WRITTEN QUESTION P-0272/02 by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Preparation for the European Council meeting in Barcelona.
Date: 2002-02-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU action, EU research policy, European Council, labour mobility, research staff

C 172 E/172

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2002

To determine whether this target can be met, first of all the term ‘main basic public services’ had to be
defined. The Commission therefore proposed a list of 20 basic public services, 12 for citizens and eight for
businesses, which was approved by the Internal Market Council in November 2001. As a follow-up, an
open call for tenders has been launched to measure the availability of these public services online. The
terms of reference for this call stated explicitly that a four-stage-model, developed by the Dutch Economic
Institute, had to be used to assess the degree of online sophistication. Level 1 is information only; stage 2
is when forms can be downloaded and submitted online; stage 3 full processing of forms including
authentication and stage 4 secure online transactions. These are translated into percentages and averages
across the 20 services.

First results of this survey have been presented by the consultants at the eGovernment conference of
29-30 November 2001 in Brussels, which was organised jointly by the Commission and the Belgian
Presidency. The consultants have drawn a representative sample of more than 10 000 local, regional and
federal administrations of which 7 400 had a web site and were surveyed. Results for each of the
20 services can be found in the full report (2). The survey showed that about a half of basic public services
is already made available online, although this mostly only means that forms can be downloaded from
websites. It also indicated that services provided by a single administrative unit have higher levels of online
service delivery whereas services provided by decentralised local agencies are less well developed.

The Commission concluded from this that good progress has been made in Member States with regard to
the target. However, more needs to be done to achieve a higher level of interactivity and eventually full
electronic delivery of the service. This will require important back office reorganisation to deal with
complex transactions at a single-entry point for citizens and businesses. Provided this happens, the
Commission believes that the target set was an ambitious one, but that Member States overall are on track
with the realisation of the target.

(1) COM(2000) 330 final.
(2) http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/news_library/documents/bench_online_services.doc.

(2002/C 172 E/181)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0272/02

by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 February 2002)

Subject: Preparation for the European Council meeting in Barcelona

The 2000 Lisbon European Council called on the Council and the Commission, together with the Member
States where appropriate to ‘take steps to remove obstacles to the mobility of researchers in Europe by
2002 and to attract and retain high-quality research talent in Europe’. What steps have been taken? Will
this target be met? How is the Commission monitoring progress?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(14 March 2002)

Following the Lisbon European Council of 23-24 March 2000, the Commission convened a High Level
Group consisting of representatives of the Member States from July 2000 to April 2001. In its report (1),
the Group identified the main obstacles likely to hinder the intra-European and international mobility of
researchers as well as a series of good practices implemented in the Member States to remedy this. The
Group also identified specific lines of action to be taken in the short and medium term. On the basis of
this work, the Commission adopted in June 2001 a mobility strategy for the European Research Area (2)
which it presented to Parliament and the Council. This strategy is aimed at creating a favourable
environment for the mobility of researchers through a series of practical initiatives. It was endorsed by the
Council in its resolution of 10 December 2001 (3).

18.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 172 E/173

Some of the actions proposed are aimed at improving local information and assistance to attract European
and international researchers to Europe:

B firstly, the setting up of an Internet portal linking national and Commission internet sites, which will
provide a common entry point for access to information on applicable legislation and regulations,
funding opportunities and job vacancies and research training. A prototype of such a portal should be
tested by autumn 2002;

B secondly,

the creation of a European network of existing or future mobility centres providing
researchers and their families with local assistance on all areas affecting the conditions for their
mobility in the European host country: admission conditions, social security,
tax arrangements,
pension rights, access to accommodation, education systems, etc. The formal constitution of this
network is scheduled for autumn 2002.

In addition to this, exchanges of information and good practice have been launched between and with
Member States and the candidate countries. Since 2001, an initial exchange concerning the admission
conditions for foreign researchers has clarified the various regulatory and administrative systems in force in
the Union. This exchange has improved awareness of the specific nature of research in the field of entry
and residence for nationals of third countries.

In the course of 2002, similar exercises will be carried out in the field of social and tax provisions. There
will be coordination with the activities of the Commission and the Member States in the fields of skills and
mobility of workers (4), and mobility for students, persons undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and
trainers (5). In particular, a joint task force was set up in November 2001 with a view to defining by the
end of 2002 a common approach to research and education, including questions of mobility.

Finally, the efforts to improve the conditions for the mobility of researchers will be backed up by increased
direct funding in the future framework programme 2002-2006 (6).

The monitoring of the implementation of the strategy on mobility in the field of research will be carried
out by a steering group consisting of representatives appointed by the Research Ministers in the Union and
the candidate countries which will be able to base its assessment on an annual scoreboard of progress
achieved.

To sum up, the process launched in Lisbon (23-24 March 2000) to eliminate the obstacles to mobility and
attract or retain the best researchers is a vast undertaking requiring a series of actions determined and
coordinated at all levels, including and above all at the level of the Member States. The implementation of
these actions which will continue beyond 2002 is already well underway. Thus, the dynamic created by
the mobility strategy will have achieved significant progress by the end of this year.

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp5/pdf/finalreportmobilityhleg.pdf.
(2) COM(2001) 331 final.
(3) OJ C 367, 21.12.2001.
(4) See Communication from the Commission to the Council ‘New European labour market, open to all, with access
for all’, COM(2001) 116 final of 28 February 2001, and the ‘Commission’s action plan for skills and mobility’,
COM(2002) 72 final of 13 February 2002.

(5) Recommendation 2001/613/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 July 2001 on mobility within
the Community for students, persons undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and trainers, OJ L 215, 9.8.2001.

(6) http://www.ce.cec/sg_vista/cgi-bin/repo.

(2002/C 172 E/182)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0285/02

by Kyösti Virrankoski (ELDR) to the Commission

(8 February 2002)

Subject: The Scientific Committee’s report on the welfare of animals kept for fur production

On 12-13 December 2001 the Commission’s Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare
approved a report on the welfare of animals kept for fur production.