WRITTEN QUESTION E-1681/01 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Vacancies in the European Commission's Socrates Technical Assistance Office.
Date: 2001-06-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community body, European Commission, administrative competition, job access, linguistic discrimination, mother tongue, official language

C 93 E/18

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

CI 1994-1999

Commitments Spain

Payments Spain

(Euro)

Pesca

Now

Horizon

Integra

Youthstart

47 263 071,00

34 118 251,50

57 990 753,00

36 749 376,00

140 327 322,00

119 826 832,00

112 449 657,00

94 617 288,00

111 063 400,00

90 285 326,00

Employment (not broken down)

51 277 995,00

51 277 995,00

Adapt

Rechar II

Resider II

Konver

Retex

Regis II

Urban

Leader

SMEs

288 575 048,00

256 583 804,00

39 291 000,00

31 432 800,00

77 803 000,00

76 138 074,00

23 758 000,00

19 006 400,00

106 649 000,00

100 810 529,00

230 799 000,00

211 747 800,00

247 372 927,00

144 447 302,00

416 739 546,00

340 153 660,60

248 791 673,00

206 963 564,88

Total

2 200 151 392,00

1 814 159 002,98

(2002/C 93 E/021)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1681/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(14 June 2001)

Subject: Vacancies in the European Commission’s Socrates Technical Assistance Office

In December 2000 and March 2001, the Socrates Technical Assistance Office posted two vacancies in The
Bulletin (1) (see below) for the recruitment of various members of staff. In the recruitment procedure, non-
English and non-French speakers were discriminated against. They were excluded in advance from the
selection procedure, even when their command of English or French was more than adequate. Other
language speakers manifestly did not come in for consideration for these duties. It is astonishing that
Socrates, a technical assistance office of the European Commission, should be guilty of this kind of
discrimination.

I therefore ask the Commission the following:

1. Who is responsible for the discriminatory notices of vacancy in The Bulletin?

2. Will Socrates pursue a non-discriminatory personnel policy in future? If not, why not?

3. How many applicants were of English mother tongue?

4. How many applicants were of French mother tongue?

5. How many applicants were of neither English nor French mother tongue?

6. How many applicants had studied for more than one year at an English-language university?

7. How many applicants had studied for more than one year at a French-language university?

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EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 93 E/19

8. How many applicants had studied at neither an English- nor a French-language university?

9. How many of the applicants interviewed were of English mother tongue?

10. How many of the applicants interviewed were of French mother tongue?

11. How many of the applicants interviewed were of neither English nor French mother tongue?

12. How many of the applicants interviewed had studied for more than one year at an English-language

university?

13. How many of the applicants interviewed had studied for more than one year at a French-language

university?

14. How many of the applicants interviewed had studied for more than one year at neither an English-

nor a French-language university?

15. Of what mother tongues are the members of staff recruited?

(1) The Brussels-based Socrates, Leonardo and Youth Technical Assistance Office assists the European Commission …
At present the following opportunities (m/f) exist: Assistants … The major requirements are language knowledge
(English mother tongue, excellent French and German and another Union language … Administrative Officer …
English mother tongue, excellent command of French and another Union language F Bulletin, 7/12/00, p. 66.
Socrates, Leonardo and Youth Technical Assistance Office … assists the European Commission … has a vacant post
for a (m/f) Communications Officer … Excellent command of spoken English and French … mother tongue a plus.
F Bulletin, 01/03/01, p. 59.

(2002/C 93 E/022)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1682/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(14 June 2001)

Subject: Language discrimination in the European Commission’s Socrates Technical Assistance Office

According to Commission Member Ms Diamantopoulou, the native speaker criterion could be considered
to be discriminatory and therefore incompatible with Community rules on the freedom of movement of
workers in the Community. That was stated in her answer to Written Question E-0779/01 (1) on vacancies
in non-governmental organisations, companies and European Institutions stipulating English mother
tongue as a prior requirement. Belgian Minister Laurette Onkelinx had also on a previous occasion
acknowledged that the principle of non-discrimination and free movement of workers was being violated
by the posting of vacancies for native English speakers. She based that view on the European Declaration
of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation Convention on Discrimination. In the matter
of recruitment in the Belgian Federation, she drew attention to Collective Labour Convention No 38, the
Vandezande decree and the French Community decree on social relations between employers and
employees.

Job advertisements of this kind turn up regularly in the weeklies European Voice and The Bulletin. During
the European Year of Languages, European organisations and institutions are clearly becoming every more
explicit in requiring job applicants to be English mother-tongue speakers. They are thereby discriminating
openly against job-seeking speakers of other languages. English is thus F quite unjustifiably F being given
the status of (culturally) dominant language. Non-native English speakers are being excluded in advance
from selection procedures even when their command of English or French is more than adequate. Other
language speakers manifestly no longer come in for consideration for certain duties.

It is astonishing that Socrates, a technical assistance office of the European Commission, should have been
guilty of this kind of discrimination (The Bulletin, 07/12/00, p. 66).

I therefore ask the Commission the following:

F Does the Commission acknowledge that the Socrates Technical Assistance Office discriminates against

non-English speakers by posting such vacancy notices?