WRITTEN QUESTION E-1508/00 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. Establishment of Limited Companies in Austria.
Date: 2000-05-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Austria, infringement of EU law, public limited company, right of establishment

C 46 E/198

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.2.2001

(2001/C 46 E/235)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1493/00

by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission

(11 May 2000)

Subject: Use of ESF for vocational retraining courses in Italy

On 25 May 1999 a trade-union agreement was signed between the Regional Transport Division of the
Italian Railways and the National federal trade union secretariats on courses for retraining, technological
innovation, company reorganisation and occupational reskilling, co-financed by the European Social Fund
and the Ministry of Labour. The programmes under way involve approximately 2 165 employees from all
the FGCGs (railway companies for which government trustees have been appointed), at different stages of
training. For the purposes of co-funding from the ESF, in selecting the staff that would attend the courses,
priority had to be given to the requirements of innovation, reorganisation and vocational retraining and
participation had to reflect the various levels of workers in the firms concerned. However, the government
trustee for the Circumvesuviana line in the Campania region has applied for and obtained funding
exclusively for advanced level courses (management, coordinators, project analysts, supervisory and
managerial staff, etc.) neglecting retraining courses for those at a lower level. Participants in the courses
have been chosen directly by the company(cid:146)s management. Eight courses have taken place so far and it is
not clear on the basis of what criteria the company applied for funding for the courses concerned.

The Commission:

1. Will it therefore check whether this is the actual position?

2. Will it ascertain whether the criteria applied for selecting participants in the courses are in breach of

the rules governing the use of ESF funds?

3.

If appropriate, will it establish where responsibility lies for any mismanagement of ESF funds?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2000)

Judging from what the Honourable Member reports, the Commission considers that there have been no
irregularities or infringements of Community law. The party who wants to develop certain job skills in a
productive sector is the only one responsible for such a choice.

The matter must ultimately be addressed in the context of regional vocational training policy, which lays
down criteria for access to Community co-funding.

The Commission has no role to play in this decision-making process, because these areas do not come
within the Commission(cid:146)s remit in managing the structural funds.

That said, the choice of the job categories to be trained seems to be unclear, judging from the information
provided by the Honourable Member.

Hence the Commission will request information from the Campania regional authorities.

(2001/C 46 E/236)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1508/00

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(12 May 2000)

Subject: Establishment of Limited Companies in Austria

Does not the Commission believe that the financial and bureaucratic rules governing the establishment of
limited companies discriminate against non-Austrians trying to do business in Austria? Will the Com-
mission make representations to the Austrian Government seeking the abolition of these barriers to free
trade?

13.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 46 E/199

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(8 June 2000)

The Commission is not currently aware of
the precise financial and bureaucratic rules in Austria,
mentioned by the Honourable Member, which it is claimed discriminate against non-Austrians trying to
do business in Austria.

Consequently, for the time being, there are no grounds for making representations to the Austrian
Government.

However,
Commission will re-examine the issue.

if the Honourable Member is in a position to provide further details of his concerns, the

(2001/C 46 E/237)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1517/00

by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Commission

(12 May 2000)

Subject: Infringements of human rights in Vietnam

On 6 April the Vietnamese Committee on Human Rights informed the Commission of Human rights in
Geneva of the measures destructive of human freedoms which had been taken by the Vietnamese
Government, for example the prohibition on religious publications, the confiscation and destruction of a
book entitled (cid:145)Story of the Year 2000(cid:146) by the writer Bui Ngoc Tan describing the detention conditions and
the re-education policy in Viet Nam, the passing of a law relating to the press aiming to strengthen State
control over some 500 official publications and enabling any person (cid:145)to bring proceedings against
newspapers and journalists and have them ordered to pay compensation for the publication of information
which might affect them adversely, even if such information is true(cid:146). In addition, the Patriarch of the EBUV
(Unified Buddhist Church of Viet Nam), Mr Thich Huyen Quang, has been detained without trial for the
last 18 years. Finally, the number of death sentences is on the increase, 194 having been passed in 1999
alone (113 executions in 1996, 150 in 1997 and 170 in 1998). Is the Commission aware of this serious
deterioration in the human rights situation in Viet Nam? If so, what measures has it taken or does it intend
to take to persuade the Vietnamese authorities to guarantee freedom of opinion and expression in Viet
Nam, to release Mr Thich Huyen Quang, to suspend capital punishment and,
in general, to begin a
genuine democratisation process in Viet Nam?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(9 June 2000)

The Delegation of the Commission in Hanoi, together with the diplomatic missions of the Member States,
follows closely matters of concern in the field of human rights and participates fully in all actions to
convey the Union concerns to the Vietnamese authorities.

The Commission is aware of the restrictions on publications in Vietnam, although it has not yet been
possible to confirm the report on the confiscation and destruction of the book (cid:145)RØcit de l(cid:146)An 2000(cid:146). Nor
has it been possible to obtain independently verified figures for executions in the year 1999. The
maintenance of the Patriarch of the Buddhist Unified Church, Mr Thich Huyen Quang, under (cid:145)house
arrest(cid:146)
is, of course, known to the Commission. It is not all clear, however, that these developments
amount to a severe deterioration in the human rights situation in Vietnam.

Observations over the past two years have, in fact, shown some signs of progress. Relations with the
Catholic church have improved somewhat. The number of verified political prisoners has been significantly
reduced. The Commission will nevertheless continue to monitor developments closely,
including the
specific issues raised in this question, and will take such action as may be agreed with the Member States
to bring these concerns to the attention of the Vietnamese authorities.