WRITTEN QUESTION P-1145/02 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Failure of Commission officials to use their mother tongue.
Date: 2002-04-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, official language, operation of the Institutions, use of languages

C 205 E/256

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

the Commission would draw to the attention of

its
In that context
Communication of 24 September 1997 on ‘The European Aerospace Industry # meeting the global
challenge’ (1) and its action plan on defence ‘Implementing European Union strategy on defence-related
industries’ (2). The need to address defence procurement issues and cross border trade was identified as a
priority in these Communications.

the Honourable Member

In 2001 following a request from the aerospace industry to the President of the Commission, and against
the background of the changes which have taken place in the sector in recent years, an advisory group
whose members sit in an individual capacity, was given the task to analyse the existing political and
to highlight any deficiencies, and to make recom-
regulatory framework for aerospace in Europe,
mendations for improvements.

As regards the representation on the group, the members concerned are considered to be well placed to
address the key economic and political developments in the Union’s policies which are most likely to affect
the competitiveness of the aerospace industry.

The group, which has met twice so far, has looked at five areas where action could help to secure the
future of the industry and consolidate its position in the interests of the Union as a whole # competing on
world markets, the operating environment for aerospace, European governance of civil aviation, the
developing European defence market and sustaining a European space policy.

The group has not made any interim reports and expects to be in a position to present its final report by
July 2002 to the President of the Commission. The report, which will be published, will be provided to all
the Community Institutions including the Parliament.

If representatives of civil society, including non governmental organisations (NGOs) wish to provide their
views on any aspect dealt with in the report they will be free to do so. It should be pointed out also that
the advisory group’s role is to carry out an analysis and to make recommendations. It has no decision
making function and its deliberations are conducted in the same way as in the case of comparable groups.

As regards defence matters, the Commission draws the attention of the Honourable Member to the reply it
gave to Oral Question 0-90/01 by Mr Brok during question’s time at Parliament’s April 2002 session (3) in
relation to its future intentions as regards the defence related industries. The Commission welcomes also
the initiative of the Parliament to adopt a Resolution (2002-0172) on European defence industries.

(1) COM(97) 466 final.
(2) COM(97) 583 final.
(3) Oral reply, 19.4.2002.

(2002/C 205 E/285)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1145/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 April 2002)

Subject: Failure of Commission officials to use their mother tongue

Parliament provides interpreting facilities in all the official languages of the Union for all meetings of its
parliamentary committees. However, some Commission officials (principally Greek and Dutch) who attend
these meetings and are asked for their opinions almost exclusively use English (and French to a lesser
extent) when they could quite easily speak in their mother tongue.

Are the Commission’s departments under instructions which prohibit their officials from using their
mother tongue and compel them to speak only in English and French? What steps will the Commission
take to persuade some of its officials that they may and should use their mother tongue as it is an integral
aspect of multiculturalism in Europe?

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/257

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2002)

No circular has been issued at the Commission which forbids its officials to use their mother tongue or
obliges them to use only English or French.

The Commission would first of all stress that under Article 28(f) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the
European Communities, one of the general conditions of recruitment is that applicants have ‘a thorough
knowledge of one of the languages of the Communities and a satisfactory knowledge of another language
of the Communities to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties’. It is therefore not
stipulated that knowledge of a particular Community language takes precedence over knowledge of other
languages.

The Commission would furthermore point out that according to the implementing provisions in its Rules
of Procedure, it uses three languages in practice, namely German, French and English.

The Commission therefore does not see any objective reason for compelling its officials to use a particular
language # even if this is their mother tongue # and depart from the existing rules and established
practice.

As regards the specific case of the Commission’s participation in parliamentary committee meetings where
interpretation into all the EU’s official languages is available, the Commission’s officials are free to choose
the language they wish to speak. Thus, for example, some choose # for convenience # to express
themselves in the language in which they have been dealing with a particular question, whilst others #
because of the technical nature of the discussions # use a language familiar to the largest number of
participants so that most of them can follow the proceedings directly.

(2002/C 205 E/286)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1211/02

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(30 April 2002)

Subject: Mirko Tremaglia

Following the publication of an article in Corriere della Sera on 4 February in which Mirko Tremaglia,
Italy’s Minister for Italians Overseas, expressed his regret that Il Duce’s Italy did not win the Second World
War, with the words ‘of course, one wages war as a volunteer to win it’; does the Commission wish to
dissociate itself from such remarks?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2002)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to his Written Question E-0813/02 (1).

(1) OJ C 172 E, 18.7.2002, p. 225.

(2002/C 205 E/287)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1291/02

by Alejandro Cercas (PSE) to the Commission

(8 May 2002)

Subject: Closure of the Fontaneda biscuit factory in Aguilar de Campoo (Palencia, Spain)

The biscuit factory in Aguilar de Campoo (Palencia province, Spain), which dates back to 1881, has long
represented an oasis of prosperity in a district located in an Objective 1 region, characterised by severe
socio-economic and labour problems.