WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3909/98 by Pedro APARICIO SÁNCHEZ to the Commission. Can an EU Member State apply two different directives to the same profession?
Date: 1999-01-04
Institutions: APARICIO SANCHEZ, European Parliament
Subjects: EU Member State, application of EU law, approximation of laws, higher education, professional qualifications, recognition of diplomas, right of establishment, vocational training

C 297/112

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

15.10.1999

(1999/C 297/152)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3888/98

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Funding for NGOs

How is the Commission addressing the delays that NGOs are experiencing when seeking co-financing from
Item B7-6000?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3887/98 and E-3888/98
given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 1999)

1.
Applications for funding under budget line B7-6000 are appraised and prioritised according to Council
Regulation (EC) 1658/98 of 17 July 1998 on co-financing operations with European non-governmental
development organisations (NGOs) in fields of interest to the developing countries (1), as well as the general
conditions for co-financing with NGOs. Projects are chosen on the basis of their viability, their impact on the
poorest, and their compatibility with Community development objectives.

Some NGOs experienced delays in 1998 in obtaining decisions on their funding requests. This was due
2.
primarily to the decision of the Commission to suspend the execution of the budget line following the
judgment of the Court of justice on the absence of a legal basis and before the interinstitutional agreement
in July 1998.

The Commission is now giving priority to the examination of proposals to allow the current backlog to be
eliminated in the first months of 1999.

(1) OJ L 213, 30.7.1998.

(1999/C 297/153)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3909/98

by Pedro Aparicio Sánchez (PSE) to the Commission

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Can an EU Member State apply two different directives to the same profession?

With regard to the profession of dietician, some countries apply Directive 89/48/EEC (1) and others Directive
92/51/EEC (2), depending on whether training is given by a university (with a duration of three or more years)
in the first case, or in the form of further vocational training (post-secondary) in the second case. In France,
meanwhile, the profession of dietician is classed at both levels (university and vocational training), while
French academic, professional and employment legislation puts the two levels on an equal footing, and
Directive 92/51/EEC is applied exclusively,

Bearing in mind that in Spain the current ‘Técnicos Superiores en Dietética’ (vocational training, level 3) are
covered by Directive 92/51/EEC and that the Spanish Government is nevertheless seeking to introduce a new
university qualification in dietetics (level 2) which is to be covered by Directive 89/48/EEC in view of the
content and duration of the courses involved, can an EU Member State apply two different directives to the
same profession?

(1) OJ L 19, 24.1.1989, p. 16.
(2) OJ L 209, 24.7.1992, p. 25.

Answer by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(12 February 1999)

The training of those exercising a profession in a Member State is in the first place the responsibility of the
Member State in question. There is a connection between training and the right to exercise a profession which
varies and differs according to the profession and the Member State. This situation means that there are