WRITTEN QUESTION E-2162/01 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Cross-border tourist guides.
Date: 2001-07-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU initiative, cross-border cooperation, frontier region, rural tourism, tourism, tourist profession, vocational training

C 93 E/72

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

(2002/C 93 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2160/01

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Increased productivity for Spanish olive groves

(19 July 2001)

Almost 50 % of Spanish olive groves are unprofitable. According to official figures, more than one million
hectares have yields of below 1500 kilos of olives, equivalent to 320 kilos of oil.

At the current price of 270 pesetas per kilo and with aid of only 150 pesetas because of penalties imposed
by the EU for exceeding the allotted quotas, total income per kilo is not enough to cover production costs.

What could the EU do to promote measures to rationalise olive oil production in Spain so as to generate
productivity increases in the sector and reduce the clear disparity between production costs per hectare of
olive grove and the revenue obtained from olive-growing, which is leading to the unprofitability
mentioned above?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(17 September 2001)

The substantial production increase in the Community over recent years has not been matched by a
corresponding rise in consumption. The resultant
imbalance between supply and demand on the
Community olive oil market is causing production prices to fall. Although promotion campaigns within
the Community and outside have been successful in considerably raising demand over recent years, this
has been insufficient to absorb the substantial olive oil production increase in the producer countries.
Spain has contributed towards that increase thanks to its olive groves’ high productivity and to new
planting.

In order to restore the balance between supply and demand and to prevent a continued fall in production
prices, the Commission must try to boost demand while doing all it can to discourage new planting.

(2002/C 93 E/090)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2162/01

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 July 2001)

Subject: Cross-border tourist guides

In some Community regions with few resources and very small populations because of the lack of
opportunities to earn a living, jobs have been created for cross-border environmental tourist guides, who
provide professional services for tourists visiting natural sites which straddle the territory of various
Member States.

At present, various residents associations and local authorities are seeking to promote the creation of a
vocational training course for outdoor sports instructors and environmental tourist guides.

Given that the local people concerned are unwilling to drop their demands for a training course to be
made available and the government remains blind to the problem, will the Commission say whether there
is a Community programme that could contribute to the development of a training course for cross-border
tourist guides in Community regions which straddle the territory of various Member States?

18.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 93 E/73

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(10 October 2001)

The Community Initiative Interreg III co-finances cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation
actions across the Community. Programmes setting out the strategic priorities are proposed by the
partnerships in the border area concerned in the light of the needs identified and in conformity with the
Commission’s guidelines for Interreg III. Once the programme has been adopted by the Commission, and
in accordance with its strategic priorities, it is then for the partnership to select the individual projects for
support. These can include training courses of the type to which the Honourable Member refers.

Outside the context of the Interreg programme, the development of training courses for tourist guides may
be a possible project under the Community programme Leonardo da Vinci programme. This programme is
aimed at supporting transnational partnerships in the development of innovative training tools in the field
of vocational training.

(2002/C 93 E/091)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2184/01

by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Commission

(23 July 2001)

Subject: Discrimination on grounds of age in European Parliament competitions

The exact words of Article 13 of the EC Treaty are as follows: ‘Without prejudice to the other provisions of
this Treaty and within the limits of the powers conferred by it upon the Community, the Council, acting
unanimously on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, may take
appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief,
disability, age or sexual orientation’.

first paragraph,

Article 130,
‘The Council, after consulting the European
Parliament, shall establish an Employment Committee with advisory status to promote coordination
between Member States on employment and labour market policies. The tasks of the Committee shall be
to monitor the employment situation and employment policies in the Member States and the Community’.

similarly stipulates that:

Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs is called upon, among other things, to prevent
‘all forms of discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age
or sexual orientation (Article 13 of the EC Treaty), related to fundamental social rights and to the labour
market’. In addition, the population is gradually ageing, and debate is taking place in all parts of Europe
about the future of pension schemes, a possible later retirement age, and, as far as women are concerned,
their slowness to break into the labour market, to name just some examples.

Can the Commission therefore explain how it can happen that serious discrimination arises in the
employment sphere when Parliament organises competitions to fill posts and restricts eligibility to enter to
persons under 45?

Does the Commission think it right to discriminate on the grounds of age?

Has it studied the legislation of the different Member States with a view to adopting a comparative
approach in order to frame legislation more closely in line with solidarity criteria and social rights?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(15 October 2001)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answers to written questions P-1600/01 by
Mr. Manders (1), E-1512/01 by Mrs. Raschhofer (2) and to its reply to oral question H-497/01 by Mrs. van
Lancker during question time at Parliament’s June 2001 part-session (3).