WRITTEN QUESTION E-2050/01 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission. White Paper on EU youth policies.
Date: 2001-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU policy, drafting of EU law, youth policy

C 350 E/210

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.12.2001

Can the Commission provide information on the state of progress of this white paper?

Can the Commission confirm that the white paper will be submitted in November 2001, in line with the
original targets?

(2001/C 350 E/232)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1903/01

by Jaime Valdivielso de CuØ (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 June 2001)

Subject: Youth

The Commission has recently frozen one of the major projects embarked on in the field of youth: the
White Paper on youth policies in the European Union, which was to have been presented in November
2001.

A multitude of European youth groups and associations, experts, governments, etc. have been involved in
the project.

Why has the Commission frozen this work in the wake of the efforts made by the above organisations?

What will be done to compensate for the severe setback which suspension of the White Paper means for
society and, in particular, for young people in Europe?

(2001/C 350 E/233)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1904/01

by Fernando FernÆndez Mart(cid:237)n (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: White Paper on youth policies

(28 June 2001)

In September 1999 the Commission, represented by the Commissioner responsible, announced before the
European Parliament that it intended to draw up a White Paper on European Union youth policies, an
initiative which was officially presented to the Council of Ministers for Youth in November 1999. This
project responded to a long-standing demand made by European youth organisations, which had long
been calling for a text to be drawn up which would provide youth policies with a structure at Community
level.

A consultation process was held in 2000 involving European youth representatives, governments, civil
society and experts in the area. The enthusiasm and expectations raised in connection with the drawing-up
of the White Paper on youth policies exceeded all initial forecasts, and the Commission announced that it
intended to present the White Paper in November 2001, during the Belgian presidency.

Can the Commission say what stage has been reached in drafting the White Paper on European Union
youth policies and whether it will indeed be presented in November 2001?

Can the Commission provide information on the criteria on which the White Paper will be based and the
objectives to be achieved?

(2001/C 350 E/234)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2050/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Sornosa Mart(cid:237)nez (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: White Paper on EU youth policies

(13 July 2001)

In the wake of a wide-ranging consultation process involving civil society, young people(cid:146)s organisations
and experts, the Commission would seem to have, for the time being, suspended work on its White Paper

11.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 350 E/211

on youth policies. At the last Council of Ministers for Youth, held in Brussels on 28 May 2001, the
Member States advocated an ambitious White Paper which would aim high. Nonetheless, Commissioner
Reding, while stopping short of announcing that there would be no White Paper, has warned that the final
text could prove to be a document (cid:145)devoid of content(cid:146).

Can the Commission explain the nature of the problems encountered or the reasons which have led it to
consider that the final text could be a document (cid:145)devoid of content(cid:146)?

What action does the Commission intend to take to meet its original goal of submitting the White Paper
by November 2001?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-1694/01, E-1733/01, E-1903/01, E-1904/01 and E-2050/01
given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(2 August 2001)

The Commission believes that
the policy of European co-operation in the youth field should be
strengthened. This is why, at the end of 1999, the Commission began to draw up a White Paper on this
subject at the instigation of the Member of the Commission with responsibility for Education and Culture.

The Commission wanted a hitherto unprecedented consultation process to take place beforehand:
consultations with young people in each Member State in 2000, in connection with which a European-
level meeting was held in Paris in October 2000; consultations with civil society organisations and
academics; discussions with the Member States. This process was completed in March 2001 in Ume(cid:229),
Sweden.

The Commission, now sure of the support of young people and the Member States, has since then been in
the process of drawing up the White Paper, which should be published before the end of the year.

(2001/C 350 E/235)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1698/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Postponement of new cotton regulation

(14 June 2001)

Although it is the end of May and the cotton crop has long since passed the planting stage, the new cotton
regulation has not yet been published. According to reports from the Council of Agriculture Ministers held
on 24 April 2001, a decision was taken to introduce provisions for increasing the coresponsibility levy on
surplus production, which are different and less favourable than both the current provisions and the
Commission(cid:146)s proposal and were unknown to cotton-growers at the time of planting their crops.

In view of the fact that the Commission has repeatedly in the past adopted legislation on the basis of
farmers(cid:146)
(cid:145)need to be informed in good time of the provisions which will apply to the crops they grow(cid:146)
(COM 576/1999 (1), amending the regulation on flax and hemp), will it postpone implementation of the
new cotton regulation since cotton growers were unaware at the time of planting their crops of the
differences from the Commission(cid:146)s proposal and of the higher (cid:145)fines(cid:146)
laid down by the new cotton
regulation?

(1) OJ C 56 E, 29.2.2000, p. 17.