WRITTEN QUESTION E-0881/03 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Measures to support the family — proposal by Lazio Regional Council to build and restructure buildings for children.
Date: 2003-03-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Latium, child care, competence of the Member States, family policy, female unemployment, female work, population ageing

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/51

What are the Commission’s views on the rise in interest rates on loans in Greece? Why are interest rates in
Greece on the increase when at the same time the exact opposite trend can be observed in the other
countries in the euro zone? Has the Commission received any information from the Greek authorities
concerning the additional interest rate charges, which have spelled financial ruin for so many in Greek
business and professional circles?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(7 May 2003)

Within a context of largely integrated financial markets in the Community, a single currency and single
monetary policy, conditions in these markets are increasingly competitive ones. However,
individual
institutions, whilst being influenced by common factors such as a change in the market borrowing/lending
rate, may still decide the conditions applied to their customers according to their own individual strategy,
balance sheet and other considerations.
financial
institutions may decide to give more weight to risk considerations than otherwise. Interest rate spreads in
some other countries have also gone up recently.

in times of weak economic growth,

In particular,

Although there have been from time to time ad-hoc investigations into alleged collusion or co-ordination
between institutions concerning conditions applied to customers, no evidence has so far been found of
collusion or of an abuse of a dominant position in Greece. The Greek competition authority, the Hellenic
Competition Commission, is well placed to monitor competition in the Greek banking market and we will
forward the concern expressed to that authority.

(2004/C 65 E/050)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0881/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(21 March 2003)

Subject: Measures to support the family (cid:1) proposal by Lazio Regional Council to build and restructure

buildings for children

Following the extraordinary meeting of Lazio Regional Council, chaired by the Chairman Francesco
Storace and held in Brussels on 21 November 2002 in the presence of the President of the Commission
Romano Prodi, it was decided to ask the Commission to promote Community measures to funds projects
aimed at building new facilities for young children.

The rise in the rate of unemployment among women and marriage breakdown are causing rapid changes
in family structure and the situation of minors. Offering families efficient social and educational facilities is
a way of safeguarding jobs and equal employment opportunities for women, who are still the family
members most involved in looking after children and bringing them up. Furthermore, the rising cost of
living is preventing young couples from settling down and starting a family, thereby causing the fall in the
population which has been a subject of debate in Europe for years. For this reason a systematic policy
needs to be launched, not least in view of the serious shortage of services for young children in Italy and
the other Member States. A comparative study, commissioned by the British Government and carried out
by the University of York in 2002, of measures for the benefit of children in the 15 countries of the Union
and in Norway, the United States, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and New Zealand, showed that in some
Member States the standards of assistance are unsatisfactory as regards both the granting of benefits and
the provision of facilities.

In its answer of 15 July 2002 to Written Question E-1551/02 (1) of 3 June 2002 the Commission said it
was interested in family issues, although there was no legal basis conferring any specific competence on
the European Union in this sphere. Article 308 of the Treaty assigns power to adopt Community measures

C 65 E/52

Official Journal of the European Union

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13.3.2004

which may prove necessary for the operation of the common market even where the Treaty has not
provided such powers.

In view of the many initiatives aimed at securing Union intervention in the area of family policy and the
importance which the Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 9) attributes to the family, can the
Commission say:

1. whether it intends to take action to fill gaps of this kind;

2. whether there are any programmes which, whilst not targeting policies for the benefit of families, may
in some way meet Lazio Regional Council’s request for the funding of projects to build facilities for
young children or convert existing ones?

(1) OJ C 301 E, 5.12.2002, p. 177.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(7 May 2003)

On the question on whether the Commission intend to take action on the family policy sphere, the
Commission reiterates the fact that there is no legal basis to develop and implement measures at Union
level in the area of family policy. These come under national remit and are defined and implemented
exclusively by the Member States. This approach is in line with the 1998 Court Case decision on legal
basis (United Kingdom vs Community actions to combat social exclusion (cid:1) Case C-106/96 from 12/05/
1998). In this context, and considering the principle of subsidiary, the Commission does not envisage to
promote or financially support initiatives in the family policy area.

As far as childcare facilities are related, and in the context of the European Employment Strategy, the
Commission has actively promoted (proposing guidelines for Member States employment policies) the
adequate provision of affordable, accessible and good quality care for children in order to support female
participation in the labour market. Furthermore, the Commission monitors the implementation by the
Member States of the targets for the provision of childcare facilities set by the European Councils of
Stockholm and Barcelona. In the framework of the Social Inclusion Process and the fight against poverty,
the reconciliation of work and family life, the provision of care and the elimination of social exclusion
among children are also addressed and monitored.

This means that, as recalled by the Honourable Member, the issue of the provision of childcare facilities is
high in the political agenda. However, the concrete actions to implement the policy orientations, although
monitored by the Commission, remain a Member States responsibility.

More specifically on the request for programmes to fund the building of facilities for young children in the
Lazio Region, the programmes managed directly by the Commission (and governed by the rules of public
procurement), do not include any possibility for funding the building of child care infrastructure. However,
this type of infrastructure is eligible under the Structural Funds provided that it is foreseen in a regional
programme. Nevertheless, as these Funds are mainly managed at regional level, any funding possibility has
to be checked with the relevant regional body.

(2004/C 65 E/051)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0888/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(21 March 2003)

Subject: Use of funds from the FIFG by the municipality of Fiumicino

In September 2002, the monitoring committee of the Italian Ministry for Economic Affairs issued a report
on the spending of EU funds.

The report reveals the alarming slowness and inefficiency with which EU funds are allocated to projects by
some regional authorities.