WRITTEN QUESTION E-3778/00 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Ispra Joint Research Centre.
Date: 2000-12-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Joint Research Centre, administrative reform, cessation of trading, competence of the Member States, job cuts, personnel administration

C 235 E/16

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.8.2001

The third guideline, which concerns preparing the Community for enlargement, includes examining the
spatial impact of enlargement on Member States and non-member countries. This has been done within
the framework of the second report on economic and social cohesion, which was adopted by the
Commission on 31 January and which will be presented at a forum in Brussels on 21 May.

The Commission has generally accorded the ESDP special attention within the framework of regional
policy. The ESDP objectives are among the Community priorities which the Commission adopted for the
Structural Funds(cid:146) 2000-2006 programming period, and strand B (transnational cooperation) of
the
Community Initiative Interreg III is designed to implement the ESDP objectives.

The Commission will start evaluating implementation of
the ESDP guidelines with regard to the
Structural Funds and the Community Initiatives Interreg and Urban once all programming has been
adopted. The evaluation will form part of two communications in 2001 on the results of negotiations on
Objective 1 and 2 programmes, which will be sent to Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social
Committee, and the Committee of the Regions.

(2001/C 235 E/020)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3763/00

by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: Outlook for the JRC

The JRC (Joint Research Centre) engages in extremely worthwhile activity as a scientific agency working for
the Community, since it enables the different European schools of thought to be pitted against one another
in the field of scientific experimentation and affords an opportunity for the individual Member States to
compare and ascertain scientific developments in various areas of interest.

The role of the JRC has been scaled down once before, not least because its staff complement was reduced
by 200.

There are rumours of another staff cut involving a further 200 posts, in spite of the 1998 agreement in
which the Council expressed its determination to keep the staff complement at 2 080 in the light of the
Fifth framwork programme.

Can the Commission, and specifically its President, Mr Romano Prodi, and the Member concerned,
Mr Philippe Busquin, say:

(cid:129) whether it is true, as has been reported, that the staff complement is to be reduced by 200;

(cid:129) whether it is true that, if the staff cut is implemented, the Petten and Ispra centres will be transferred
from the Community(cid:146)s responsibility to the responsibility of the Member States in which they are
situated?

(2001/C 235 E/021)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3778/00

by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: Ispra Joint Research Centre

The Ispra Joint Research Centre has been operating for decades and has proved very useful in that it has
made it possible to compare the scientific experiments carried out by the various European schools of
thought and ascertain the scientific progress of the different Member States and the economic, social,
environmental, and other spin-offs.

There have been calls in the past to scale down the role of the JRC (resulting in a cut of 200 jobs from the
staff complement), and it has recently emerged that a further 200 jobs are to be shed, even though the
Council agreed in 1998 to keep the staff complement at 2 080 in the light of the Fifth framwork
programme.

21.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 235 E/17

Can the Commission therefore say:

1. whether it is true, as has been reported, that the staff complement is to be reduced again, bringing the

total job losses to 400;

2. whether there is an intention to rationalise scientific research, and what the guiding criteria would be;

3. whether it is true that, if the cut were to be made, the Ispra centre would be transferred from the

Community(cid:146)s responsibility to Italian national responsibility?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3763/00 and E-3778/00
given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(25 January 2001)

The Commission would like it to be noted that the most recent revision of the JRC(cid:146)s (Joint Research
Centre(cid:146)s) staff complement goes back to the 1999 budget. That complement was kept constant by
increasing the number of A posts (+120) and reducing the number of B and C posts accordingly.

As part of the review of its priorities launched early this year, the Commission adopted the recommenda-
tions of the Peer Group in its meeting on 26 July 2000.

This being the case, the Commission has asked the Commission member responsible for research to make
the JRC responsible for conducting a feasibility study on the closure of the Petten centre and, alternatively,
to contemplate the cutting of 200 jobs by scaling down activities throughout the JRC(cid:146)s departments.

The feasibility study on the closure of the Petten centre has been completed. The JRC(cid:146)s other departments
are also being subjected to an audit, the conclusions of which are planned for late March 2001. On the
basis of the study and the audit the Commission will then subject any proposals concerning the research
staff complements to a budgetary audit.

There is no wish to transfer Community responsibilities concerning the JRC to the Member States.

(2001/C 235 E/022)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3773/00

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: New plants with genes for toxic substances pollinating crops and producing poisonous food plants

1.
Is the Commission aware of the report from the British Government(cid:146)s Advisory Committee on
Releases to the Environment (ACRE), entitled (cid:145)Guidance on Best Practices in the Design of Genetically
Modified Crops(cid:146), (www.environment.detr.gov.uk/acre/bestprac/index.htm), which establishes that new tech-
nologies could be used to prevent genes resistant to herbicides crossing into other plants?

Is it aware that

2.
for example, of plants with genes for toxic substances
pollinating crops and producing poisonous food plants or GMOs containing novel proteins provoking
allergic reactions?

the possibility exists,

Does the Commission share ACRE(cid:146)s concern regarding these potential hazards, and would it endorse

3.
the guidelines issued by the Committee on minimising the risk of gene flow?