WRITTEN QUESTION E-1121/02 by Johannes Swoboda (PSE) to the Commission. Possibility of EU subsidies for student halls of residence.
Date: 2002-04-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, Structural Funds, competence of the Member States, education grant, educational exchange, financial aid, principle of subsidiarity, student residence

26.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 229 E/183

(2002/C 229 E/210)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1121/02

by Johannes Swoboda (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Possibility of EU subsidies for student halls of residence

(18 April 2002)

In what way does the European Union subsidise the construction and/or renovation of student halls of
residence? Are there, for example, any special subsidies for halls which reserve a certain percentage of
rooms for participants in the EU’s student mobility programmes (e.g. ERASMUS)?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(30 May 2002)

The construction and renovation of student halls of residence, which forms part of third level educational
building or maintenance programmes, is the responsibility of the Higher Education Institutions themselves
and/or National authorities and not of the Commission.

Any assistance which might come from the Commission would be in the context of structural fund
support. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity and under the terms of Council Regulation (EC)
No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (1), both the
choice of the projects and their implementation fall within the responsibility for the Member States.

The arrangements for reception of university students on Community funded exchange programmes are a
matter for the universities’ authorities rather than for the Commission. Universities are required to come to
prior agreements on such issues before student grants can be made.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2002/C 229 E/211)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1142/02

by Carlos Lage (PSE) to the Commission

(24 April 2002)

Subject: Food products containing free gifts

Various European child safety organisations have been loud in their condemnation of accidents involving
children swallowing non-comestible objects contained in chocolate eggs, cereal packets, etc., Statistics
indicate 2000 accidents of this kind a year throughout Europe with numerous instances of children dying
from suffocation.

Does the Commission possess any sort of study or statistics which would corroborate these accident
figures?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(30 May 2002)

As far as the collection of information in general is concerned, the Commission co-finances within the
Injury Prevention Programme national data collection projects in the field of home and leisure accidents.
The data are usually collected by the contractors in the Member States in outpatient departments of
hospitals and contain the product involved in the injury and a description of the process leading to the
injury. This description allows also for the identification of hazardous products.

One contractor under the injury Prevention Programme has prepared it’s own ‘Summary of studies and
incidents’, which is sent directly to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat together with a
further critique of these and other studies.