WRITTEN QUESTION E-0990/02 by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission. ILO World Commission.
Date: 2002-04-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EP delegation, International Labour Organisation, UN Commission, globalisation, interinstitutional relations (EU), the EU's international role

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/241

(2002/C 205 E/265)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0983/02

by Geneviève Fraisse (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(15 April 2002)

Subject: Incorporation of sex-related indicators into the Commission’s assessment reports relating to the

implementation of the European Charter for Small Enterprises

At the Feira Summit in June 2000 the European Council adopted a Charter for Small Enterprises, under
which the EU’s public authorities are required to provide support for such enterprises. The Commission
has already published two reports on the Member States’ implementation of the Charter, in which progress
is reported in a certain number of areas such as company creation and access to credit.

Has the Commission any sex-related satistics relating to those welcome developments and does it intend to
accede to the request that its next report should illustrate the growth of small businesses in terms of the
contribution made by each of the sexes and describe the methods employed to ensure that both sexes are
involved to an equal extent?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(22 May 2002)

The European Charter for Small Enterprises, which was endorsed at the Feira European Council in June
2000, is central to achieving the objective of making Europe the world’s most competitive and dynamic
It recognises the crucial role that small enterprises play in the development of
economy by 2010.
competitiveness, innovation and employment in Europe.

In this context, the Charter is primarily a tool for improving and coordinating Member States’ policies in
favour of small enterprises. The implementation reports have been drawn up on the basis of information
provided by the Member States. Issues relating to equal opportunities for men and women were not one of
the ten areas covered by the Charter, so it is up to the different Members States whether or not they make
such information available. This is why it
to present detailed data on the male/female
is difficult
breakdown in the business community.

The Commission is nonetheless convinced that this is an important issue for small enterprises and
entrepreneurship. In this context, the Commission took the initiative in 2002 of launching the ‘Promoting
entrepreneurship amongst women’ project, which aims to identify best practices in this field in the
Member States. The results will be presented to a European forum in March 2003.

As part of its ‘Statistics in Focus’ series, Eurostat will shortly be publishing the results a study on the topic
of ‘The entrepreneurial gap between women and men’. This will help improve knowledge about the
proportion of businessmen to businesswomen. This information is collected on a regular basis in the
labour force survey.

(2002/C 205 E/266)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0990/02

by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 April 2002)

Subject: ILO World Commission

At the end of February 2002 Commissioner Pascal Lamy expressed his support for the creation of a World
Commission by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The establishment of the World Commission
on the Social Dimension of Globalisation was decided at the ILO meeting in November 2001. It has the
task of analysing the social dimension of globalisation. The World Commission comprises 18
internationally eminent persons and is to forward its findings and conclusions to the ILO in March 2003.

C 205 E/242

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

Commissioner Lamy stressed the need to involve all the relevant stakeholders, governments, international
organisations, trade unions, employers and civil society in the work of the ILO World Commission.

In what way was consideration given to the possibility of European Parliament representatives participating
in the work of the ILO World Commission?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2002)

The Commission supports the establishment by the ILO of
Dimension of Globalisation and has also expressed its willingness to contribute to its work.

the World Commission on the Social

The World Commission can help the international Community to better understand the complex interface
between globalisation,
trade liberalisation, poverty reduction, social development and decent work,
including core labour standards. The World Commission could also propose innovative and effective
approaches and initiatives in order to strengthen the social dimension of globalisation. The Commission
hopes that
then be better equipped to harness globalisation and
maximise the economic and social benefits of globalisation and trade. The World Commission should seek
the contribution of other international organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), etc.
in order to develop an integral and comprehensive approach. The World
Commission will probably also seek contributions of the Community.

the international Community will

(UNCTAD), World Bank,

The World Commission will address its report to the ILO in 2003. Decisions on new initiatives and actions
remain with the ILO Governing Body and the International Labour Conference which are composed of
Member States on a tripartite basis.

The Commission contributes actively to the social dimension of globalisation. It adopted, on 18 July 2001,
a Communication on promoting core labour standards and strengthening social governance in the context
of globalisation (1) and a Green Paper on corporate social responsibility (2) which are in discussion at the
Parliament. The establishment of the World Commission could also be an element for consideration in the
opinion of the Parliament on the Commission Communication of 18 July 2001. The Parliament could put
this to the attention of the World Commission.

The cooperation with the ILO has been intensified and a new exchange of letters between the Commission
and the ILO was signed on 14 May 2001 in order to strengthen cooperation. A high level meeting
between the Commission and the ILO on 14 February 2002 launched a new cooperation including
technical and development cooperation on core labour standards, capacity building, poverty reduction,
social dialogue, social protection and decent work.

(1) Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social
Committee ? Promoting core labour standards and Improving Social Governance in the context of globalisation ?
COM(2001) 416 final.
(2) COM(2001) 366 final.

(2002/C 205 E/267)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0992/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(15 April 2002)

Subject: Non-factor services

Will the Commission state which EU Member States currently provide a geographical analysis of their
exports and imports of goods and non-factor services?