WRITTEN QUESTION P-0205/02 by Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Creation of anti-globalisation units and a database of demonstrators.
Date: 2002-01-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, Treaty on European Union, antiglobalisation movement, database, exchange of information, personal data, protection of freedoms, protection of privacy, public order

C 205 E/80

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

Has the Spanish Government informed the Council of these measures?

Does the Council consider that setting up a database as described above is consistent with European
standards of protection of privacy?

Can the Council guarantee that the demonstrators who appear in the database will be able to gain access
to their personal data? If so, how?

(2002/C 205 E/090)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0205/02

by Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(29 January 2002)

Subject: Creation of anti-globalisation units and a database of demonstrators

It is reported by a number of information networks that the Spanish Ministry of the Interior has set up
‘anti-globalisation’ units that will be brought in during events that take place during the Spanish Presidency
of the EU, during first half of 2002, in particular to prevent any disturbances during anti-globalisation
demonstrations.

The Ministry is apparently also updating a database which contains the personal details of a large number
of people who took part in demonstrations during the Göteborg, Genoa and Barcelona summits. The
database is said to contain information provided by different European police forces concerning the
protests that took place in these three cities. In the same context, the Spanish intelligence services have
stated that
since
December 2001.

they have been monitoring the Internet

sites of anti-globalisation movements

Has the Spanish Government informed the Council of these measures?

Does the Council consider that setting up a database as described above is consistent with European
standards of protection of privacy?

Can the Council guarantee that the demonstrators who appear in the database will be able to gain access
to their personal data?

Joint answer
to Written Questions P-0142/02, P-0152/02, P-0157/02, P-0180/02,
P-0191/02 and P-0205/02

(21 May 2002)

1.

The Council draws the attention to Article 33 of the Treaty on European Union, which says that:

This Title (Title VI: Provisions on police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters) shall not affect
the exercise of the responsibilities incumbent upon Member States with regard to the maintenance of
law and order and the safeguarding of internal security.

As concerns data protection, the Council of Europe Convention of 1981 for the protection of
2.
individuals with regard to automatic processing of personal data has been ratified by all 15 Member States.

3.
In the conclusions adopted by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the
Member States, on 13 July 2001, concerning security at meetings of the European Council and other
comparable events the objective of the European Union was recalled to maintain and develop the Union as
an area of freedom, security and justice. In such an area, citizens must enjoy the right freely to express
their opinions and to assemble in a peaceful manner, rights reflected in the European Convention on
Human Rights, and the right to do so in conditions where there is not a threat to their own security or to
that of other citizens or properties.

29.8.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/81

In the same conclusions the importance was underlined of a constructive dialogue between the organisers
of public demonstrations and the authorities of the host country and the importance of close international
contacts, particularly among the Member States’ law enforcement authorities, to ensure that legitimate
demonstrations are not exploited or abused for the purpose of committing acts of collective or individual
violence.

(2002/C 205 E/091)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0144/02

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

(1 February 2002)

Subject: Job vacancy rate in the Commission staff

What is the current vacancy rate in the Commission staff?

Could the Commission give results DG by DG?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(18 March 2002)

At the end of 2000, 480 Commission posts were vacant. This represented 2,8 % of the total number of
permanent and temporary posts in the establishment plan of the operating budget of the Institution. It was
the lowest rate over the past six years and obviously near to the 2 % which the Commission considers to
be the lowest possible vacancy rate on the basis of current recruitment procedures.

The conclusions of the extensive Peer Group review exercise A which had the purpose of enabling the
Commission to match tasks with human resources more effectively and efficiently A the Budgetary
Authority granted to the Commission 400 new posts in 2001 and 317 new posts in 2002. For this reason
alone, the Commission has been faced in 2001 and will still be faced in 2002 with an unusually high
number of vacant posts. Since there are not enough successful candidates on reserve lists to fill these posts
immediately, a large number of competitions were launched in 2001.

The number of vacant posts decreased significantly in 2001: it went from 1 062 on 1 January 2001 to
660 on 31 December 2001. This represents 3,7 % of the total number of permanent and temporary posts
in the establishment plan of the operating budget, which is lower than the objective (695 vacant jobs) set
by the Commission at the beginning of 2001.

For the year 2002, as the Honourable Member will know, the Budgetary Authority agreed to 317 new
posts for the Commission and also to the transformation of 60 temporary posts into permanent posts. 25
extra posts also became available by transforming credits into posts. As a result, in 2002 the establishment
plan increased by 302 permanent A posts and by 100 permanent B posts.

The allocation of new posts led to a marked increase in the rate of vacant posts, mainly in the A and B
categories:

Vacant posts in the establishment plan of the operating budget

Authorised posts 2002 budget

Vacant posts 4 February 2002

17 906

1 017

100 %

5,7 %

During 2001 the Commission launched 16 competitions to fill vacant posts,
in particular to select
candidates with specific profiles and competencies as described by the Peer Group (1). Another 6-10
competitions are still underway or are in the preparatory stages.