WRITTEN QUESTION E-0668/01 by Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE) to the Council. Lisbon European Council and pensions sustainability.
Date: 2001-03-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Council, European social policy, pension scheme, social security

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/65

of unemployment, social exclusion and poverty. In the same spirit, at its Stockholm meeting on 23 and
24 March 2001 the Council also stressed that paid employment for men and women offered the best
safeguard against poverty and social exclusion.

(2001/C 340 E/074)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0666/01

by Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE) to the Council

Subject: Lisbon European Council and agreed indicators

(8 March 2001)

The 2000 Lisbon European Council
invited (cid:145)the Council and the Commission to promote a better
understanding of social exclusion through continued dialogue and exchanges of information and best
practice, on the basis of commonly agreed indicators.(cid:146) Have these indicators been established, and if so
what are they?

Reply

(16 July 2001)

In response to the mandate given by the Lisbon European Council, the Council has invited the Social
the goal of combating social
Protection Committee to select and develop indicators in support of
exclusion. Given the essentially technical nature of this task, the Social Protection Committee has itself
established a subgroup with the specific aim of addressing this question.

It is envisaged that the subgroup will report to the Social Protection Committee in June and November of
this year, with a view to incorporating proposals into the Committee(cid:146)s reports to be submitted to the
Council in advance of the Laeken European Council in December 2001.

(2001/C 340 E/075)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0668/01

by Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE) to the Council

Subject: Lisbon European Council and pensions sustainability

(8 March 2001)

The 2000 Lisbon European Council invited (cid:145)the Council to mandate the High Level Working Party on
Social Protection (cid:133) to support (cid:133) [social policy] cooperation and, as its first priority, to prepare, on the
basis of a Commission communication, a study on the future evolution of social protection from a long-
term point of view, giving particular attention to the sustainability of pensions systems in different time
frameworks up to 2020 and beyond, where necessary.(cid:146) Was such a progress report available by December
2000 and what timetable has been established for future work by the High Level Working Party?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

The High-Level Working Party on Social Protection presented a progress report on the future evolution of
social protection (pensions) to the Council (Employment and Social Policy) in November 2000, which
submitted it to the Nice European Council in December 2000.

This Working Party has subsequently been replaced by the Social Protection Committee, which continues
to deal with the sustainability of pensions as a main topic on its agenda.

C 340 E/66

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

A second progress report, a preliminary study on the long-term viability of pensions, based on
contributions from the Member States, was presented to the Council (Employment and Social Policy) on
6 March 2001 and submitted to the Stockholm European Council on 23/24 March 2001.

For the Gothenburg European Council in June, the Social Protection Committee is currently preparing
a more comprehensive report on the sustainability of pensions. A further report to the Council, based on
a Communication from the Commission, is envisaged for September 2001.

(2001/C 340 E/076)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0669/01

by Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Lisbon European Council and pensions sustainability

(6 March 2001)

The 2000 Lisbon European Council invited (cid:145)the Council to mandate the High Level Working Party on
Social Protection (cid:133) to support (cid:133) [social policy] cooperation and, as its first priority, to prepare, on the
basis of a Commission communication, a study on the future evolution of social protection from a long-
term point of view, giving particular attention to the sustainability of pensions systems in different time
frameworks up to 2020 and beyond, where necessary.(cid:146) Was such a progress report available by December
2000 and what timetable has been established for future work by the High Level Working Party?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(2 May 2001)

A progress report from the High-Level Working Party on Social Protection on the study on sustainable
pensions was indeed adopted by the Employment and Social Affairs Council on 27/28 November 2000
and transmitted to the Nice European Council.

Subsequently the High-Level Working Party (now Social Protection Committee) prepared a questionnaire to
the Member States as a basis for national reports. These national reports are now being analysed and will
serve as a basis for the final study to be presented to the G(cid:246)teborg European Council in June.

The Commission intends to pursue and strengthen this co-operation on sustainable pensions with a view
of proposing a communication to the Parliament and the Council.

(2001/C 340 E/077)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0680/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(14 March 2001)

Subject: Use of chemical weapons in Turkey and Iraq and the European Union(cid:146)s Common Foreign and

Security Policy

On Friday, 16 February American and British aircraft attacked the region of the capital of Iraq. Two people
were killed and twenty injured. According to Iraqi TV two homes were destroyed in Hafriya, a village 40
km south of Baghdad. Damage was more limited in al-Rashdiya, 20 km north of Baghdad.

The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Robin Cook, said that the bombing was necessary to
maintain the no-fly zones required to protect the Kurdish people in the north and the Shiites in the south.
(cid:145)When Saddam was allowed to fly over the northern zone he used chemical weapons on the Kurds(cid:146), Cook
said. (cid:145)He would do it again if he had the opportunity(cid:146).