WRITTEN QUESTION E-1939/02 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Cost of the Commission reform.
Date: 2002-07-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, administrative reform, cost analysis, institutional reform

C 92 E/120

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

(2003/C 92 E/168)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1939/02

by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(3 July 2002)

Subject: Cost of the Commission reform

On 1 March 2000, with the adoption of the White Paper on the reform of the Commission, the reform of
the European Union’s executive was officially launched. This is an ambitious project, particularly when
seen in the light of the forthcoming enlargement of the Community.

The aim of the reform is to simplify the Commission’s work and to make it more transparent and less
onerous.

European taxpayers are wondering whether the reform (cid:1) which in practice will
involve the partial
abolition of the European civil service at this crucial moment when discussions on the future of Europe are
in progress (cid:1) will at least be effective from an operational and economic point of view. Various premature
measures (such as the privatisation of services) are already sending out discouraging signals.

1.

How many Commission officials have been involved in the preparations for the reform?

2. What is the overall cost in man-hours of the work carried out by those officials?

3. What external staff have been involved in work relating to the reform or are currently engaged in
such work, and in which sectors?

4. What is the overall cost of the external studies that were conducted with a view to the drafting of the
reform proposal?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(9 August 2002)

For the specific purpose of preparing the Reform Strategy, the Commission decided, on 18 September
1999, to create the ‘Task Force for Administrative Reform’. At various times from October 1999, up to
8 A, 1 B and 2 C officials worked in the Task Force on a full time basis.

Up to the dissolution of the Task Force in September 2001, 155 person/month of A grade officials’,
10 p/m of B grade officials’ and 48 p/m of C grade officials’ time were invested in its work. The overall
cost was about 8 000 person hours. In addition, staff in all Commission Departments make a significant
contribution to the preparation of Reform proposals and their implementation, alongside their normal
duties.

In July 2000, after careful assessment in the Peer Group Review, the Commission decided to redeploy
some 230 officials to facilitate the implementation of the Reform, particularly for the purposes of
strengthening financial management and control, undertaking tasks associated with improved strategic
planning and programming of resources, and meeting administrative consequences of these and other
developments.

The work relating to the Reform has been and is being done by existing staff. No additional external staff
(non-officials) have been recruited for Reform work.

The overall cost of external studies directly relating to drafting and development of Reform amounts to
some EUR 510 000.

At the beginning of the Reform efforts, the Commission volunteered an undertaking that all of the costs of
designing and implementing modernisation and Reform, including changes in career structure and in pay
and allowances, would be met within the limits established for Heading V of the Financial Perspectives.
This undertaking has been fulfilled.

17.4.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 92 E/121

The Honourable Member refers to what he calls ‘the partial abolition of the European civil service and the
privatisation of services’. The Commission emphasises that
there have been no such developments,
‘premature’ or otherwise and no such ‘discouraging signals’ have been sent. On the contrary, duties that
were previously carried out by external contractors in the Technical Assistance Offices (TAO) are now
being executed by staff employed directly by the Commission. That is the opposite of ‘privatisation’.

The Commission is encouraged by the fact that the substantial majority of the Parliament has supported
the Reform process and encouraged the Commission to implement the primary changes. The negotiations
with staff representatives on the proposed modifications to the Staff Regulations were very thorough and
useful and those proposals are now before Parliament and Council. At all times, the Commission has
shown its readiness to respond constructively to suggestions for improvement or refinement of Reform
proposals made by Members of the European Parliament (1).

(1)

i.e. Answer given by the Commission to written question E-1370/02 by Mrs Ghilardotti, Mr Pittella and Mrs Guy-
Quint. See page 50.

(2003/C 92 E/169)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1944/02

by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Council

(3 July 2002)

Subject: Youth unemployment and youth policy with reference to Greece

On 30 May 2002, the Council adopted a resolution on European cooperation on youth which quite
rightly states that
in all policies,
e.g. employment. Five days later, Eurostat published figures which show that youth unemployment
remains exceptionally high at 15,5 % for the Union as a whole and 16,6 % for the countries in the euro
zone (April 2002), with Greece having the highest levels (the only available data are for 2001).

the interests of young people should be taken into account

What commitments will the Council give towards tackling this problem? Does it consider that the
guidelines on employment relating to youth unemployment are being implemented effectively? How does
the Council explain the wide disparities in the situation of young people both between Member States and
between countries inside and outside the euro zone? What measures will
it take to achieve genuine
convergence?

Reply

(19 December 2002)

Whilst the Council notes with concern the continuing high levels of youth unemployment in the Union
and, in particular in Greece, it would draw the Honourable Parliamentarian’s attention to the fact that the
first Employment Guideline has, ever since the inception of the Luxembourg process, addressed the
questions of youth unemployment and long-term unemployment. Furthermore, the memorandum entitled
‘Youth and Europe (cid:1) Our future’, approved by the Cologne European Council in 1999, has helped to
ensure that action to tackle youth unemployment is a priority of the first rank for the European
Employment Pact. Through its integrated approach, the memorandum aims to promote closer interaction
between all actors in the three areas of youth, education and employment policy, and to coordinate action
at national,
international and European level. It facilitates the active participation of young people in
society and their successful access to initial and continuing training and to working life.

The implementation of the Employment Guidelines is,
in the first instance, the responsibility of the
Member States, to which the Guidelines are addressed. However, the situation is monitored in particular by
the Commission, the results of this monitoring being reflected each year in the Joint Employment Report
adopted by the Council and the Commission.