WRITTEN QUESTION E-0922/00 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Promotion of the euro to children.
Date: 2000-03-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, United Kingdom, euro, promotion of the European idea, public awareness campaign, youth policy

C 374 E/186

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.12.2000

Number of autonomous Commission instruments in force
as at 31 December of the year concerned (1)

Regulations

Directives

Decisions

3 924

3 874

3 631

3 370

3 411

3 519

3 556

3 471

3 287

3 053

485

440

409

408

371

343

322

283

263

257

5 067

4 670

4 290

3 848

3 474

3 281

3 085

2 914

2 788

2 563

Year

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

Source: General Report (1997-1999); Celex base (1990-1996)
(1)

Except for the instruments not published in the Official Journal or published in light type (routine
management instruments valid for a limited period).

(2000/C 374 E/219)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0922/00

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 March 2000)

Subject: Promotion of the euro to children

1.
Could the Commission please state what funding has been given to the Organisation (cid:145)Informer et
Ensigner l(cid:146)Europe et la Democratie (Inform and Teach about Europe and Democracy)(cid:146) by the European
Commission and/or any other European Union organisations? In particular, what funds have been devoted
to the production and the dissemination of the educational video produced by this organisation as a result
of work in the Brussels school (cid:145)Nos Enfants(cid:146) and referred to in Inf€uro, Bulletin No 14?

Could the Commission please state how much EU funding has been devoted to projects aimed at
2.
promoting the euro in schools and/or to children (a) in the last 12 months and (b) over the last five years?
Could the Commission please state what organisations have received funding to promote the euro in
schools and/or to children?

3.
To the knowledge of the Commission, have any projects designed to promote the euro to UK
children been run in the last 12 months? If so, can the Commission please give details of all such projects
including the names of any schools which took part? Can the Commission give details of how much
money was provided for such projects by the Commission and/or any other EU institution?

4.
How can the Commission reconcile the funding of projects aimed at persuading children of the
merits of the euro with the fundamental principle that neither schools nor public authorities should engage
in the political indoctrination of children?

5. Will the Commission guarantee to cease all campaigning to promote the single currency in the UK,
since funding such campaigns constitutes an unwarranted political interference in the democratic process
in the UK, as it decides on whether or not to join the euro?

28.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/187

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(12 May 2000)

The non-profit-making organisation mentioned by the Honourable Member received, under the
1.
(cid:145)young people(cid:146) partnership programme, assistance of € 30 000 (10 % of
for the co-
production of the cassette (cid:145)The euro, it(cid:146)s child(cid:146)s play(cid:146). At the initiative of the Parliament and the Economic
and Social Committee, and in the presence of the President of the Parliament, the Chairman of the
Economic and Social Committee and a member of the Commission, a presentation to the press was
organised. This event was very well received, including by the Anglo-Saxon press.

the total cost)

Given the success of this video production and in order to meet the many requests from associations and
the educational world, in 1997 the Commission purchased 8 200 cassettes in various language versions for
a total amount of € 41 000. They are distributed upon request only. Several Member States of the euro
zone have incorporated this tool into the official teaching materials distributed in the educational networks
to prepare teachers and pupils for the introduction of the euro into the everyday life of each citizen.

In order to allow the Honourable Member to appreciate herself the purely educational nature of this video,
a copy is being sent to her directly and to the Secretariat-General of the Parliament.

2.
Under the Prince programme, a budget heading created at the initiative of the Parliament in order to
finance information and communication measures on the euro, the Commission developed a programme
of partnership with civil society, organised on the basis of a call for proposals. This is the context in which
transnational projects targeted at school and youth circles have been selected.

For 1999, seven information projects about the euro for young people were selected for a total amount of
€ 519 166. Over the past five years, the Commission has counted eleven different projects for an amount
of € 767 275. The beneficiaries of this assistance are all non-profit-making associations, the list of which is
being sent to the Honourable Member and to the Secretariat-General of the Parliament.

No direct measures among children have been conducted in the United Kingdom over the past

3.
twelve months.

4.
The authorities of the Member States that belong to the euro zone decide on the priority target
groups within the framework of the bilateral agreements signed with the Commission and the Parliament.
The educational world and young people are among the priority target groups. This objective is clearly
stated in the communication concerning the communication strategy to be adopted in the final stages of
the introduction of economic and monetary union, which was approved by the Commission in
early February 2000 (1). The draft report on the euro communication strategy, which is currently being
drafted and whose rapporteur is the Honourable Member Mr Karas, also contains a very strong focus in
this area, stating that young people, and especially school pupils, form a very precious target group
because many of them are open about the euro and are therefore a well-defined target group.

To date, the Commission has signed no bilateral agreements on the euro with the United Kingdom. It

5.
is nevertheless willing to respond to any request for information that it may receive.

(1) COM(2000) 57 final.

(2000/C 374 E/220)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0928/00

by Malcolm Harbour (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 March 2000)

Subject: Publication of business accounts

In the United Kingdom a private limited company is required by law each year to publish its accounts and
file them so that they are readily available to anyone who wishes to see them. As a result, its competitors
are able to gain valuable commercial information on which to plan their marketing strategy.