(2004/C58E/208) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2682/03
byAlexandrosAlavanos(GUE/NGL)totheCommission
(10September2003)
Subject:SupplyteachersandDirective1999/70/EC
Everyyear,inGreekprimaryandsecondaryschools,therearevacantpostsforteachers.Everyyear,these
perenniallyvacantpostsarefilledbysupplyteachersorteacherspaidbythehour,sothattheshortageofteachersdoesnotcreateproblemsinschools.Theresultofthissituationisthatthesameteachersveryoftenworkatthesameschoolonfixed-termcontractsofoneschoolyear, arereleasedandthenre-recruitedatthebeginningofthenextyear.Thiscreatesagapoftwomonthsbetweentwosuccessivecontracts,thesameperiodastheholidaysof‘comparableworkers’withinthemeaningofDirective1999/70/EC(
1),i.e.regularteachers.ThisperiodislongerthanthatforwhichprovisionismadeinPresidential
Decree81/2003,whichtransposesDirective1999/70/ECintoGreeklaw,andasaresultthesesupplyteachersareexcludedfromthedirective’sapplication.
InviewoftheCommission’sreplytomyquestionE-0360/02(
2),statingthattheprovisionsoftheabove-
mentioneddirectivemaybeappliedtosupplyteachersonfixed-termcontractsandinviewofArticle3ofthedirective,cantheCommissionsayhowthedirectivewillbeappliedtosupplyteachers?
(1) OJL175,10.7.1999,p.43.
(2) OJC160E,4.7.2002,p.213.
AnswergivenbyMrsDiamantopoulouonbehalfoftheCommission
(9October2003)
AccordingtoCouncilDirective1999/70/ECof28June1999concerningtheframeworkagreementon
fixed-termworkconcludedbytheEuropeanTradeUnionConfederation(ETUC),theUnionofIndustrialandEmployers’ConfederationsofEurope(UNICE)andtheCentreofEnterpriseswithPublicParticipation(CEEP),itistheMemberStatesthemselveswho,afterconsultationwiththesocialpartners,determineunderwhatconditionsfixed-termcontractsshallberegardedas‘successive’(clause5.2).
However,itmustbeborneinmindthatoneofthepurposesoftheDirectiveistopreventabusearising
fromtheuseofsuccessivefixed-termcontracts.IfaMemberStatedeterminesadefinitionofsuccessivefixed-term contracts which in practice undermines the protective purpose of the Directive, such adefinitionwouldnotbecompatiblewithCommunitylaw.
(2004/C58E/209) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2683/03
byAlexandrosAlavanos(GUE/NGL)totheCommission
(10September2003)
Subject:CreationofnewjobsinGreece
The Council’s recommendation(1) on the implementation of Member States’ employment policies for
Greeceincludesthestatementthat‘Greece’soverallemploymentrateisconsiderablybelowthetargetsset
bytheEuropeanCouncil,inparticularforwomen…Unemploymentfellforathirdconsecutiveyearin
2002butisstillabovetheEUaverage,withtheunemploymentrateforwomenattainingmorethandoubletheratesofmen.’
1. HowmanyjobshavebeencreatedinGreecesince1998,brokendownbygenderandcategoryof
employment?C58E/194 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
2. Howmanyofthejobscreatedarefull-time?Howmanyarepart-time?Howmanyarefixed-term
contracts?Howmanyarebasedonlocalemploymentagreements?
3. Inwhichsectorshavetheybeencreated?
(1) COM(2003)177.
AnswergivenbyMrsDiamantopoulouonbehalfoftheCommission
(2October2003)
WithreferencetothequestionraisedbytheHonourableMember,theCommissionbelievesthatGreeceis
progressivelyimprovingitseconomicandlabourmarketpositiontowardstheUnion’saveragebutstillsuffersfromrelativelylowemploymentandhighunemployment.Thelatestlabourmarketfiguresshowsomeprogress,mainlyinthefaceofacontinuingdeclineoftheunemploymentrate,combinedforthefirsttimeinrecentyearswitharaiseofemployment(duetoincreasedentryofwomenandimmigrantsintoemployment).
Yet, it is evident that raising the employment rates towards meeting the Lisbon targets (overall
employmentrateto70%,morethan60%forwomenand50%forolderworkers,by2010)isamajorchallengeforGreecegiventhelowemploymentgrowthrates.Itwouldrequirefarreachinglabourmarketreformstomobilisecurrentlyinactivepersons(mostlywomenandworkingageolderpeople).
AvailabledataaccordingtoLabourForceSurvey(LFS),thesituationinGreeceisthefollowing:
/dash Employmentgrowthhasbeenverymodestduringthelastfewyears.Duringthelastfiveyears,the
employment rate in Greece increased from 55,3% in 1999 to 56,7% in 2002 comparingunfavourablywiththeEuropeanaverageof64,3%.
