on events to be held during the Greek Union Presidency, three of which will be staged at Cedefop's premises in Thessaloniki.

Cedefop and the ETF actively co-operate and in 2001, agreed a framework of cooperation between them to facilitate the transition of Candidate Countries into the Union. For the possibility of merging the two Agencies and on their respective mission and tasks, the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its previous answer to written question P-0623/01 by Mr Xarchakos(1).

(1) OJ L 261 E, 18.9.2001.