ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1747/98 by Freddy Blak (PSE) to the Commission (27 May 1998)

Subject: Danish pensions legislation still discriminating against women

Although a ban on differential treatment of men and women in respect of pensions will take effect in Denmark from 1 July 1999, at least 450,000 Danish women will still receive lower pensions than their male colleagues.

Almost half a million women are already paying into pension funds automatically treating women less favourably than men. These women will not be covered by the change in the law which comes into force on 1 July 1999.

Does the Commission not consider that differentials between men and women's pensions are a breach of Article 119 of the Rome Treaty? Should a paragraph not have been inserted into the law to ensure that from 1 July 1999 all women are guaranteed a non-discriminatory pension scheme? The present situation is that 26 of the 43 Danish pension funds treat women less favourably than men.

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (22 June 1998)

Pursuant to Article 119 of the EC Treaty as interpreted by the Court of Justice in the Barber judgment ((ECR 1990, p. I-1889. )) of 17 May 1990 and subsequent connected judgments, all discrimination based on sex must be eliminated as of 17 May 1990 in the field of occupational and supplementary pensions.

However, for certain pension schemes, a difference in treatment is still permitted. This applies to capitalisation schemes. In line with the Court's case law in cases C-152/91 Neath ((ECR 1993, p. I-6953. )) (judgment of 22 December 1993) and C-200/91 Coloroll ((ECR 1994, p. I-4389. )) (judgment of 28 September 1994), in the case of schemes of this kind, what counts in respect of Article 119 of the EC Treaty is the employer's promise to pay a supplementary pension. If the promise has as its objective a defined contribution (as in the case of defined-contribution schemes), what matters, for the purposes of this Article, is that the contributions paid must be identical for men and women. As a result, the ultimate benefits might be different for men and women because of women's longer life expectancy.

This is clearly illustrated in Council Directive 95/97/EC ((OJ L 46, 17.2.1997. )), amending Directive 86/378/EEC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in occupational social security schemes (4), whose objective is to incorporate the Court's case law in the Barber judgment and connected judgments.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1586/98 by Umberto Bossi (NI) to the Council (25 May 1998)

Subject: Italy's surplus liabilities

The Italian Audit Court has recently opened an inquiry into the surplus liabilities in Italian public accounts. This is not the first such case to have occurred, since the Commission was initially alerted in July 1997 to the unused sums entered in the Italian State budget.

The danger is that the accumulation of unused tied resources is creating a huge volume of potential expenditure which sooner or later could turn into actual expenditure, throwing the State accounts out of control. Italy's surplus liabilities amounted to Lit 94 767 billion in 1996 and over Lit 160 billion in 1997, giving a total in excess of Lit 250 billion for the two years.

A high proportion of the surplus liabilities have apparently arisen on account of bookkeeping delays, whereas others are surplus appropriations, that is to say, sums earmarked to finance projects which have not yet been implemented.

Can the Council say what European limits it considers admissible?

Does it not consider Italy's surplus liabilities to be unduly high?

If it emerges that the above-mentioned limits are being exceeded, what precautionary measures will the Council take?

Answer (20 July 1998)

By Decision of 1 May 1998, the Council abrogated its previous Decision concerning the existence of an excessive budget deficit in Italy ((OJ L 139, 11.5.1998, p. 15. )).

In the Decision, the Council notes that the Italian government deficit has been reduced to 2.7% of GDP in 1997 and that a further reduction to 2.5% is forecast for 1998. In addition, the Council takes note in the Decision of the new medium-term programme recently presented by the Italian Government to its Parliament planning a further reduction of the deficit to 1.5% in 2000 and 1% in 2001.

These completed or planned reductions, together with the Italian Government's commitment in the medium term to maintain a primary budget surplus of around 6% per annum were regarded by the Council as essential in order to maintain the government debt ratio on a sustainable downward path.

The Council is required to keep track of budget developments in Italy, as in all other Member States participating in the single currency, in the context of the monitoring and evaluation of the stability plans to be submitted by those Member States in the near future.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0678/98 by Antoni Gutiérrez Díaz (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (10 March 1998)

Subject: Conditions for upgrading the Spanish 'Ingeniero Técnico' engineering qualification in comparison with others

