WRITTEN QUESTION E-3852/00 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission. Early retirement.
Date: 2000-12-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European official, European social policy, administrative reform, early retirement, report

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What official information can Mr Romano Prodi, President of the Commission, provide on this subject,
and what action has been taken, or is planned, to prevent the growth of this distressing trade?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(15 March 2001)

The Commission is aware, in general terms, of the information provided by the Honourable Member.

Trafficking in human organs constitutes a serious crime, which can only be addressed effectively through
close co-operation at international level. Removal of organs also forms part of the United Nations (UN)
protocol on prevention, suppression and punishment of trafficking in persons, which supplements the UN
Convention on Transnational Organised Crime. The protocol was signed by the Commission on behalf of
the Community in Palermo on 13 December 2000. Until now the subject of trafficking in human organs
has, however, not been discussed in the Council Working Structures in the field of Justice and Home
Affairs.

Furthermore, since July 1999 Europol has become fully operational. Its mandate includes trafficking in
human beings, of which trafficking in human organs forms a part.

The Commission is of the opinion that it is necessary for Member States and Europol to improve their co-
operation in this area as a first step towards a more effective policy to combating this crime.

In addition it should be mentioned that Article 152 of the EC Treaty must be recalled in this context. It
requires the Community to adopt measures setting high standards of quality and safety of organs and
substances of human origin, blood and blood derivatives.

Under the new health strategy (1), which has been set up inter alia to apply these requirements, objectives
in the field of transplantation (see Annex 2.1) have been defined. One of the proposed aims is to develop
and operate a Community network on organs and substances of human origin. Whether such a network
could also have a role in the fight against illegal organ trade will be looked at in close collaboration with
Member States.

(1) COM(2000) 285 final.

(2001/C 187 E/068)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3852/00

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(8 December 2000)

Subject: Early retirement

It has been reported in the press that, at the Ecofin meeting of 8 November, the conclusions of an interim
report drawn up by the Economic Policy Committee ((cid:146)EPC progress report on the impact of ageing
populations on public pensions systems(cid:146), Ecofin 303, 12791/00) were noted and endorsed. One of those
conclusions is that, throughout the European Union, the retirement age will have to be raised and early-
retirement schemes will have to be restricted if pension schemes are to be sustainable.

This statement had enormous public impact, especially since most of the European (and in particular the
Portuguese) press described it as coming from the (cid:145)European Union(cid:146).

On 22 November I received a Communication (1) which contains a proposal for a Council regulation on
early-retirement schemes within the Commission.

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To my horror, the purpose of the proposal for a regulation is not to restrict Commission officials(cid:146) existing
access to early-retirement schemes but, rather, to promote an early-retirement scheme for 600 officials.

In view of the above, would the Commission answer the following questions?

(a) At the Ecofin meeting, did the Commission express any disagreement with the report?

(b)

Is it true that the Commission was not represented on the working party which approved the report?

(c) Does the Commission not consider that contradictory statements and proposals such as these

undermine the credibility of the European Institutions?

(1) SEC(2000) 2025 final.

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(2 March 2001)

The need to limit generalised access to early retirement as a means to mitigate the economic and
budgetary impact of ageing populations has been recognised for some time. It forms part of the Broad
Economic Policy Guidelines and is also recommended in the report of the High Level Working Party on
Social Protection to the Nice European Council on safe and sustainable pensions elaborated by a working
group of the Economic Policy Committee. The latter report concludes that to raise employment rates to
the targets agreed by the Lisbon European Council, it will be necessary to increase employment rates
amongst older workers and raise effective retirement ages. To this end, limiting generalised access to early
retirement schemes will need to be combined with reforms of pension systems so that there are positive
incentives for older workers to stay in the labour force.

The Commission, together with the Member States and the European Central Bank (ECB), appoints
members to the Economic Policy Committee (EPC). Members are senior officials of those institutions
possessing outstanding competence in the field of economic and structural policies, and according to the
Statutes of the EPC, they are to be guided by the general interest of the Community. The Commission
members of the EPC are senior officials from the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs.

