WRITTEN QUESTION E-3486/01 by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission. EIB.
Date: 2002-01-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU body, European Investment Bank, capital increase, operation of the Institutions

20.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 147 E/187

Having said that, respect for linguistic and cultural diversity is now enshrined in Article 22 of the European
Charter of Fundamental Rights, which states that ‘the Union shall respect cultural, religious and linguistic
diversity’. Following an initiative from Parliament, which has adopted a series of resolutions on this subject,
the Union has taken measures to preserve and promote the regional and minority languages of Europe.
This action to foster regional and minority languages covers several aspects,
in particular,
support for the running costs of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages. Moreover, a series of
initiatives financed by the Community to support these languages may be consulted at the following
Internet address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/langmin_fr.html. Lastly, mention should be made in
this connection of the European Year of Languages in 2001, in which many initiatives to promote regional
or minority languages were financed. Further information on this Year is available at the following address:
http://www.eurolang2001.org/eyl/common/home.asp?LANG=FR.

including,

(1) Council Directive of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of

racial or ethnic origin (OJ L 180, 19.7.2000).

(2) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, to which the Honourable Member refers in his
question, and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms contain
references not only to racial discrimination, but also to discrimination on the basis of language, as a separate reason
for prohibited discrimination. In the same way, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union contains,
in Article 21 on non-discrimination, a specific reference to language in addition to other grounds for discrimination,
such as ethnic origin.

(2002/C 147 E/194)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3486/01

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: EIB

Does the Commission have a view on the European Investment Bank’s bid to increase its capital?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(25 January 2002)

The mission of the European Investment Bank (EIB) is to contribute towards the integration, balanced
development and economic and social cohesion of the Member States.

The members of the EIB are the Member States, who have all subscribed to the Bank’s capital, their
respective contributions reflecting their economic weight within the Community. The Board of Governors,
the Bank’s highest decision-making body, is composed of Ministers nominated by each Member State,
usually the latter’s Finance Minister. The Board of Directors consists of 25 Directors and 13 Alternates
appointed by the Board of Governors.

The EIB enjoys its own legal personality and financial autonomy. The EIB maintains close working ties
with the other members of the family of Community institutions in pursuit of the Community’s objectives.
Such co-operation enables the Bank to co-ordinate its operations with those of the other institutions, while
preserving its independence and its own decision-making procedures as provided for in the European
Treaties.

To avoid a significant disruption of the lending activities of the Bank, proposals for a capital increase to
take effect at the beginning of 2003 would have to be submitted to the next Board of Governors meeting
in June 2002. Discussions in the Board of Directors have started so as to enable the EIB to consider in
spring 2002 proposals on both strategic orientations and the capital increase, which will not necessitate a
call on Member States to increase their paid-in capital but will instead be achieved by incorporating free
reserves.

C 147 E/188

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

The Commission is represented on the EIB’s Board of Directors and delivers an opinion on Bank financing
proposals. As the Commission has no shareholding in the EIB, a capital
increase would have no
Community budgetary consequences. However, the Commission’s representatives in the Board of Directors
are actively taking part in the discussions, thereby seeking to ensure that the Bank retains its flexibility to
cater for calls by Parliament and/or Council to contribute to specific policy actions or needs.

(2002/C 147 E/195)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3489/01

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Gypsies and travellers

Is the Commission aware that there are currently no EU funded programmes aimed at developing and
improving the education and training of gypsies and travellers?

Would the Commission agree that
communities are currently being ignored?

the rights and equal opportunities of these highly marginalised

What plans does the Commission have to ensure that the educational needs of travelling communities are,
at least, represented in its programmes?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(15 February 2002)

Under the current phase of Socrates (2000-2006) this target group has been made one of the main
priorities for support in the programme.

Within Comenius in particular, the programme action more specifically concerned with school education,
the education of Gypsies and Travellers is a priority in projects between schools,
the training of
educational staff and the new networks action.

Within Grundtvig, considerable emphasis is given to supporting activities designed to address the
educational needs of ‘hard-to-reach’ social groups, including Travellers, who do not generally tend to take
part in adult education or lifelong learning initiatives, in order to increase their capacity to play a full and
active role in society, to improve their employability by acquiring or updating their general skills and to
enhance their capacity to enter or re-enter formal education.

A number of projects targeting Gypsies have also been funded over the years within the framework of the
Leonardo Da Vinci and Youth Programmes.

The Commission therefore does not share the views of the Honourable Member that the rights of those
communities are ignored as far as Community funded educational activities are concerned.