What has led the Commission to require that Mr Vicente Alonso Morales, holder of the Spanish 'Ingeniero Técnico' qualification and candidate for open competition COM/A/1047 (OJ C 145 A, 13.5.1997), should have successfully completed the equivalent of a full-length Spanish degree course, given that such a requirement does not appear in the text of the notice of competition?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-0635/98, E-0636/98, E-0637/98, E-0638/98, E-0639/98, E-0640/98, E-0641/98, E-0642/98, E-0643/98, E-0644/98, E-0645/98, E-0669/98, E-0670/98, E-0671/98, E-0672/98, E-0673/98, E-0674/98, E-0675/98, E-0676/98, E-0677/98, E-0678/98, E-0679/98, E-0724/98, E-0725/98, E-0726/98, E-0727/98 and E-0728/98 given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (21 April 1998)

The Commission feels that most of the information requested by the Honourable Member is contained in its answers to written questions E-2749/97 by Ms Garcia Arias ((OJ C 82, 17.3.1998. )) and E-4186/97 by Ms Dührkop Dührkop ((OJ C 304, 2.10.1998, p. 15. )). The Commission would accordingly refer the Honourable Member to these answers, where it gave a full statement of its general approach to qualifications giving access to A/LA posts in the European public service and more specifically to qualifications held by Spanish technical engineers.

The correct translation of 'diploma universitario' into German is 'abgeschlossenes Hochschulstudium', and that is the term used on the notice of competition COM/A/1047 (97/C 145 A/02) published in the Official Journal. With regard to Competition COM/A/720 and COM/A/821, the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the judgment given on 3 March 1994 by the Court of First Instance in Case T-82/92 Cortés Jiménez v Commission.

The Commission would draw the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that the candidate at competition COM/A/104 has brought an action, registered at the Registry of the Court of First Instance under number T-299/97 on 1 December 1997. Accordingly the Commission cannot give an answer because the matter is sub judice.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1014/98 by Wilmya Zimmermann (PSE) to the Commission (6 April 1998)

Subject: Problems concerning the freedom of movement in the EU for foreign children fostered by German families

Foreign foster children often do not have the same status as their foster parents. This is frequently the case with the children of asylum-seekers or foreign nationals' children who have not been issued with passports by their States of origin (including some EU Member States). This commonly causes difficulties with regard to the freedom of movement (when crossing national borders).

1. How is it planned to resolve this problem within the EU?

2. To what extent will the solution take account of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Hague Convention on adoption or the proposal for a European convention on the right to family life drawn up by the European Coordination for the Right of Foreign Nationals to Family Life (25, bld de Bonne Nouvelle, F-75002 Paris)?

Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (17 June 1998)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member's concern about free movement of foreign children legally resident or temporarily in the Community.

In this respect, Article 2 of the Schengen Agreement provides that internal borders may be crossed at any point without any checks being carried out.

Action has been also taken for instance to facilitate the free movement of school children from third countries travelling within the Community.

Three directives ((OJ C 306, 17.11.1995, OJ C 289, 31.10.1995 and OJ C 307, 18.11.1995. )) proposed by the Commission on 24 August 1995 which seek to improve free movement within the Community also touch upon free movement of third country nationals legally resident in the Community.

The United Nations Convention on the rights of the child adopted in 1989, which provides a common framework of commitment to children's rights to be developed by the Member States in their national legal systems, and the Hague Convention of 1993, which deals with the setting up of a cooperation mechanism for taking care throughout the adoption procedure that the higher interest of a child is safeguarded, do not contain specific provisions on movement of foster children travelling within the Community.

The proposal for a convention on the right to family life drawn up by the European coordination for the right of foreign nationals to family life, as currently drafted, focuses on family reunion and does not address specifically the issue of foster children.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0896/98 by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission (26 March 1998)

Subject: Banana tariffs

The Commission has presented the Council with its new proposal for the reform of the organization of the banana market. Under the proposal, Austria, Sweden and Finland would have a quota of 353 000 tonnes which they could import subject to a duty of ECU 300 per tonne.

1. How are Austria's quotas and customs tariffs fixed?

2. Why are the customs tariffs for Austria, Sweden and Finland different from the quotas of the other EU Member States (2.2 million tonnes and duty of ECU 75 per tonne)?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (15 April 1998)

1. Discussions on the Commission's proposals to amend the banana common market organization (CMO) are continuing in the Council and the Parliament. The Commission proposals are intended to bring Community legislation into conformity with the Community's international obligations by 1st January 1999.

2. The Community has a single market for bananas, and there is no difference in treatment between Member States. Once imported bananas have been released into free circulation, they can be sold and consumed at any point in the Community without restriction. The additional autonomous tariff rate quota of 353 000 tonnes is proposed in order to take account of the increased consumption needs of the Community as a whole following the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1251/98 by Odile Leperre-Verrier (ARE) to the Commission (29 April 1998)

Subject: Food aid in the EU

Now that winter is coming to an end, can the Commission provide details of the food aid granted directly or indirectly to approved non-governmental organizations?

