WRITTEN QUESTION No. 207/98 by Konstantinos HATZIDAKIS to the Commission. Discrimination against the Greek agricultural trade union confederation SY.DA.SE
Date: 1998-02-11
Institutions: European Parliament, HATZIDAKIS
Subjects: EU agriculture committee, EU financing, European Economic and Social Committee, Greece, agricultural cooperative, non-governmental organisation, professional association, trade union

C 304/52

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

2. 10. 98

(98/C 304/72)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0205/98

by Rainer Wieland (PPE) to the Commission

(11 February 1998)

Subject: Financing mother-tongue teaching abroad › mother-tongue teaching in the consular district of Stuttgart

(Germany)

In the consular district of Stuttgart (Germany) the Italian government intends to transfer the teaching of 9 600
Italian  children  from  the  Italian  Cultural  Institute  to  private  organizations  (Esslinger  Zeitung  of  4  December
1997;  letter  from  Mr  Virga  (Stuttgart)  to  the  Minister  of  Culture,  Youth  and  Sport  of  the  Land  of
Baden-Wu¤rttemberg).

What appropriations are used to fund the mother-tongue teaching of Union citizens living in other countries?

If  this  teaching  is  funded  by  Union  appropriations,  what  is  the  amount  involved  and  what  are  the  rules  for
granting and spending the funds?

If this teaching is only partially funded by Union money, is transferring the way the teaching is organized (and
the way in which it is performed) to a private body such as an association legally acceptable?

Is this transfer in line with the Commission(cid:146)s political thinking?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission

(24 March 1998)

The Commission acknowledges the concern expressed by the Honourable Member about the teaching of Italian
in the region of Stuttgart, but it has no competence to question the legitimacy of this decision.

According  to  Article  126  of  the  EC  Treaty,  Member  States  have  exclusive  responsibility  for  the  content  of
teaching and the organisation of educational systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity.

Moreover,  Council  Directive  77/486/CEE  of  25 July  1977  on  the  education  of  the  children  of  migrant
workers (1), envisages, in Article 3, that Member States shall, in accordance with their national circumstances
and  legal  systems,  and  in  cooperation  with  States  of  origin,  take  appropriate  measures  to  promote,  in
coordination with normal education, teaching of mother tongue and culture.

(1)  OJ L 199, 6.8.1977.

(98/C 304/73)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0207/98

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE) to the Commission

(11 February 1998)

Subject: Discrimination against the Greek agricultural trade union confederation SY.DA.SE

Is  the  Commissioner  responsible  for  agricultural  policy  aware  that  the  Greek  agricultural  trade  union
confederation,  the  (cid:145)Confederation  of  Democratic  Agricultural  Cooperatives  of  Greece(cid:146)  (SY.DA.SE),  which,
according  to  reliable  sources,  represents  some  40%  of  Greek  farmers  is  not  represented  in  the  COPA,  even
though  other  Greek  farmers(cid:146)  confederations,  such  as  PASEGES  and  the  GESASE,  are?  I  am  sure  that  the
Commissioner  will  agree  that  this  situation  is  contrary  to  the  principles  of  democracy,  pluralism  and
representation which constitute fundamental principles of the European Union.