WRITTEN QUESTION E-0835/02 by Colette Flesch (ELDR) to the Commission. Increase in the size of the Commission's translation service.
Date: 2002-03-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, accession to the European Union, administrative expenditure (EU), operation of the Institutions, personnel administration, self-employed person, translation

C 309 E/50

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

(2002/C 309 E/057)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0835/02

by Colette Flesch (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 March 2002)

Subject: Increase in the size of the Commission’s translation service

According to the 7-13 March 2002 edition of European Voice, the Commission is soon to announce that
110 extra translators will be needed on account of EU enlargement. Of those 110, 60 will be employed at
the Commission in Brussels and 50 will work as freelancers in the Member States.

Can the Commission confirm the accuracy of this information?

Can it say how many extra translators will be employed by the Commission in Luxembourg?

Will it also say whether or not the employment of a substantial number of freelancers working in places
other than the EU institutions’ places of work is in accordance with the Treaties and with the agreements
relating to the seats of those institutions?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(4 June 2002)

The information which appeared in the 7-13 March 2002 issue of European Voice concerning the
Commission’s Translation Service (SdT) was not accurate.

Following an initial examination of requirements arising from the forthcoming Enlargement, an internal
Commission paper adopted on 9 April 2002 provided an indicative estimate of the resources the SdT will
require to take account of enlargement. The total of the human and financial resources is estimated at the
including support and
equivalent
management. Of this total, 60 translators would hold permanent posts and the remaining resources would
be divided between permanent staff in management and support functions and appropriations for contract
staff performing either translation or support tasks.

in appropriations of 110 posts per new language for translation,

The Commission is not in a position to specify how many translators will be posted to its departments in
Luxembourg. It can, however, confirm that the balance between Luxembourg and Brussels will not be to
the detriment of Luxembourg.

The Honourable Member will be aware that decisions on contracting out translation work to freelance
translators, in terms of both the volume (currently around 20 % of total SdT output but, as previously
announced, to be scaled up to a possible 30 % by end-2005) and the type of document sent out, are a
matter for its administrative autonomy. This is not a breach of the Treaties or the agreements relating to
the seats of the Institutions in any way.

It should also be borne in mind that freelance translators work for the Commission as external service-
providers, are paid on a piecework basis, and are therefore not Commission staff in the broad sense of the
term.

(2002/C 309 E/058)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0848/02

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(27 March 2002)

Subject: Diamonds

The successful conclusion of the Kimberley Process is critical if the world-wide trade in conflict diamonds
is to be stopped. Unless this trade is rapidly brought to an end, the millions of people whose lives are