WRITTEN QUESTION E-3682/01 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Council. Education and welfare of gypsies and travellers.
Date: 2002-01-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Roma, education, education policy, nomadism, project evaluation, vocational training

C 147 E/220

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

In the 3rd CSF 2000-2006 for Greece, and as part of the operational programme (OP) ‘Education and
Initial Vocational Training’ & priority 2 ‘Promotion and improvement of education and vocational training
in the context of lifelong learning’, action 2.3.2 ‘Development of TEEs and Education Laboratories’ includes
measures:

& for setting up and implementing arrangements linking the business sector and the jobs market;

& for improving curricula and introducing innovative teaching methods and tools better suited to new

needs;

& for pilot projects for improving the quality of education after evaluation;

& whereby greater importance is attached to improving organisation and evaluation.

Furthermore, the same programme’s other priorities provide for a whole series of measures to tackle the
problem of people dropping out of school, and to help ensure that this institution functions effectively.

The sum allotted for
determination of the national authorities in this field.

these measures is approximately € 500 million, which shows the level of

The defects and shortcomings referred to by the Honourable Member may be due to the time devoted to
setting up the authorities responsible for running the programmes, as provided for in Council Regulation
(EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (1). Even
though the implementation of the projects and measures has been delayed for this reason, the authority
responsible for the OP mentioned above has indicated that the selection of the projects concerned, and
their implementation, is due to begin before the end of 2002, which will thus help towards solving these
problems.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 147 E/232)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3682/01

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Council

(17 January 2002)

Subject: Education and welfare of gypsies and travellers

NATT is a professional teaching organisation that deals with the education and welfare of gypsies and
travellers. It is a founder member of Efecot, the European Federation for the Education of Travellers (1988)
based in Brussels.

Efecot has received European funding for its programmes, and has also produced a seven-year work plan
at the request of the Commission. The Commision has also asked Efecot to present its working practices
and management of projects in different forums as an example of good practice.

the Commission has organised a system of external evaluators to assess project
Recently, however,
proposals. Since the establishment of
this scheme, projects submitted to the evaluators aiming at
developing and improving the education and training of gypsies and travellers have been consistently
rejected, and the Commission has not intervened to correct this problem.

What action is the Council going to take to rectify this problem and ensure that these projects are given
the due consideration they were formerly allocated?

20.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 147 E/221

Reply

(18 March 2002)

The Council is aware of the improvement in systems of education for all but suggests that the Honourable
Member should put his question direct to the Commission, which is competent to deal with the type of
problem raised in it.

(2002/C 147 E/233)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3683/01

by Nicholas Clegg (ELDR) to the Commission

(17 January 2002)

Subject: Irradiated food

Does the Commission believe that only the term ‘irradiated’, or a similar term, should be used to describe
food that has undergone irradiation treatment on relevant labels?

At present in the United Kingdom, a number of different terms such as ‘treated by cold pasteurisation’,
‘sterilised with electron beam (E-beam) technology’ and ‘electronically pasteurised’ are all used.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 2002)

Labelling of irradiated foods is regulated by Article 6 of Directive 1999/2/EC of the Parliament and of the
Council of 22 February 1999 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning foods
and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation (1). It provides that the words ‘irradiated’ or ‘treated
with ionising radiation’ shall be used to indicate that the foodstuff or an ingredient of the foodstuff has
been irradiated. This wording is therefore mandatory and aims at ensuring full transparency for the
consumer.

Information about food irradiation is available on the following web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/
fs/sfp/sfp_index_en.html.

(1) OJ L 66, 13.3.1999,.

(2002/C 147 E/234)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3685/01

by Nicholas Clegg (ELDR) to the Commission

(17 January 2002)

Subject: NHS authorities

Can the Commission confirm that the United Kingdom Government is not permitted, as a matter of
European Community law, to forbid NHS authorities to contract for health services from suppliers based
in other Member States in a situation in which such authorities are permitted to contract with private
suppliers of health services who are based in the UK?

Is it permissible for the UK Government to prohibit NHS authorities from contracting with suppliers of
health services in other Member States until UK regulations are adopted setting out the terms under which
such overseas contracting can take place? In particular, is such a restriction acceptable when the NHS
authorities are responsible by law for health care in their locality?