WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2871/97 by Kenneth COATES to the Commission. Freedom of movement
Date: 1997-09-11
Institutions: COATES, European Parliament
Subjects: European Social Fund, freedom of movement, gender equality, geographical mobility, integration into employment, job access, job mobility, long-term unemployment, reintegration into working life, vocational training

3. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 102/141

(98/C 102/211)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2871/97

by Kenneth Coates (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 September 1997)

Subject: Freedom of movement

What progress has been registered with respect to the European Social Fund(cid:146)s aim (cid:145)to render the employment of
workers  easier  and  to  increase  their  geographical  and  occupational  mobility  within  the  Community ...(cid:146),
especially  with  respect  to  long-term  unemployed  people,  and  facilitating  the  integration  into  working  life  of
young people and of persons exposed to exclusion from the labour market?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(15 October 1997)

The broad aims of the European social fund (ESF) set out in Article 123 of the EC Treaty and quoted by the
Honourable Member have been defined by the Council in Regulation (EEC) No 2084/93 amending Regulation
(EEC) No 4255/88 ((cid:145)the ESF Regulation(cid:146)) (1). This Regulation sets out in Article 1 the operations which the ESF
(cid:145)shall  support(cid:146),  including  as  regards  objective  3,  facilitating  the  occupational  integration  of  the  long-term
unemployed  and  of  young  people,  promoting  the  integration  of  those  exposed  to  exclusion  from  the  labour
market, promoting equal opportunities for men and women on the labour market, and as regards objective 4
facilitating the adaptation of workers, especially those threatened with unemployment, to industrial change and
to changes in production systems.

Progress in achieving the above aims is recorded annually in the reports on the structural funds, of which the
7th annual report on the structural funds in 1995 (2) was published in September 1996. Further details about the
operations of the ESF, and as to the integration of its operations with the generality of structural fund operations,
may be found in the first report on Economic and social cohesion (3).

(1)  OJ L 193, 31.7.1993.
(2)  COM(96) 502 final.
(3)  COM(96) 542.

(98/C 102/212)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2872/97

by Kenneth Coates (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 September 1997)

Subject: Freedom of movement

According  to  Commissioner  Flynn(cid:146)s  reply  to  Written  Questions  E-0062/97  and  E-0063/97 (1),  the  number  of
persons  authorized  to  export  their  unemployment  benefit  from  the  United  Kingdom  whilst  seeking  work  in
another Member State, was falling by 44 per cent between 1993 and 1995. But the number of cases of people
exporting benefits to the United Kingdom increased by 43 per cent between 1992 and 1993.

Has the Commission been able to explain these divergent trends? Has more recent data given grounds to revise
them? Does the Commission have further data on the export of benefits?

(1)  OJ C 186, 18.6.1997, p. 218.

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(3 October 1997)

Further to its reply to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s written questions E-62/97 and E-63/97, the Commission would
inform  the  Honourable  Member  that  Member  States  have  not  supplied  any  more  information  under
Recommendation No 17 of the Administrative commission on social security for migrant workers, on the export
of unemployment benefits, nor did they supply any explanation of the trends to which he refers.

The Commission will again ask the Member States to supply the information in line with this recommendation.