WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3254/98 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Recruitment to the European Environment Agency (EEA)
Date: 1998-10-28
Institutions: European Parliament, KAKLAMANIS
Subjects: Community body, EU national, European Environment Agency, administrative autonomy, nationality, personnel administration, recruitment

C 135/182

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.5.1999

(1999/C 135/229)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3254/98

by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission

(28 October 1998)

Subject: Recruitment to the European Environment Agency (EEA)

The European press has on several occasions scrutinised the manner in which the Commission approaches
matters relating to recruitment to the Commission itself and to the decentralised agencies under its
supervision. It is an extremely serious issue which affects the public image of the entire EU and does not
lend itself to ‘tongue-in-cheek’ remarks as Commissioner Bjerregaard, who is normally quite a
responsible person, suggested in her answer to my written question E-2566/98 (1). Furthermore,
particularly after the recent ludicrous events involving the annulment of competitions to recruit officials
and the allegations of lack of transparency in recruitment procedures, one might expect a more serious
approach to the whole matter from the Commission and the Commissioners.

Apart from the apparently rather ineffective ‘advice’ which the Commission gives the EEA on its
recruitment procedures, what practical measures does the Commission propose to take to eliminate the
imbalance in the spread of nationalities among its officials and does it intend to ask the Executive Director
of the EEA for full and detailed information whenever staff are to be recruited in order to avoid the
exclusion of candidates from countries which are under-represented among the staff of the above-
mentioned bodies?

(1) See page 73.

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(25 November 1998)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to his Written Questions E-1007/98 (1)
and E-28/98 (2)and to its answer to Written Question E-3236/97 by Mr Papayannakis (3). These explain
that the Agency is an independent body under Council Regulation (EEC) 1210/90 of 7 May 1990 on the
establishment of the European environment agency and the European environment information and
observation network (4), and that the Commission has no competence in terms of personnel matters or
recruitment to the Agency.

The Commission confirms that it will remind the executive director of the Honourable Member’s concerns
and will request a report from the management board of the Agency, with particular reference to how the
proposed recruitment procedures will operate in 1999.

(1) OJ C 402, 22.12.1998, p. 56.
(2) OJ C 304, 2.10.1998, p. 19.
(3) OJ C 158, 25.5.1998.
(4) OJ L 120, 11.5.1990.

(1999/C 135/230)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3278/98

by Eva Kjer Hansen (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 October 1998)

Subject: Application of Article 171(2)

To date, in how many and which cases has the Commission made use of Article 171(2)?

How many fines has the Commission imposed, and how much money has it collected?