WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1808/98 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Reform of general education syllabuses and commissioning of new school textbooks in Greece
Date: 1998-06-11
Institutions: ALAVANOS, European Parliament
Subjects: Greece, copyright, school textbook, teaching curriculum

C 50/96

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.2.1999

(1999/C 50/138)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1808/98

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 June 1998)

Subject: Reform of general education syllabuses and commissioning of new school textbooks in Greece

Measure 1.1.a (cid:145)Syllabuses › Textbooks(cid:146) of subprogramme 1 (cid:145)General and Technical Education(cid:146) of the
programme (cid:145)Education and Basic Vocational Training(cid:146) provides for specific procedures for drawing up
syllabuses, for which the Coordinating Team and the Subject Committees are responsible, and for writing
textbooks. Furthermore, the technical description of the measure specifies that the new books to be chosen and
funded under the Second Community Support Framework must be in keeping with the syllabuses produced under
the procedures laid down for the project.

Does the Commission know whether the new books proposed for funding are in keeping with the syllabuses
drawn up by the Coordinating Team? Will the writing of the textbooks which will ultimately be selected for
funding be commissioned directly or by competition? What method of commissioning has the Greek Ministry of
Education chosen?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(3 August 1998)

The Commission considers that the new textbooks, written in the framework of measure 1.1 (cid:145)Syllabuses and
Textbooks(cid:146) of the operational programme (cid:145)Education and initial training(cid:146) of the Greek community support
framework should be in keeping with the syllabuses developed by the co-ordinating team. Nevertheless, the
Commission does not have any more specific information on this matter.

According to the technical description of the measure, the writing of new textbooks selected for funding should
be commissioned by open competition. Only in two specific cases can the writing of textbooks be commissioned
directly, namely for textbooks for which copyright still exists, their updating and adaptation would be
commissioned from their original authors; and for some textbooks for the Integrated Lyceum, which should
be written urgently in order to be used already for the school year 1998-1999.

(1999/C 50/139)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1817/98

by Hilde Hawlicek (PSE) to the Commission

(29 May 1998)

Subject: Participation of central and eastern European countries in the 1999 pilot project for cultural action

The Kaleidoscope programme will expire this year. Next year, 1999, the Raphael programme is also due to
expire. A common cultural framework programme for 2000 and the following years is currently being drawn up.

1999 will be a transitional year for cultural action, when some elements of the new framework programme will be
contained in a pilot project, since Community legislation precludes any ordinary extension of the Kaleidoscope
programme.

Bearing in mind that a conference is to be held in Graz, Austria, from 2 to 4 July on the topic (cid:145)Management of
change › cultural aspects of European integration and EU enlargement(cid:146) and that I also drew attention to the
importance of culture for the countries of central and eastern Europe in my opinion for Parliament(cid:146)s report on
Agenda 2000, will the countries of central and eastern Europe be able to participate in the 1999 pilot project for
cultural action? If so, which countries will be able to participate in the pilot project and on what terms?