/dash RecentLFSdata,revealsomeencouragingsigns.Measuredonayear-to-yearbasis,totalemployment
recordedaclearincreaseduringthethirdquarterof2002inrelationtothethirdquarterof2001
(1,3%). This is the highest increase in employment recorded since 1998. In absolute terms, this
changecorrespondsto114000persons.Asconcernsworkinggroups,wageearners,self-employedandparticularlyfamilyworkers,haveallcontributedtothispositivedevelopment.
/dash Fromtheyear1998to2001,theoverallemploymentbalanceisshiftingslightlyinfavourofwomen,
withtheirpercentageinemploymentincreasingby0,7%,comparedwithadeclineof0,8%formen.ThetrendforwomentoenterthelabourmarketmorerapidlyisalsoconfirmedbyanotheraspectoftheLFSwhichshowsthatduringthesecondquarterof2001some49,592womenwantedtoenterthe labour market and one third of these found employment, while the other two thirds wereregisteredasunemployed.
/dash Inreplytothesecondquestion,theLFSdatashowalsothatmostofthenewjobscreatedwerefull-
timejobs.Thefulltimeequivalentemploymentrateincreasedfrom55,1%in1999to56,3%in
2002.Thisappliesnotonlyinthemanufacturingsector,butalsointheservicessector,where91%of
thenewjobsin1999wereforfull-timeskilledworkers.
/dash Althoughpart-timeemploymentremainsatlowlevels,ithasrisenfrom3,9%inthethirdquarterof
2001to4,5%inthethirdquarterof2002.TheCommissionconsidersthatpromotingflexibleformsofemployment,mainlypart-timework,constitutesanessentialstepforraisingtheemploymentratesandwouldwelcomeanyactionsencouragingpart-timeemployment,whethertheyaredirectedtothepublic or private sector. Moreover, employment in fixed-term contracts to total employment hasslightlydecreasedfrom12,1%in1998to11,2%in2002.6.3.2004EN C58E/195 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
/dash Finally,regardingthethirdquestion,thegreatestsourceofnewjobcreationhasbeentheservices
sector,asisthecaseforallMemberStates.AccordingtoLFS,theemploymentgrowthintheservicesectorwas5,4%in1998,0,5%in1999,1,1%in2000,0,5%in2001and1%in2002,explainingtheincreaseoftheshareofemploymentfrom57,7%in1998to60%in2002.
/dash A more detailed examination of sectoral employment developments, shows that the current
employmentgainsarefuelledbyarevivalofagriculturalemployment,bystronggainsinconstructionactivity(associatedwiththepreparationoftheinfrastructureofthe2004OlympicGames)andbyrapidgrowthinbusinessservicesandrealestatesector.
(2004/C58E/210) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2686/03
byAlexandrosAlavanos(GUE/NGL)totheCommission
(10September2003)
Subject:Collectionofstatisticaldata
IthasbeenestablishedthattheGreekadministrationdoesnotforwardontimetotheEuropeanStatistical
Service(Eurostat)thestatisticaldatawhichitisobligedtosendunderseveraldirectives,forexamplethoserelatingtotourism,theenvironmentandemployment.CantheCommissionprovidealistofthedirectivesrequiringspecificdatatobesenttothecompetentEuropeanUniondepartmentsforwhichGreeceeitherdoes not send the data, does so after the deadline or does so using data collection methods whichincompatiblewiththecollectionmethodslaiddownbytheEuropeanUnion?
AnswergivenbyMrSolbesMiraonbehalfoftheCommission
(24October2003)
ItshouldbestatedthatGreecemeetsthevastmajorityofitsCommunitystatisticalobligations,andfailsto
complywithonlyafewprovisionsfromamongover260legalinstruments.
Itisneverthelesstruethatprogressstillhastobemadeincertainareas,particularlywhenitcomesto
meeting transmission deadlines. A summary table of areas in which the level of conformity withCommunitystatisticalobligationsmaybe opentocriticism hasbeen sentdirectly tothe HonourableMember and Parliament’s Secretariat. The Commissionis considering what action shouldbe taken toremedythissituationinaccordancewiththeestablishedprocedures,andisincontactwiththeGreekauthorities.
(2004/C58E/211) WRITTENQUESTIONP-2698/03
byIngoSchmitt(PPE-DE)totheCommission
(3September2003)
Subject:Policyondisabledpersons/dashallocationoffunding
1. What type and what amountoffunding are available overall for the general area ofpolicy on
disabledpersons?
2. Whattypeandwhatamountoffundingareavailableoverallfortheareaofpolicyondisabled
personsinconnectionwiththeEuropeanYearofPeoplewithDisabilities?
3. What amount of the funding provided under paragraphs 1 and 2 was available and/or is still
availablefortheFederalRepublicofGermanyand/oritsfederalstates,andsubjecttowhatconditions?C58E/196 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion