WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3637/98 by Richard CORBETT to the Commission. Number of Commission officials
Date: 1998-12-03
Institutions: CORBETT, European Parliament
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, European Commission, European official, administrative expenditure (EU), administrative structures, civil servant, size of business

21.7.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 207/97

Commission with an important tool in its work to ensure that health requirements are integrated into other
Community policies as foreseen by the Treaties.

In the framework of the common agricultural policy (CAP) and based on Council Regulation (EEC) 1970/80 of
22 July 1980 laying down general implementing rules for campaigns aimed at promoting the consumption of
olive oil in the Community (2), the Community has carried out promotional programmes since the early
1980s. The aim is to increase the consumption of products in surplus and thereby contribute to the
stabilisation of the markets. The seventh campaign to promote the consumption of olive oil in the Community
will be launched in spring 1999 and will cover all the Member States with a total budget of approximately
15 millions euro a year for three consecutive years for the dissemination of scientific knowledge on nutritional
aspects of olive oil, and measures like advertising, public relations and promotion. All information to the
public is based on objective and correct scientific information on the nutritional aspects of olive oil. All
communication material is checked by a research institute which specialises in the health related aspects of
nutrition. Olive oil will be promoted in the context of the ‘Mediterranean diet’, which has been proved to have
positive effects on health.

(1) Decision No 645/96/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 29 March 1996 7 OJ L 95, 16.4.1996.
(2) OJ L 192, 26.7.1980 and OJ L 288, 31.10.1980.

(1999/C 207/131)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3637/98

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(3 December 1998)

Subject: Number of Commission officials

Could the Commission please indicate the number of Commission officials there are for every million EU
citizens and an estimate of the number of national civil servants working for the government of each Member
State per million inhabitants of that state?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(13 January 1999)

The total population of the Union is roughly 370 million. If this figure is compared with the number of
officials in the Commission’s establishment plan, i.e. 19 830 (16 666 on the operating budget and 3 164 on
the research budget), a ratio of 53,6 officials to one million inhabitants is obtained.

As far as the ratio for the Member States themselves is concerned, the Commission does not have comparable
statistical data on numbers of civil servants and is therefore unable to answer the second part of the question
put by the Honourable Member.

(1999/C 207/132)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3644/98

by Roberta Angelilli (NI) to the Commission

(3 December 1998)

Subject: Assistance for disabled children in Rome

Rome city council recently took a decision to delegate the provision of assistance for disabled children to social
cooperatives. It has been revealed by the press that the majority of these cooperatives appear not to apply the
terms of the National Employment Contract specific to this area, underpay staff, and even employ staff on an
unofficial basis. Furthermore, because of their ‘social’ nature they are not well suited, according to the unions,
to programmed and coordinated work with schools, working groups on disability, in accordance with the
provisions of the national laws on disabled students’ right to study.