WRITTEN QUESTION P-1090/01 by Luciana Sbarbati (ELDR) to the Commission. Contradictions in Community policy in the research sector.
Date: 2001-03-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU research policy, Joint Research Centre, administration of the Institutions, personnel administration, research staff

C 318 E/200

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.11.2001

The certificate provided for in the Schengen acquis does not apply to the transport of routine medicines or
antibiotics dispensed on medical prescription.

The scope, conditions and detailed arrangements for conducting identification checks, including means of
proof, are all governed by national law. It is therefore up to Denmark to lay down the relevant provisions.
In any event, under existing Community law, Member States must, when carrying out identification
checks, recognise valid passports and identity cards issued by the other Member States.

Denmark therefore recognises identity cards issued by the other Member States.

Under the Schengen rules, the internal borders of the Schengen area may be crossed at any point without
checks on persons being carried out. Accordingly, the competent authorities may no longer carry out
checks on persons at internal borders, except where public policy or national security requires such checks
to be reintroduced.

The Schengen Executive Committee has decided that alternative border checks are incompatible with the
Schengen rules on the abolition of controls on individuals. Alternative border checks are taken to mean
systematic checks on persons, carried out on the grounds that they have crossed a border, in a hinterland
area adjacent to the border or in defined border areas.

It is therefore forbidden for police patrol cars to park at internal borders in order to carry out checks on
passports or identity cards simply because their holders have crossed the border.

As regards veterinary inspections and checks on compliance with environmental
legislation, these are
matters which are not regulated by the Schengen acquis. However, existing Community law does not allow
the permanent deployment of patrol cars at internal borders for the purposes of carrying out veterinary
inspections and checks on compliance with environmental legislation.

(2001/C 318 E/218)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1090/01

by Luciana Sbarbati (ELDR) to the Commission

(27 March 2001)

Subject: Contradictions in Community policy in the research sector

The Ministers for Education and Research, meeting in Uppsala to prepare for the Stockholm summit,
discussed the implications for those two sectors of the ageing of the EU(cid:146)s population and considered
a Swedish study predicting that 28 % of the European population would be over 65 years old in 2050
(compared to 14 % at present) and that enlargement would not alleviate the situation, as only Turkey was
bucking the trend.

In the (environmental, socio-economic, scientific and technological) research sector, a reduction in the
number of those employed, and the decline in innovation and skills, will result in slower growth. So the
Swedish presidency is considering how to meet the demand for human resources in the scientific sector,
how to improve young people(cid:146)s perceptions of science and technology and how to raise public awareness
of science, and is considering the possibility of employing research workers from third countries.

The Commission, on the other hand, after deciding to reduce staff levels at the JRC by 200 (despite
a Council agreement in 1998 to maintain the establishment plan) and transfer Ispra(cid:146)s staff and activities to
Patten (in January 2001) (cid:129) without consulting Parliament (cid:129) has now announced that the majority of
research staff will be pensioned off by 2008, although the universities will not be able to ensure a supply
of replacements and current conditions in terms of visas, mobility and rules on work and residence
necessitate structural changes.

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/201

Could the Commission explain the logic of dismissing staff in a sector which is liable to suffer from staff
shortages?

Is it, furthermore,
influx of third-county nationals in view of the
acknowledged restrictions imposed in terms of visas, mobility and Community rules on work and
residence?

logical to anticipate a hypothetical

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(11 May 2001)

One of the recommendations to emerge from the report by the high-level panel chaired by Viscount
Davignon was to concentrate the activities of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) on its strongest areas of
competence. Furthermore, in the process of reviewing its priorities, a project launched at the start of 2000,
at its meeting of 26 July 2000 the Commission adopted the recommendations of the Steering Group set
up to examine the matter.

In this context, the Commission has requested that the Commissioner for Research should instruct the
Joint Research Centre (JRC) to carry out a feasibility study into closing the Petten site or eliminating 200
jobs by scaling down JRC activities across the board.

The feasibility study into the closure of the Petten site has been completed and its conclusions have been
submitted to the Commission in the form of a communication which was adopted on 22 January 2001 (1).

The conclusions of the feasibility study include recommendations to transfer the activities relating to
research into reducing vehicle emissions from Petten to Ispra, and to transfer the Nuclear Safety unit from
Ispra to Petten. This arises from a commitment to achieve consistency between the portfolios of activities
of the various JRC sites.

Since this departmental redeployment measure was an internal matter, the Commission did not consult the
other institutions on transferring personnel.

On the basis of the conclusions of the Steering Group the Commission will propose amending research
staff tables as of 2002 to the budgetary authority.

A detailed audit of the other JRC activities has been carried out. The proposed concentration of activities is
intended to ensure the long-term future of the JRC, within the scope of its mission to provide scientific
and technical support for EU policies.

(1) C(2001)125, 22.1.2001.

(2001/C 318 E/219)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1091/01

by Paul R(cid:252)big (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 April 2001)

Subject: Accidents caused by dangerous tyres/low tyre pressure

In view of a large cluster of serious accidents in the USA as a result of low tyre pressure and consequent
fatal tyre damage, the US Congress has decided to take legislative measures as early as Autumn 2001.
According to a study by ETRTO (the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation), 70 % of the tyres
fitted on European cars are in poor condition as a result of insufficient pressure.

1. What measures does the Commission propose to take to ensure by means of technical standards that
the thousand or so road deaths which occur each year on European roads because of technical failures
(accidents caused by dangerous tyres or low tyre pressure) are avoided?