In assessing whether there is an adequate justification for the early retirement scheme proposed by the
Commission, it is necessary to underline that the Commission(cid:146)s proposal is a one-off measure to facilitate
a major structural reform of the institution, not a permanent early retirement scheme. Reforms of this
nature are extremely difficult in any company or institution, and past reforms in national civil services and
many private enterprises have demonstrated that early retirement
is one means to facilitate major
structural change. Moreover, the Commission has committed itself to bringing about these changes while
respecting budgetary neutrality.

Secondly, it is important to note that early retirement rarely occurs in the Commission. On average, less
than 10 officials have opted for early retirement in recent years (compared with 300 retirements in 2000).
Even though officials can retire at the age of 60, the average retirement age is approximately 63.

The main reason for this is that the present pension scheme of the Commission already gives positive
incentives for officials to stay on longer than the normal pension age of 60. The maximum pension
possible is 70 % of the last basic salary depending on the duration of professional activity. While the
annual pension increase before the age of 60 is 2 %, the pension rights reached at the age of 60 are
increased by 5 % per annum from 60 to 65. In addition, there are a number of other structural features
that discourage early retirement.

Thirdly, one of the objectives of the above-mentioned guidelines,
i.e. to combine an early retirement
scheme with the reform of the pension system, is fulfilled since the Commission has committed itself in
the White Paper (cid:145)Reforming the Commission(cid:146) (1) of 1 March 2000 to a review of the present pension
regime.

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Thus there is no discrepancy between the general conclusion of the EPC report on the need to limit
generalised access to early retirement schemes and the specific Commission proposal
for the early
retirement of 600 officials.

(1) COM(2000) 2000 final.

(2001/C 187 E/069)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3854/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 December 2000)

Subject: Enlargement and fisheries

After two years of negotiations with the applicant countries in the Luxembourg Group (Poland, Hungary,
the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus) and the start of negotiations with the Helsinki Group
(Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Malta) on 28 March this year, the European Parliament
has adopted a new resolution (R5-0417/2000 (1) of 4 October 2000) on the enlargement of the European
Union, setting out the EP(cid:146)s requests with regard to the accession procedure and the negotiations being held
on the subject. In its contribution to the resolution Parliament(cid:146)s Committee on Fisheries made a number of
demands concerning fisheries.

Could the Commission indicate the approximate timetable for the fisheries debate in the context of the
accession negotiations with both the Luxembourg Group and the Helsinki Group and, if appropriate, the
stage reached in the negotiations and the progress made so far?

Can the Commission say whether the fisheries negotiations will take account of the concerns of the
Committee on Fisheries, in particular the urgent need to remedy the considerable shortcomings in the
administration of
the applicant countries as regards environmental and health
standards, as well as inspection and control measures, the need for reliable information on the structure
of the fisheries sector in the applicant countries, the abolition of distortions such as (cid:145)flags of convenience(cid:146),
and the administrative structures needed to provide detailed and reliable information on the fisheries sector
and ensure full compliance with the acquis?

fisheries in most of

(1)

(cid:145)Texts adopted(cid:146) of 4 October 2000, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(14 February 2001)

The Commission is aware of the resolution referred to by the Honourable Member and can support the
largest part of its recommendations, for fisheries.

Accession negotiations on the fisheries chapter have been opened in April 1999 with Cyprus, Hungary,
Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia and in October 2000 with Latvia, Slovakia and Malta.
This chapter has been provisionally closed with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Estonia
and with Slovakia, in the light of the commitments by these countries for their preparations to the full
implementation of the acquis concerning fisheries.

The Commission attaches a particular importance to the development of the appropriate administrative
capacity to implement the Common Fisheries Policy, with a particular emphasis on monitoring, inspection
and control activities. Attention is also paid to the capacity regarding the structural and market measures.
The Commission is also attentive to the development of a fully separate and exhaustive register of all
fishing vessels under the applicant state flag, in full conformity with the Community requirement. As
a consequence of this, it is no longer possible to maintain (cid:145)flags of convenience(cid:146) in the fisheries sector.

As regards the environmental standards, these are dealt with under the Chapter 22-Environment. As
regards health standards, i.e. hygiene and veterinary requirements, these are dealt with under Chapter 7-
Agriculture, including those relating to fish and fisheries products.