What steps will it take to reduce poverty and malnutrition, which are on the increase in the Member States of the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (3 June 1998)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0204/98 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Commission (11 February 1998)

Subject: Schengen task force

Recently there have been reports of a 'task force' which will be concerned with measures to improve the Schengen external frontiers. Accordingly, I should like to ask the Commission the following questions:

1. What prompted the European Union to set up this task force?

2. Where does the Commission feel there are shortcomings in existing checks at external borders?

3. What improvements does the Commission expect the new task force to bring about?

4. Does the Commission believe that setting up a task force can ensure foolproof checks at land and sea borders?

5. Is the Commission of the opinion that the current difficulties are caused solely by problems in national transposition or by shortcomings in the Schengen rules?

6. Does the Commission regard the practice of some Member States (detecting illegal immigrants but not ensuring that they subsequently leave the territory of the Union) as running counter to the Union's acquis?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (5 May 1998)

1. At its meeting on 15 December 1997, the Schengen Executive Committee approved a decision on measures to step up and make more effective checks at external frontiers. A task force is also to be set up to oversee the implementation of, and follow-up to, the measures adopted by the Executive Committee. This decision is an accompaniment to the action plan approved by the Council on 26 January 1998 as a response to the inflow of immigrants from Iraq and neighbouring regions.

2 to 5. It is not for the Commission to comment either on the application of the arrangements under the Schengen Convention for external border checks by the Member States concerned or on the operation and achievements of the task force as long as Community or Union law is not infringed.

6. The procedures for sending back third-country nationals are not as yet covered by any rules at Union level.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1317/98 by José García-Margallo y Marfil (PPE) to the Commission (29 April 1998)

Subject: EURO 1999

As a result of the Pact for Stability and Growth adopted by the Amsterdam European Council in June 1997, the Member States' medium-term budgetary objective will be to achieve 'positions close to balance or in surplus'. If the Member States continue their budgetary adjustments in subsequent years, their public finances will be in the best position to tackle the budgetary consequences of a possible downturn in the economy.

But what does the Commission think would be the current situation in Italy if the Stability Pact had been applied during the period 1992-1997?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission (2 June 1998)

The stability and growth pact is constituted by a resolution of the European Council of 7 June 1997 ((OJ C 236, 2.8.1997. )) and by Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 of 7 July 1997 on the strengthening of the surveillance of budgetary positions and the surveillance and coordination of economic policies ((OJ L 209, 2.8.1997. )), and Council Regulation (EC) No 1467/97 of 7 July 1997 on speeding-up and clarifying the implementation of the excessive deficit procedure (2). The pact aims at fiscal discipline in the economic and monetary union (EMU) thus creating the appropriate stability conditions for sustained growth. It provides a powerful system of incentives for a Member State not to incur an excessive deficit and to correct it rapidly if such a situation should occur.

In 1992, Italy had a general government deficit of 9.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), and in 1993 the deficit was 9.5% of GDP. This situation led to a Council decision on 26 September 1994 on the existence of an excessive deficit in Italy (Article 104c (6) of the EC Treaty). In the period covered by the Honourable Member's question, i.e. 1992 to 1997, Italy budgetary policy was mainly geared towards convergence, i.e. to correct the excessive deficit situation and thus to meet the convergence criteria on the budgetary position. Moreover, paragraphs 9 and 11 of Article 104c of the EC Treaty, which deal with sanctions, did not apply during stage two of EMU.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1131/98 by José Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (PPE) to the Commission (24 April 1998)

Subject: Human rights in China

Could the Commission explain the reasons why the European Union failed to support a resolution within the UN Human Rights Committee on human rights in China and what views on the matter were expressed by Mr Wei Jingsheng in his talks with the Commission?

Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (8 May 1998)

The Union is engaged in what it hopes will prove a constructive dialogue with China on human rights. The decision not to lodge or co-sponsor a resolution on China in the UN Human Rights Committee in 1998 was a response to encouraging signals from that country. China was, however, mentioned in the UK Presidency's opening speech on behalf of the Union, which stressed the need for this dialogue to produce material results. The Union will be reviewing the results of its policy at regular intervals. At his meetings with the Commission, Mr Wei Jingsheng expressed reservations at the Union's policy.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1915/98

by Jean-Antoine Giansily (UPE) to the Commission

(9 June 1998)

Subject: Implementation of the 1998 budget

On 18 December 1997, at second reading of the 1998 draft budget, the European Parliament adopted Amendment 1 on the institutions' administrative expenditure (Chapter A-11, Staff in active employment), which stipulated that the following text be added to footnote 4 to the column entitled "Of which permanent posts in the Supply Agency": "The duties of Deputy Director-General of the Supply Agency are carried out by an A3 official appointed Deputy Director-General pursuant to Article 53 of the European Atomic Energy Community Treaty".

