WRITTEN QUESTION E-0625/02 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) and Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Cedefop's methods.
Date: 2002-03-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cedefop, administration of the Institutions, dissemination of EU information, image, recruitment

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/177

The Commission would remind the Honourable Member that, under the partnership, both the selection
and implementation of projects are the responsibility of the regional authorities responsible for the
management and monitoring of the programmes part-financed by the European Regional Development
Fund. Accordingly, the project promoters could submit their proposal to the Ministry of Culture, Gabinete
de gestão do P.O. Cultura, Palácio Nacional da Ajuda.

(2002/C 205 E/189)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0625/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) and Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Cedefop’s methods

(6 March 2002)

According to a report in the well-respected news bulletin ‘Agence Europe’ (No 8131, 18 January 2002),
the European Ombudsman has decided to investigate the phraseology used by Cedefop when
communicating with the general public. The report gives a full description of the pejorative terms
contained in official documents of this decentralised agency which it uses to convey its views to European
citizens who have protested against its methods. The Centre’s methods have raised concerns in the
Community Institutions and the international press on numerous occasions, indeed, the Court of Auditors
stated last December that many of the appointments made by Cedefop were ‘insufficiently justified’. The
entire situation has a negative impact on Greece, the Centre’s host, which does everything in its power to
enhance its role and facilitate its tasks but which suffers the repercussions of the methods used by the
Centre.

What
is the Commission’s view of Cedefop’s policy in this regard? Who is responsible for the
inappropriate language used in its documents? Who exactly is responsible for the irregularities detected
in recruitment? In how many languages are Cedefop documents and information bulletins drawn up and
which languages are they?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(24 April 2002)

Cedefop is a decentralised body set up under Regulation (EEC) No 337/75 of the Council of 10 February
1975 establishing a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (1), article 7 § 4. It is
autonomous as regards its staff policy, over which the Commission has no control, beyond being
represented on its Management Board. Indeed according to its basic Regulation, it is the Director who is
‘responsible for all staff matters and for engaging and dismissing staff’ (2). Written opinions to the
Ombudsman are signed by the Director who is responsible for personnel matters.

On 7 January 2002, the Ombudsman started an own initiative inquiry and addressed a letter to the
Chairman of the Management Board concerning language in correspondence used by Cedefop not with the
general public but between Cedefop and the Ombudsman’s office. On 6 March 2002 the Chairman of the
Board replied on behalf of Cedefop.

In the reply it was stated that Cedefop regretted the language used in its opinions on complaints and that
it had not anticipated that this correspondence would be published. Cedefop underlined that its services
have always been very careful to be courteous and accessible in their dealings with the general public and
complainants. This was also the case with the three plaintiffs involved in the cases referred to in the
Ombudsman’s letter. The Bureau invited the Director to take appropriate measures and give instructions to
his staff to avoid any repetitions of inappropriate wording when providing written opinions on complaints
in the future.

On 13 March 2002 the Ombudsman wrote to the Chairman of the Board that on the basis of his inquiries
there appeared to have been no maladministration by Cedefop. The Ombudsman therefore closed the case.

C 205 E/178

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

The Commission would refer the Honourable Members to its previous answer to written question
E-3675/01 by Mr Marínos (3) concerning Cedefop’s recruitment policy and in particular the Court of
Auditors statement in their report of December 2001 that many of the appointments made by Cedefop
were ‘insufficiently justified’.

Hard copy and electronic information (http://www.cedefop.eu.int/) on Cedefop,
its tasks, activities and
products (‘Cedefop in brief’) is available in all 11 official languages of the Community. Efforts are made to
ensure that summaries of major Cedefop reference publications are published in all official languages (e.g.
‘Training and learning for competence, Second report on vocational training research in Europe’). The vast
majority of Cedefop’s information resources available in the European Training Village (www.trainingvil-
lage.gr) are provided in English, French, German and Spanish as well as the European Journal ‘Vocational
Training’ (4)). Cedefop publishes quarterly an information bulletin (Cedefop Info) in English, French and
German.

(1) OJ L 39, 13.2.1975.
(2) See also answer to written question E-2549/98, OJ C 118, 29.4.1999.
(3) OJ C 147 E, 20.6.2002.
(4) The European Journal exists also in Portuguese but this version is being undertaken by the Portuguese authorities.

(2002/C 205 E/190)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0626/02

by Concepció Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 March 2002)

Subject: The electricity market

A recent Commission report on the opening-up of the electricity markets has drawn attention to the
existence of substantial distortions within the internal market, notably concerning excessive network access
charges.

Does the Commission intend to take any action to require the Member States to end this state of affairs,
given that it represents a major obstacle to firms’ competitiveness?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(17 April 2002)

As stated in the conclusions to the report (1), the Commission believes that the solution to this problem lies
in the rapid implementation of its proposals to extend market opening and strengthen the degree of
unbundling and regulatory scrutiny of network access.

Of course other specific action cannot be ruled out in the case where current directives are infringed or
where there are violations of Community competition law. Infringement procedures have already been
implemented against Belgium for the electricity directive (2), and Germany and France for the gas
directive (3) as a result of delays and non implementation of part or all of the provisions of these directives.

The Commission intends
developments. Further
proposals may result from such monitoring.

to update the benchmarking exercise on an annual basis to examine
infringement procedures, Commission recommendations or more legislative

(1)
First (‘benchmarking’) report on the implementation of the internal electricity and gas market SEC(2001) 1957.
(2) Directive 96/92/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 1996 concerning common rules for the

internal market in electricity, OJ L 27, 30.1.1997.

(3) Directive 98/30/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 concerning common rules for the

internal market in natural gas, OJ L 204, 21.7.1998.