WRITTEN QUESTION E-2042/02 by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Mobility funding under the Leonard da Vinci programme for persons undergoing in-house training.
Date: 2002-07-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, apprentice, education grant, educational exchange, foreign student, free movement of workers, traineeship, vocational training

C 309 E/192

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

(2002/C 309 E/220)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2042/02

by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 July 2002)

Subject: Mobility funding under the Leonard da Vinci programme for persons undergoing in-house training

The measures to foster mobility under Leonard da Vinci, which is designed to be the European Union’s
assistance programme for vocational training, appeal to various target groups. Obviously, school students
can more easily take up mobility grants because they can use school holidays for mobility periods abroad
and can therefore, during those holidays, spend fairly lengthy periods in another Member State. In many
Member States, however, persons undergoing training in firms (in particular, then, apprentices under the
‘dual system’) are employed by those firms and therefore have little or no time, at their disposal (cid:1) and
much the same applies to their instructors and trainers. Managing to be given leave of absence or to be
sent by an employer is much more difficult. Special assistance measures are therefore needed to ensure
that this category of young people receive appropriate mobility offers (cid:1) commensurate with the extent to
which they are represented in each country’s education system (cid:1) and can take up mobility grants.

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. How many mobility grants have been awarded in the individual Member States under the Leonard da
Vinci II programme, and with what total value, to young people in employment who are undergoing
initial vocational training?

2. How do those mobility grants compare with grants for students at vocational schools?

3.

In percentage terms, do the mobility grants reflect the proportion of young people undergoing initial
vocational training overall? What are the percentages concerned?

4. What specific assistance measures are being planned by the Commission to ensure that young people

undergoing initial vocational training in firms can take up mobility grants to a greater extent?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2002)

Under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, grants for a stay abroad may be awarded to the following target
groups:

(cid:1) young people undergoing initial vocational training;

(cid:1) students;

(cid:1) young workers and recent graduates;

(cid:1) instructors in vocational training establishments, human resource managers and language trainers.

The total budget allocated for mobility grants was EUR 69,4 million in 2000, EUR 71,8 million in 2001
and EUR 77,9 million in 2002, making a total of almost EUR 220 million over three years. This sum
should allow almost 120 000 placements to be funded. Detailed figures are provided in the tables which
have been sent to the Honourable Member and the Parliament’s Secretariat-General.

Management of the projects, by national agencies in each country, is totally decentralised. The distribution
of the budget between target groups varies from one country to another, according the specific needs
identified in each country prior to the selections being made, because the Leonardo da Vinci programme
supports and complements actions in the Member States.

The target group consisting of ‘young people undergoing initial vocational training’
includes those in
schools and also those doing sandwich courses. The Leonardo da Vinci programme funds the largest
number of placements for this target group. For 2000 and 2001, and for the selections already made in
2002, the budget amounts to around 31 % of the total mobility budget, i.e. approximately EUR 68 million.
This sum will allow 55 000 grants to be awarded, accounting for more than 45 % of the total number.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 309 E/193

Within this target group, it is not known precisely what percentage of trainees are following sandwich
courses. The programme does not make any distinction between these trainees and young people
undergoing initial training in schools. The Commission believes that this group as a whole faces more
difficulties than students in going abroad for a lengthy period. There is the problem of the trainee’s
availability, but also the fact that this group is younger and has less freedom of action for going abroad.
A Leonardo da Vinci placement is often their first experience of working abroad.

The Leonardo da Vinci programme makes special provision for this target group by agreeing to fund
placements lasting three weeks, whereas students only receive grants for placements of at least three
months. Placements may involve travelling in groups. The daily allowance is a little higher than for
students. As with other trainees, the programme cofinances the running costs and the costs entailed in
preparing the trainees (particularly from the linguistic point of view). The total grant is around EUR 1 250
per placement.

Experience has shown that a well-organised placement, even if it is a short one, is of benefit to both
trainees and employers. The problem of the availability of young people on sandwich courses can best be
solved by the training establishment negotiating with the employer, and a period abroad being agreed on,
right at the start of an apprenticeship. The Leonardo da Vinci programme will then provide financial
support for trainees for the three weeks (or more) which they spend abroad.

(2002/C 309 E/221)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2044/02

by Elizabeth Lynne (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 July 2002)

Subject: Problems with Microsoft Office XP for visually impaired people

Given the EU’s commitment to visually impaired people, please could the Commission explain how
Microsoft was not steered in a positive direction before the release of Microsoft Office XP?

What plans does the Commission have to encourage Microsoft to take into account the needs of customers
who are visually impaired?

Given the large number of visually impaired people employed by public sector organisations in the
Member States, what official IT policy will the EU have to ensure only accessible IT software is purchased
by these organisations?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(24 September 2002)

The Commission is not aware of particular problems experienced by visually impaired people with
Microsoft Office XP. The Commission notes that Microsoft is required to take into consideration US
government regulations, including section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, when developing products such
as Microsoft Office XP. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires US federal agencies to consider
accessibility before they purchase, procure and maintain new electronic and information technologies.

The eAccessibility target of the Action Plan for 2002 in the eEurope initiative aims to promote ‘Design for
all’ approaches in the use of
information technologies and in particular the adoption of the Web
Accessibility Initiative guidelines for public websites.

The Commission Communication (1) and the Council Resolution 7087/02 (2) encourage the Member States
to implement measures to achieve the objective of accessibility of public web sites. This may include the
use of suitable software to create accessible content, to improve existing web sites and to monitor
compliance as well as software used to access the web.