WRITTEN QUESTION E-3971/00 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Transport of live farm animals.
Date: 2000-12-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, animal welfare, application of EU law, farm animal, live animal, protection of animals, transport of animals, veterinary inspection

3.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187 E/95

(2001/C 187 E/102)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3971/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Transport of live farm animals

With regard to the enforcement by the Commission of legislation intended to safeguard the welfare of
farm animals being transported within the EU, can it indicate, for each of the past five years:

1.

(a)

the budget sought by the Commission to fund the work of inspectors to ensure compliance with
the legislation?

(b)

the sum actually spent by the Commission on inspections?

2. whether it is seeking a greater allocation of funds to enable it to step up its activities in this field?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(26 March 2001)

With regard to enforcement by the Commission of Community legislation to safeguard the welfare of
animals being transported within the EU, inspections are carried out by inspectors from the Food and
Veterinary Office (FVO), which is a Directorate of the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate
General.

The Commission does not have a specific budget to fund the work of inspectors in enforcing Community
legislation on the transport of live farm animals. Inspections are financed through the Commission(cid:146)s
budget and are made up of staff salary and travel and subsistence allowances for inspectors and Member
State experts who participate in the inspections.

Currently four inspectors from FVO are employed exclusively to carry out inspections on animal welfare,
including transport of live animals. Animal welfare also forms part of the wider inspection activities of the
FVO. For instance, FVO inspections of Community border inspection posts take into account aspects such
as the staffing and facilities provided to ensure that animals are examined for fitness for import. Route
plans are also verified during these missions. In addition to public health issues, the FVO inspections of
abattoirs include aspects of animal welfare during transport. It is therefore not possible to isolate readily
the costs associated with animal welfare missions from other missions.

In 2000, ten FVO missions were specifically dedicated to animal welfare issues. This compares with seven
missions in the same field in 1999. Six of the missions in 2000 featured controls of animal transport. In
addition, two missions were carried out in December 2000 by the FVO to check the operation of the
controls for the export refunds for live cattle, including compliance with the requirements for animal
transport.

Given the range of FVO responsibilities, especially those on food safety and animal health, there are no
immediate plans to further increase the resources allocated within the FVO to the animal welfare area. Any
further increase could only be accommodated through corresponding reductions in other priority areas.

In addition to the above, under budget line B1-331 (cid:145)other measures in the veterinary, animal welfare and
public-health field(cid:146), it is planned to commit around € 700 000 for the animal welfare area during 2001. Of
this, € 400 000 is intended for a certain number of studies related to the protection of animals during

C 187 E/96

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.7.2001

transport and € 300 000 for a socio-economic study based on the provisions of Council Directive 1999/
74/EC of 19 July 1999, on the protection of laying hens (1). Prior to 2001 no specific commitments on
this budget line or its predecessors have been made for actions (i.e. projects or studies) related specifically
to animal welfare.

(1) OJ L 203, 3.8.1999.

(2001/C 187 E/103)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3977/00

by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Minimum age-limit of the working population

In Directive 1897/2000 (1) concerning the operational definition of unemployment, the working popula-
tion is designated as comprising persons in the age-group 15 to 64.

In most European Union Member States young persons remain in compulsory education until age 16.

Taking that into consideration, can the Commission explain:

1. The circumstances under which young persons at age 15 are designated as already forming part of the
working population, whereas in most European Union Member States they are still in compulsory
education at that age?

2.

In which Member States young people remain in compulsory education only until age 15?

(1) OJ L 228, 8.9.2000, p. 18.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2001)

1.
The reference to 15 years as the bottom age limit for defining the working population is a recognised
standard used in accordance with international recommendations from the International Labour Organisa-
tion.

There is a need to ensure consistency in the measurement of unemployment and employment, also for
ease of international comparison. In that regard, adjusting the definition of the bottom age limit for the
working population to the age when compulsory schooling ends, presents some drawbacks. For example,
in some Member States, in particular those having a well developed initial vocational training system in
a work situation (dual system), the line between compulsory schooling and work can be difficult to draw.

The Commission is aware of the situation regarding education systems and compulsory schooling as well
as of the trend towards longer stay in education and training. One concern is that in the perspective of
a knowledge-based economy and society as defined by the Lisbon European Council, the objectives in
terms of higher employment rates for the Community should not conflict with the need to ensure that
young people achieve minimum educational qualifications beyond compulsory schooling.

2.
In Sweden and Austria, compulsory schooling is not defined in terms of an age limit but in terms of
a minimum number of years in education. However, in these cases, information on the starting age for
education permits calculation of the average age for completion of compulsory schooling.

According to the most recent information (1999-2000) from Eurydice (the information network on
education in Europe), the end of compulsory schooling is still 15 in Greece, Ireland, Italy (after recent
change), Luxembourg, Austria and Portugal.