WRITTEN QUESTION E-3519/01 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission. Gypsies and travellers — Danger of social exclusion in the EU.
Date: 2002-01-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, Roma, eligibility criteria, nomadism, project evaluation, teaching, vocational training

C 147 E/196

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

(cid:1) secondly, also in future, not all substances included in Annex I will be authorised in all Member States.
It may be, for example, that a certain active substance poses a risk to groundwater in the Netherlands,
but it can be used safely in certain crops in Spain. A completion of the European review programme
will, therefore, not result in a totally equal inventory of substances used in all Member States and there
will also in future be some substances which are available to farmers in certain countries but not in
others.

The Commission expects that a major influence towards levelling the playing field will be the withdrawal
from the market of a significant number of active substances in July 2003. This aspect was also addressed
in the Commissions Report to Parliament and Council made in June 2001 (3).

(1) OJ L 230, 19.8.1991.
(2) OJ L 55, 29.2.2000.
(3) COM(2001) 444 final.

(2002/C 147 E/204)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3519/01

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Gypsies and travellers (cid:1) Danger of social exclusion in the EU

Projects submitted to the Commission for grant funding, aimed at developing and improving the education
and training of gypsies and travellers (including fairground, circus and bargee groups) have been rejected
by the external evaluators.

Has the Commission sought to work with the promoters of these projects to help them prepare project
bids which would meet the criteria for financial support, thus allowing them to assist gypsies and
travellers? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(15 February 2002)

The Commission has funded a significant number of projects aimed at developing and improving the
education and training of gypsies and travellers (including fairground, circus and bargee groups).

As this target group is a priority within the Socrates Programme (Comenius) funding has been allocated
every year to projects promoted by organisations active in the field since the earliest years of the
programme. Significant numbers of projects have also been funded under both the Leonardo Da Vinci and
Youth Programmes.

Commission decisions to fund or reject project proposals are based on an independent, external evaluation
carried out by experts in the field. Where new project proposals are not selected for funding promoters
receive a letter outlining the reasons underlying the decision and are encouraged to seek advice from the
appropriate services of the Commission, before submitting a new application

(2002/C 147 E/205)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3522/01

by Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Greece

In Greece today, particularly in the North, there are a number of minorities. Some of them are ethnic
minorities (Turks, Macedonians), others are cultural and linguistic minorities (Vlachs, Arvanites and Roma).