WRITTEN QUESTION E-1500/02 by Professor Sir Neil MacCormick (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Travellers.
Date: 2002-05-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, Roma, aid system, education policy, schooling

C 277 E/220

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.11.2002

(2002/C 277 E/241)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1500/02

by Professor Sir Neil MacCormick (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(29 May 2002)

Subject: Travellers

Will the Commission please state its opinion on the following propositions?

Since 1989, when the two resolutions on gypsy travellers’ and occupational travellers’ education (1)
the Commission has earmarked funding through the Socrates programme to support

1.
were passed,
collaborative, innovative, international projects to support the necessary step changes.

The recent changes in the review and evaluation process associated with new applications for
2.
funding has led to a serious drop in traveller-focused projects being successful at getting funding. As a
result the situation is now critical, with both EFECOT and Interface facing the imminent prospect of
closure. The loss of these two very effective networks cannot be calculated but there is no mistaking the
consequences of a lack of a capable and informed information base. Traveller issues will once again be in
the periphery with few opportunities for their voices to be heard, nor for concerted and coherent actions
to be promoted.

(1) OJ C 153, 21.6.1989, p. 1 and 3.

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2002)

As the Honourable Member points out, the Commission has a long record of interest in ensuring that
support is given to initiatives aimed at improving the education and training of travellers.

Under the current phase of Socrates (2000-2006), this target group has been made one of the main
priorities for support across all the programme’s actions in every sector of education: school (and pre-
school) education, higher education, adult education and other educational pathways.

As this target group is a priority within the Socrates Programme, funding has been allocated every year to
projects promoting the education of gypsies and travellers, including during the 2000 and 2001 selection
rounds. With a view to guaranteeing best use of public money and better quality of projects, Commission
decisions to fund or reject project proposals are based on an independent, external evaluation carried out
by experts in the field. Where new project proposals are not selected for funding, promoters receive a
letter outlining the reasons underlying the decision and are encouraged to seek advice from the
appropriate services of
the Commission. The Commission believes that project quality is the only
appropriate basis for project selection.

(2002/C 277 E/242)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1505/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Selective application of Directive 1999/70/EC

(29 May 2002)

According to accusations repeatedly made by the IKA Association of Scientific Health Care Staff in Greece,
the Greek Government is refusing to apply the provisions of Directive 1999/70/EC (1) (which Greece ought
to have adopted and implemented by 2000). This directive obliges the EU Member States to convert
successive fixed-term contracts covering many years into contracts of an indefinite duration by July 2002.
As a result of this decision, approximately 5 500 doctors who have for years been working for the Social
Security Institution (IKA) > many of whom have been working there for 20 years > will remain in an
insecure situation, in spite of the fact that they work to meet fixed and constant needs in a particularly
sensitive and key sector, which suffers from immense deficiencies and problems.