WRITTEN QUESTION P-0200/00 by Reinhard Rack (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Posts at the European Commission reserved for Austrian nationals ‐ Grade A2 (to be specified as such).
Date: 2000-01-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Austria, European Commission, administrative expenditure (EU), appointment of staff

28.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/33

(2000/C 374 E/039)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0199/00

by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission

(31 January 2000)

Subject: Unfair competition in prices on Danish export markets due to EU subsidy for feta cheese products

Is the Commission aware that its subsidy policy towards feta cheese is giving an unfair price advantage to
producers of ultra-filtrated feta at
thereby seriously
distorting competition? Does it not accept that the subsidy rate for (cid:145)Combi White(cid:146) which corresponds to
the quantity of skim milk used should be reconsidered, a development which would also reward innovative
companies? Finally, will the Commissions state what has become of the proposal put forward about three
years ago aimed at introducing minimum prices as a condition for obtaining restitution, a requirement
which would ensure that the subsidy would not distort competition?

the expense of equal and competing products,

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 March 2000)

Export refunds are fixed at the same amount for Feta cheese made from cow(cid:146)s milk irrespectively of the
production process used.

Refunds are fixed for each cheese according to the fat and the moisture content and the Commission takes
into account the market situation for each individual product and the respect of the ceilings fixed by the
World trade organisation (WTO) agreement.

The Commission is not acquainted with a product called (cid:145)Combi White(cid:146). Some information indicates that it
would be a brand name of a product made with vegetable fat and protein. Such a product is not a dairy
product and is to be treated, for export refunds purposes, as a product outside Annex I competing with
cow(cid:146)s milk Feta. The amount of the refunds for the non Annex I products are calculated on basis of the
recipe for each product. The export refunds for the dairy products, when used as components of non
Annex I products, skimmed milk powder and butter, are currently 4,5 % lower than for the same dairy
products exported in natural state. This difference is necessary at the moment for budgetary reasons.

There is a minimum free-at-frontier price, € 230/100 kg, to be respected for cheeses falling under
combined nomenclature (CN) code 0406 in order to benefit from a refund. This minimum price was set
at this level in 1996 to limit the export of cheeses from the Community applying the WTO restrictions on
export of cheeses with subsidies.

Within the framework of traditional trade practices Feta made from cow(cid:146)s milk, falling under CN-code
heading 0406 9033 9919, is currently exempted from the requirement to meet the minimum price.

(2000/C 374 E/040)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0200/00

by Reinhard Rack (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 January 2000)

Subject: Posts at the European Commission reserved for Austrian nationals (cid:129) Grade A2 (to be specified as

such)

Late in 1999, the European Commission organised a competition with a view to the filling of three posts
of director reserved for Austrian nationals. At the end of the subsequent selection procedure, only one of
the three posts was actually filled. In the procedure for the filling of the post of director in the Directorate
for Citizenship and Youth in the Directorate-General for Education and Culture, the Advisory Committee
on Appointments put forward to the appointing authority the names of two candidates who duly fulfilled
all the requirements for the relevant posts. Nevertheless, the Commission subsequently decided not to take
the procedure for the filling of the post any further. In the third selection procedure, the Advisory
Committee on Appointments failed to come up with any proposal whatsoever.

C 374 E/34

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.12.2000

Why did the Commission decide not to take any further the procedure for the filling of the post of
director in the Directorate for Citizenship and Youth, even though the names of two duly qualified
candidates were put forward?

What was the cost to the European taxpayer (cid:129) in terms of material costs, competition costs, allowances
and the like and infrastructure costs (cid:129) of the selection procedure, which was abandoned half way through
in the circumstances described above?

Why did the selection procedure for the filling of the post of director in the Directorate for Audit and
Control not result in any proposals for appointment being made? What was the cost of the procedure?

Are the two unfilled posts of director still reserved for Austrian nationals? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2000)

The Commission notes the concern expressed by the Honourable Member regarding the fact that two
posts of Director (in the Directorate general for Education and culture and the Directorate General for
Financial Control) were not filled by Austrian nationals.

The Commission would confirm that, under the exceptional arrangements introduced in accordance with
the Council decision reserving posts for the three new Member States (Austria, Finland and Sweden), the
posts in question had been intended for Austrian nationals. The procedure for filling these posts was
carried out transparently, and in compliance with the new provisions on appointments to posts in grades
A1 and A2, which the Commission approved in its decision of 18 September 1999.

In the case of the A2 post in the Directorate General for Education and Culture the procedure under which
all applications received following the publication of a vacancy notice are examined resulted in an opinion
issued by the Consultative Committee on Appointments for the attention of the Appointing Authority
which meant that two candidates were shortlisted. The Consultative Committee on Appointments short-
listed none of the candidates for the A2 post in the Directorate General for Financial Control having found
that none of the career profiles matched the qualifications stipulated in the vacancy notice.

The Commission would point out that, in its capacity as the Appointing Authority, it is responsible for the
final selection of candidates to fill vacant A1 and A2 posts. It confirms that, in the cases raised by the
Honourable Member, it was regrettably unable to find a satisfactory match between the candidates(cid:146) career
profiles and the qualifications required for the two posts of Director. The Commission accordingly decided
to relaunch the two selection procedures, which will be advertised again. The Commission can confirm
that these two posts will no longer be reserved for Austrian nationals, since the exceptional arrangements
relating to recruitment from the new Member States ended on 31 December 1999.

The Commission can inform the Honourable Member that the costs of organising these two selection
procedures were € 4 117. The interviewing of 10 candidates for the post of Director in the Directorate
General for Education and Culture cost € 2 482 (hire of a videoconferencing studio in Vienna for five
candidates, € 1 591, and travel expenses for interviewing five candidates in Brussels € 891) while the
interviewing of six candidates in Brussels for the post of Director in the Directorate General for Financial
Control cost € 1 635 in travel expenses.

(2000/C 374 E/041)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0204/00

by Freddy Blak (PSE) to the Commission

(4 February 2000)

Subject: Travelling with guide dogs

Travelling with their guide dogs is a problem for the blind as every European country has a different set of
rules for the veterinary checks and vaccinations required.