WRITTEN QUESTION E-2179/00 by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Employment.
Date: 2000-07-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: action programme, competitiveness, digital technology, information society, information technology, job creation, organisation of work, professional qualifications, vocational training

C 81 E/166

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

The Commission works currently, under the mandate of the Council, and in co-operation with experts
chosen by the Member States, for the development of European tourism in the areas of information,
training, quality of tourist products and promotion of the environmental protection and sustainability in
tourism. To this end four working parties have been set up that will issue for the end of 2001 a final
report with conclusions and recommendations, on the basis of which the Commission will analyse its
policy relating to tourism for the coming years.

In order to provide guidelines to European tourist companies and destinations on how to implement an
integrated quality management strategy in coastal, urban and rural destinations, the Commission has
carried out three studies. These select the best practices and draw conclusions and recommendations with
a view to implementing the integrated quality strategy.

(2001/C 81 E/212)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2179/00

by Jaime Valdivielso de CuØ (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 July 2000)

Subject: Employment

The consulting companies Datamonitor and Microsoft have recently published a study in which it is stated
that, over the next three years, Europe will lose business worth 380 000 million euros owing to its lack of
people trained in information technologies.

What specific action is the Commission preparing to take in order to meet the demand for workers in this
field, taking into account the size of the unemployment problem in Europe?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(18 September 2000)

The Commission is aware of the problem that the (cid:145)skills gap(cid:146) poses to the European economy. Whilst the
primary responsibility to meet the demand for workers in this field lies with the Member States and the
social partners, the Commission plays a co-ordinating role within the European employment process. The
Commission also co-ordinates the work of the high level group on the employment and social dimension
of the information society (ESDIS), composed of Member State representatives.

The Commission communication (cid:145)Strategies for jobs in the information society(cid:146) (1), prepared in co-
operation with ESDIS and presented to the European Council
in Lisbon, acknowledges the lack of
information society specialists and defines a series of recommendations addressed to Member States, social
partners and information society industries so as to deliver the skills needed in industry.

Under the draft Commission action plan (cid:145)e Europe 2002 (cid:129) an information society for all(cid:146) (2) endorsed by
the European Council in Feira, a special chapter on (cid:145)Working in the knowledge-based economy(cid:146) based on
the Commission(cid:146)s communication (1) defines the three main challenges faced by the Community: to meet
the demand for information technology professionals through education and training; to raise employment
rates; and to modernise work organisation.

The draft action plan defined six action lines with deadlines from end 2000 to end 2002 for which
progress will be evaluated by members of ESDIS in co-operation with the Commission: to give the labour
force the chance to become digitally literate through life-long learning; to increase information technology
training places using European social funds where appropriate; to establish a European diploma for basic
information technology skills; to support greater flexibility in the workplace, e.g. teleworking and part-time
working; to promote a network of learning and training centres for information and communications

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technology training and retraining of postgraduates; and to set up public Internet access points in public
spaces and establish multimedia tele-centres in all communities using the structural funds where appro-
priate.

Regarding the Lisbon agenda, the European Council called upon the Community and the Member States to
prepare the transition to a (cid:145)competitive, dynamic and knowledge-based economy(cid:146), and to put the issue of
information and communication technologies (ICT) skills and digital literacy at the top of the European
agenda. Two issues should be highlighted in this context. The Lisbon conclusions draw attention to the
need to improve employability and to reduce skills gaps and suggest that this should be achieved in
particular by providing employment services with a Europe-wide data base on jobs and learning
opportunities and by promoting special programmes to enable unemployed people to fill skills gaps.
They also suggest giving higher priority to lifelong learning by encouraging agreements between the social
partners and by enhancing the complementarity between lifelong learning and adaptability (working time
flexibility etc.). In addition, a substantial annual increase in per capita investment in human resources is
needed.

(1) COM(2000) 48 final.
(2) COM(2000) 330 final.

(2001/C 81 E/213)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2180/00

by Jaime Valdivielso de CuØ (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 July 2000)

Subject: Shipbuilding

On 18 May 2000 the Commissioner responsible for competition, Mario Monti, stated once again that
shipbuilding aid will not extend beyond the year 2000.

In view of the unfair competition which is being practised by countries such as Korea (a fact which has
been mentioned in each and every one of the reports drawn up by the Commission on the subject of
shipbuilding and, in particular, its report of 14 April 2000), what action is to be taken in order to increase
the production and the competitiveness of the EU(cid:146)s shipyards?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(13 September 2000)

that remarks of

The Commission would point out
the Commission in charge of
competition about aid at the Industry Council on 18 May 2000 related only to operating aid for
Community shipyards. In accordance with Council Regulation 1540/98 establishing new rules on state
aids for shipbuilding (1), this sort of aid will be abolished at the end of the year 2000. However the
Regulation also provides for a range of other aids that may be granted to shipbuilding subject to certain
conditions up until 2003, including closure and restructuring aids, aids for research and development, aids
for innovation, and regional investment aids for upgrading or modernising existing yards.

the member of

The Commission fully shares the concerns about
the unfair competition from Korea. The Council
welcomed the recent bilateral agreement with Korea as a first step towards restoring fair and competitive
conditions and considered that this and, if necessary, other appropriate bilateral and trade actions and
measures should be vigorously pursued to this end. The Commission has already initiated the consultation
procedures under the agreement and will report to the Council on the results by the end of September.