Can the Commission say on what date, as part of its task of implementing the budgetary authority's decisions, it officially made that appointment?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(8 July 1998)

The post of Deputy Director-General is provided for by Chapter VI (Article 53) of the Euratom Treaty, which lays down that "the Agency shall be under the supervision of the Commission, which shall ... appoint its Director-General and Deputy Director-General".

Since the signing of the Euratom Treaty, the Commission has noted that the role of the Agency has been scaled down to such an extent that its list of posts includes only 24 permanent posts, eight of them in Category A.

The post of Deputy Director-General, which has never featured in the organisation chart, must be created before the Commission can fill the post.

So far, the Commission has not made this change to the Agency's Directory.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2393/98

by John McCartin (PPE) to the Commission

(27 July 1998)

Subject: Development aid

Can the Commission indicate the amount of development aid and food aid (both public and private) granted to developing countries by the individual Member States of the EU over the last three years.

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(8 September 1998)

Because of the length of the answer, which includes a number of tables, the Commission is sending it direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1063/98

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(6 April 1998)

Subject: Bull bars on vehicles

Will the Commission consider the use of new European legislation to ban the fitting of bull bars on all new vehicles at the earliest opportunity?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(14 May 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question No E-2965/97 by Mr Sindal(1).

(1) OJ C 134, 30.4.1998, p. 45.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0983/98

by Eryl McNally (PSE) to the Commission

(2 April 1998)

Subject: Jubilee 2000 - a debt-free start for a billion people

One of my constituents has enquired about Europe's position on supporting the campaign to make a one-off cancellation by the year 2000 of the backlog of unpayable debt owed by the world's poorest countries. This is a campaign known as Jubilee 2000.

In the light of the above, what commitment, if any, does the Commission feel Europe should make to assist such humanitarian initiatives?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(25 May 1998)

The Commission shares the concerns of the Jubilee 2000 campaign regarding debt problems in the poorest countries. It has been increasingly recognised that despite progress made during recent years in providing more generous debt relief measures and despite their efforts to implement economic reforms, a number of poor countries are still constrained by excessive external debt burdens.

It should be noted that the Community is primarily a donor of grant resources and a very small creditor in this context. Solutions to the debt problems of the poorest countries will require concerted action among all creditors in order to have the necessary impact. The debt initiative for the heavily indebted poor countries (the HIPC debt initiative) which was launched in 1996, is a framework for such co-ordinated action. The aim of this initiative is to reduce the debt burdens of the heavily indebted poor countries to sustainable levels and thereby to support their efforts to implement economic reforms and to reduce poverty. The Commission strongly welcomes this initiative and is politically very committed to participating and playing its part in it.

The Council confirmed, on 12 February 1998, the principle of such participation with respect to Community claims on HIPCs. It is now on the verge of adopting the legal basis for it. A formal proposal for a Council decision was transmitted by the Commission to the Council, which, when adopted, will allow for an actual prepayment of some Community claims on HIPCs.

It is to be noted that the Community decided to participate both as a creditor and as a donor in addressing the debt problems of poor indebted countries. It decided to reallocate the breakdown of the structural adjustment facility (SAF) allocation and to increase by 10 to 15 % the amount devoted to countries qualifying for the HIPC initiative. By doing so, the Commission created a link between HIPC qualification and enhanced support to social programmes implemented in the recipient countries (counterpart funds created by Community's structural adjustment programmes are generally devoted to social sector spending).

The HIPC initiative and the above-mentioned SAF reallocation are clearly in the spirit of the Jubilee 2000 campaign. It may be less far-reaching, but is also realistic, being based on an agreement by governments and multilateral creditors to take action in a concerted way to help countries making serious development efforts.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1452/98

by José Barros Moura (PSE) to the Commission

(7 May 1998)

Subject: Community funding of hydraulic projects in Spain

1. Can the Commission supply a comparative table concerning ERDF spending up to the end of 1997 under the CSF for Spain on measure 6.1 (hydrological plan) as contrasted with expenditure on major hydraulic projects in Portugal?

2. Can the Commission also draw up a comparative table of the conditions attached by the ERDF to these payments in the case of each of the two Member States?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1447/98 and P-1452/98 given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(20 May 1998)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible.