WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1383/98 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Training in specialized medicine
Date: 1998-05-07
Institutions: European Parliament, MUSCARDINI
Subjects: Italy, freedom to provide services, medical specialisation, medical training, physician, recognition of diplomas, right of establishment, vocational training

C 402/122

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.12.98

practices that the Commission considers that banks should apply in order to facilitate the smooth introduction of
the euro. Regarding payments and conversion of accounts the Commission recommends the conversion without
charges of incoming and outgoing payments during the transitional period, and accounts into euro unit during the
transitional period and at the end of it.

The current situation indicates that a large majority of banks will follow these recommended practices even in the
absence of legislative measures. The Commission is not aware of any intention of the Italian ministry of treasury
to impose charges on compulsory conversions. The Commission intends to monitor the implementation by the
banks of the recommended standard of good practice and for that purpose it has requested the banking
associations to report to the Commission by 1 November 1998 on the implementation by their members.

Concerning the redenomination of public debt, the Commission recommended the use of a bottom up technique
with redenomination taking place at the level of the individual bond or at the level of individual holdings.
Redenominating at the level of individual holdings will generate less rounding. Thus discrepancies between the
total issue and the sum of individual converted holdings will be smaller than between the total issue and the sum
of individual converted bonds. The decision on the redenomination technique is up to the Member States which
decide taking into account all aspects of the redenomination process, including the functioning of the settlement
and trading systems, with the aim to realise the redenomination in the most efficient manner.

Italy has decided to redenominate following the technique recommended by the Commission starting at the level
of individual bonds. It has to be pointed out that the redenomination technique envisaged by the Italian authorities
which is based on conversion of the minimum lots and on a redenominated unit par value of one cent, does not
necessarily affect the bondholders negatively. Indeed the result for the investor can be positive or negative
depending on the conversion rate and on the amount of the minimum lot. Moreover even in case of rounding
downwards the effect will be very limited for the bondholder as it would account as a maximum for half a cent per
lot.

(98/C 402/161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1383/98

by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission

(7 May 1998)

Subject: Training in specialized medicine

The Italian laws governing training in specialized medicine (DL 257/91) define a doctor training to be a specialist
as a student rather than a worker. Consequently, these doctors are unable to benefit from the provisions of Article
24 of Directive 93/16/EEC of 5 April 1993 (1) to facilitate the free movement of doctors and the mutual
recognition of their diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal qualifications, which stipulates that the
training must entail (cid:145)the personal participation of the doctor training to be a specialist in the activity and in the
responsibilities of the establishments concerned(cid:146).

1. What is the Commission(cid:146)s opinion of the fact that:

(a) these doctors are actually employed to replace permanent staff at university health centres and approved
hospitals, in many cases providing independent specialized services (despite the fact that they have not
yet obtained their specialist(cid:146)s qualification) and in other cases simply carrying out nursing duties, in
accordance with the needs of the establishment to which they have been assigned by their school?

(b) no certificate is awarded for the training curriculum followed by doctors training to be specialists,

placing them at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in other Member States?

2. After making the necessary checks, what measures will the Commission take to correct these anomalies,

which penalize Italian medical specialists?

(1) OJ L 165, 7.7.1993, p. 1.