WRITTEN QUESTION E-2713/01 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Failure to recognise diplomas from the Technical and Vocational Teacher Training Institute (Selete) as university diplomas in Greece.
Date: 2001-10-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, recognition of diplomas, secondary education, teacher, technical education, vocational education

C 81 E/202

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

(2002/C 81 E/241)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2708/01

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 October 2001)

Subject: Availability of animal insulin

For decades, the auto-immune disorder diabetes mellitus has been treated successfully using animal insulin.
Animal insulin is now to be taken off the market completely, in favour of genetically engineered insulin.
Tests using GM human insulin have shown that many patients suffer a massive deterioration in their
health and impairment of their quality of life after being taken off animal insulin.

1.

2.

Can the Commission guarantee the availability of animal insulin on the European market?

If so, what action will it take?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(7 November 2001)

Insulin of animal origin has gradually been replaced by human insulin of biotechnological origin. It is now
almost twenty years since work stopped on insulin of animal origin. It has, in effect, disappeared from
most Member States even if it can still be found in some such as the United Kingdom or Germany.

Patients have changed over from insulin of animal origin to insulin of biotechnological origin without any
major problems other than some slight temporary imbalances. New patients are systematically put onto
insulin of biotechnological origin. Patients who do well on insulin of animal origin will not necessarily
have their treatment changed if this insulin remains available. However, in view of the fact that no new
patients are now being put onto insulin of animal origin, the use of this insulin will be phased out in the
course of time.

The scientific and medical community considers insulin of biotechnological origin to be an alternative
which just as effective and well tolerated as insulin of animal origin, with the added advantage of having a
lower antigenicity. Finally, there is, at least in theory, a lesser risk of transmitting infectious, and in
particular viral, agents.

(2002/C 81 E/242)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2713/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 October 2001)

Subject: Failure to recognise diplomas from the Technical and Vocational Teacher Training Institute (Selete)

as university diplomas in Greece

The Technical and Vocational Teacher Training Institute (Selete) in Greece provides four-year courses
designed to educate and train staff to teach within secondary technical and vocational education. However,
the Inter-University Centre for the Recognition of Degrees acquired Abroad (Dikatsa) does not recognise
the postgraduate diplomas of graduates of the institute if their postgraduate studies are completed in other
European Union countries. It should be noted that other teacher training institutes (for nursery teachers,
primary teachers and professors) are treated differently.

Is the policy pursued by Dikatsa in accordance with Community Directive 89/48/EEC (1), and, if not, what
action does the Commission intend to take to ensure that Greece complies with the above directive?

(1) OJ L 19, 24.1.1989, p. 16.

4.4.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/203

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(21 November 2001)

The matter raised by the Honourable Member concerns the recognition of foreign post graduate diplomas
in Greece. Apparently these diplomas are only recognized by the Greek authority responsible for academic
recognition (Dikatsa) when the applicants have graduated in certain Greek universities. They are not
recognised when applicants have graduated in the Selete school. The non-recognition appears to be
connected to the legal position of the Selete school in the national education system, as compared to other
Greek schools. Under Article 149 (ex Article 126) of the EC Treaty, each Member State is responsible for
the content of teaching and the organization of its own education system. This matter, therefore, does not
fall within the scope of Community law.

In this instance, there does not appear to be a breach of Council Directive 89/48/EEC of 21 December
1988 on a general system for the recognition of higher-education diplomas awarded on completion of
professional education and training of at least three years(cid:146) duration. The Directive has laid down a (cid:145)general
system(cid:146) for the recognition of qualifications to ensure access to regulated professions in the different
Member States. It seems, however, that in this instance there is no problem to gain access to the teaching
profession in Greece for those who have graduated from the Selete school. The recognition of
qualifications for purposes other than access to a regulated profession in a Member State does not fall
within the scope of the Directive.

(2002/C 81 E/243)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2721/01

by Jean Saint-Josse (EDD) to the Commission

(26 September 2001)

Subject: Natura 2000 (cid:129) Habitats Directive (cid:129) France (cid:129) rescission by court decision of the forwarding of

lists of areas in France (cid:129) consequences for the commitment of LIFE funds

In France, the Council of State rescinded by a judgment of 27 September 1999 (case No 194648) the first
notification decisions by means of which the Minister of
the Environment had forwarded to the
Commission lists relating to 534 areas eligible for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network (decisions of
16 October, 3 December and 9 December 1997).

The Council of State has just, for the second time, penalised the Minister of Regional Development and the
Environment, by judgment of 22 June 2001 (case No 219995) because, despite his claims, he was unable
to prove that he had genuinely completed the whole of the consultation procedure required by French law
before information is forwarded to the European authorities.

The fresh decisions to forward information to the Commission have thus again been rescinded in the case
of the 534 areas in question.

France(cid:146)s Minister of the Environment is now compelled to restart his local consultation procedure from the
very beginning before forwarding any further information. This decision cannot
to have legal
consequences for the commitment of European funds, particularly under the LIFE programme.

fail

Of the 534 areas in question, which constitute the main areas in France, are any currently receiving
cofinancing under LIFE or could any of them be eligible for cofinancing from this European fund? What
action will the Commission take in response to the aforementioned decision by the Council of State as
regards the commitment of funds under LIFE for the areas which may be affected?