WRITTEN QUESTION E-2499/00 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Discrimination in language studies on grounds of age.
Date: 2000-08-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Andalusia, European social policy, access to education, age discrimination, competence of the Member States, educational institution, language teaching

20.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 89 E/201

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(28 September 2000)

The Commission is aware of the marketing in some Member States of new products which in principle fall
outside the scope of many national legislations implementing Directive 94/47/EC of the Parliament and the
Council of 26 October 1994 on the protection of purchasers in respect of certain aspects of contracts
relating to the purchase of the right to use immovable properties on a timeshare basis (1).

The Commission mentioned them in the report of 4 November 1999 on the application of Directive 94/
47/EC (2). This report provides a comparative picture of the various approaches adopted by Member States
in implementing Directive 94/47/EC and identifies the problems (such as described by the Honourable
Member) still faced by private parties in their dealings with timeshare developers and vendors draws.

The Commission invited interested parties to submit, by 30 April 2000, any comments they may have on
this report and any answers to its conclusions.

The Commission has received some 25 reactions coming from consumer organisations, the timeshare
industry, lawyers, universities as well as public agencies from eight Member States.

The Commission is now examining each reply and will in due time make it possible to reopen the debate
on possible adaptations or amendments to Directive 94/47/EC.

(1) OJ L 280, 29.10.1994.
(2) SEC(1999) 1795.

(2001/C 89 E/228)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2499/00

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Discrimination in language studies on grounds of age

(2 August 2000)

One must be 14 years of age in order to be able to begin studying at the official language school in
Marbella, in the Spanish region of Andalusia, since the Regional Government(cid:146)s Official Gazette states that
14 is the ideal age at which to commence such studies.

Because of this approach, 416 people in all have been denied a place on some of the courses on offer at
the aforementioned school, whose new rules give priority to pupils aged 14, 15 and 16.

Since this criterion amounts to a clear infringement of the fundamental rights which are constitutionally
guaranteed to all citizens in EU Member States and cannot be challenged on any grounds, including age,
does the Commission see the need for appropriate action to alter these discriminatory criteria and
guarantee that all citizens wishing to study languages at the aforementioned school are equally entitled to
do so, regardless of age?

Answer given by Ms Reding on behalf of the Commission

(25 September 2000)

Article 149 (ex Article 126) of the EC Treaty provides that the Community shall contribute to the
development of quality education, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of the languages of
the Member States. However, the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems remain the
responsibility of the Member States. Introducing a minimum age for entry to a specialist language school
where access to language courses is available to pupils of other schools is a matter of national jurisdiction.

C 89 E/202

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.3.2001

The Commission is active in the field of language teaching and learning, in particular through the Lingua
activities launched in 1989 which focussed on this area and were subsequently incorporated into the
Socrates and Leonardo education and training programmes.

The Commission(cid:146)s White Paper of November 1995 on education and training: (cid:145)Teaching and Learning (cid:129)
Towards the Learning Society(cid:146) (1) includes among its objectives proficiency in three Community languages.

(1) COM(95) 590 final.

(2001/C 89 E/229)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2500/00

by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) and Francesco Fiori (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Liberalisation of the electricity and gas markets

(2 August 2000)

Recent data from Eurostat show that the average Italian family and SMU pay the highest electricity charges
in the whole of the EU.

1.
Can the Commission provide specific information with regard to Italy(cid:146)s implementation of the
directives on the liberalisation of the markets in electricity (Directive 96/92/EC) and gas (Directive 98/
30/EC)?

Is the liberalisation process initiated by the Italian Government sufficient

2.
directives to be properly implemented?

for the Community

3. What does the Commission intend to do to ensure that, in the wake of liberalisation, Italy applies
charges which fall within the European average?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(11 September 2000)

The Italian implementation of Directive 96/92/EC of

1.
the Council of
19 December 1996 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (1) has been assured
through legislative decree of 16 March 1999 (Gazetta Ufficiale Nr. 75 of 30 March 1999). Some additional
measures, notably regarding the market operator are still pending.

the Parliament and of

Implementation of Directive 98/30/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 concerning
common rules for the internal market in natural gas (2) has been done through Legislative Decree 164 of
23 May 2000 (Gazetta Ufficiale, Nr. 142 of 20 June 2000).

For more detailed information on the implementation by Italy of the two Directives, the Honourable
Members may wish to consult the following internet addresses:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy/en/elec_single_market/implementation/index_en.html, and

http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg17/gas98_30.pdf

2.
The Commission is examining whether the implementation of the directives by the Italian govern-
ment is fully compatible with the provisions of the directives. Among the positive elements of the Italian
implementation process are the independent regulator, the access to the network on the basis of published
prices, and the large market opening in the gas sector. Although the percentage of market opening in
electricity is not among the highest in the Community, it is in line with the electricity directive as it stands.

3.
The principal objective of the electricity and gas directives is the introduction of competition on an
Community wide basis. The implementation of the directives in Italy should lead to a movement of Italian
prices towards those in the remainder of the Community. This will be accelerated by the structural changes
in the energy sector in Italy that have been announced.