WRITTEN QUESTION E-3200/01 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Implementation of the programme of integrated interventions for combating unemployment in Greece.
Date: 2001-11-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, EU programme, Greece, application of EU law, fight against unemployment, recruitment

C 147 E/128

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

(2002/C 147 E/133)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3199/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Progress of projects connected to the Olympic Games

(20 November 2001)

The Commission is funding a number of projects relating to the quality of life and culture which are
connected to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. As far as the quality of life is concerned, these projects
include the Underground, projects to ease traffic congestion in Athens and others which are still at the
planning stage, such as the tram and the suburban railway projects. In the cultural field, these include
projects to integrate archaeological sites. Will
the Commission say where problems have arisen in
completing these projects?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(18 January 2002)

The Greek authorities sent to the Commission on 13 September 2001 a list of the most important projects
which they consider related to the 2004 Olympic Games and which are proposed for inclusion in
operational programmes under the Community support framework for the 2000-2006 programming
period.

The Commission sent a letter to those authorities on 25 October 2001, informing them that it will keep
close contacts with the managing authorities and offer every support needed in order to help the Greek
authorities to reach the targets set for the completion of these works.

The Commission also pointed out that the contracts related to the suburban railway and the tramway
projects had not yet been concluded and that every effort would need to be made to accelerate these
projects in particular. The Commission will have regular contacts to that end in the coming months with
the managing authorities concerned. It should be remembered however that, within the terms of Council
regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural funds (1),
the project planning and execution are the Member States’ entire responsibility.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 147 E/134)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3200/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 November 2001)

Subject: Implementation of the programme of integrated interventions for combating unemployment in

Greece

The programme of integrated interventions which is funded by the European Union seeks to place 3 000
unemployed persons in employment for 28 months in the Prefecture of Ioannina in an initial period, and
the programme is then expected to be extended to other prefectures in Greece. A public body, the
Organisation for the Employment of the Workforce, has undertaken the task of recruiting and placing the
job-seekers. According to available national statistics, the number of registered unemployed persons in the
Prefecture of Ioannina far exceeds the number of jobs subsidised by the programme.

Have specific criteria been adopted for the selection of the unemployed who have been < or will

1.
be < recruited, and what are these criteria?

Is so, how is it ensuring that the Organisation for the Employment of the Workforce complies with

2.
and implements these criteria?

3. Which other prefectures will the programme be extended to?

20.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 147 E/129

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(29 January 2002)

Only unemployed persons with whom a personal action plan has been agreed in accordance with the
procedures in place are eligible for recruitment under the ‘Integrated Interventions’ programme. Priority is
given to persons who have become unemployed due to mass redundancies or the restructuring of
companies; who are older than 45 years; who belong to vulnerable population groups (e.g. people with
special needs, repatriates, immigrants, refugees, single parents); who are long-term unemployed; who are in
subsidised employed; and to women.

Unemployed persons belonging to one of the first three categories mentioned above have an absolute
priority to be selected; those belonging to the other three categories are selected for promotion to the
programme on the basis of a points system in which the main criteria are: the length of the period of
unemployment, the income of the unemployed person, the passage from passive to active measures and
the gender of the person.

The above criteria and the relevant procedures are foreseen and described in a ministerial decree of the
Ministry of Labour. The Greek National Organisation for Employment,
their
implementation under the supervision of the Managing Authority of the ‘Employment and Vocational
Training’ operational programme, as provided for in the management system of the Community Support
Framework 2000-2006 for Greece.

responsible for

is

Currently,
it is foreseen that such integrated intervention programmes will be implemented in seven
prefectures, namely those of Fthiothida, Ioannina, Grevena, Larissa, Arta, Preveza and Thesprotia. However,
only the Ioannina prefecture programme will be co-financed by the European Social Fund in the
framework of the ‘Employment and Vocational Training’ operational programme. The remaining six will
be implemented with national resources.

(2002/C 147 E/135)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3205/01

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE), Chris Davies (ELDR),
Karin Scheele (PSE), Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL)
and Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (PSE) to the Commission

(22 November 2001)

Subject: Price or irrigation water and Spanish National Hydrological Plan

The Spanish National Hydrological Plan has recently been approved by the Spanish Parliament (Law 10/
2001 of 5 July 2001). The Spanish Government wishes to apply for EU structural funding covering at least
1⁄3 (€ 7 683 million) of the global cost of the Plan, estimated at € 23 050 million.

Has the Commission examined whether this Law fulfils the requirements of the Water Framework
Directive 2000/60/EC (1), and in particular of its Article 9, which says that Member States shall take into
account a policy of recovery of the real water costs in order to ensure an efficient use of water resources?

Is not the Commission of the opinion that the implementation of the Spanish National Hydrological Plan
Law would imply a covert subvention of the water price for agriculture and tourism development purposes
in certain Spanish regions? Would not it represent a case of unfair competition against other European
regions?

(1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1.