WRITTEN QUESTION E-1719/03 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Failure of transatlantic dialogue and public nature of efforts to resume this dialogue or not.
Date: 2003-05-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, United States, access to information, consumer, cooperation policy, economic relations, environmental cooperation, social partners, summit meeting, trade relations

15.1.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 11 E/219

The minority language groups in the Union were identified by researchers and the results published in
1996 in the Euromosaic study (2), as indicated by the Commission in its answer to the Honourable
Member’s above-mentioned question. On page 41 of the English version of this study a reference is made
to the existence of Aromanian, Albanian and Slavo-Macedonian in Greece, each of which has an estimated
number of speakers of between 50 000 and 80 000.

In its Resolution adopted in December 2001 on regional and lesser-used European languages,
the
Parliament called on the Commission to propose measures to promote linguistic diversity and language
learning, with equal respect
the Union, with a view to improving mutual
understanding and tolerance in a multilingual and multicultural Europe.

for the languages of

The need for action by the Union and the Member States to improve language learning and promote
linguistic diversity was also recognised by the Education Council in February 2002. In its Resolution on
the promotion of linguistic diversity and language learning (3) the Council invited the Commission to draw
up proposals in this field by early 2003 and asked the Member States to take concrete steps to achieve that
end.

(1) OJ C 268 E, 7.11.2003, p. 176.
(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lang/langmin/euromosaic_en.html.
(3) OJ C 50, 23.2.2002.

(2004/C 11 E/246)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1719/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(23 May 2003)

Subject: Failure of transatlantic dialogue and public nature of efforts to resume this dialogue or not

1. What were the grounds for Commissioner Lamy saying in Washington in early March that there was
a sort of fatigue problem with the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD)? What expectations had the
TABD failed to meet or would it be unable to meet in the future?

Can the Commission confirm that it has decided, together with the US Administration, to strengthen
2.
the TABD and give it new tasks, in particular preparing for further WTO negotiations? What is expected
from the revamped TABD?

Is the correspondence between Commissioners Lamy and Liikanen and US Commerce Secretary
3.
Evans, including Evans’ proposal, to be made public or at least available to Members of the European
Parliament?

Are the minutes of the meetings in Brussels at the end of April, at which the proposal to relaunch

4.
the TABD was discussed, available to the public or at least to Members of the European Parliament?

Can NGOs and Members of the European Parliament attend the half-day meeting on the margins of

5.
the 25 June US-EU summit if they so wish?

6.
Is the Commission aware that two other transatlantic dialogues, the TAED for the environment and
the TALD for labour, have virtually stopped and that they are therefore just as worthy of relaunching and
strengthening as the TABD?

7.
Is the Commission also taking the initiative in efforts to re-energise the other transatlantic dialogues
with civil society or does it take the view that, unlike the TABD, there is no justification for their
continued existence?

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Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(15 July 2003)

1.
The Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) was created in 1995 as part of the effort to build bridges
between the civil societies on the two sides of the Atlantic. Therefore, it by its nature aims at solving
differences and at dismantling barriers to trade between the Union and the United States. The added value
of this dialogue between businesses and governments lies in the area of transatlantic economic relations.
Naturally, the TABD is only one of the many fora where transatlantic relations are discussed. The ideas for
the re-launching of the TABD, currently under examination, will allow time to be spent on what is really
essential.

2.
In the exchanges of letters between the Member of the Commission responsible for Enterprises and
Information Society, and the Member of the Commission responsible for Trade and the United States
Secretary of Commerce Don Evans during the spring of 2003, the Commission and the United States
Administration have renewed their commitment and continued support to the TABD process. However,
neither the Commission nor the United States Administration is in the position to decide to give new tasks
to the TABD as it continues to be a business-driven process with recommendations from the business-
community to the administrations. As such, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations have been
an issue on which the business community has given views to the governments, and this may also be the
case in the future. The new TABD format is expected to give added focus to the discussions.

3.
On the question of public access to documents related to the TABD, the Commission refers to the
reply given to the Honourable Member on 17 February 2003 (Written Question E-3893/02 (1)). The
Commission has made the correspondence between the above mentioned Members of the Commission and
the United States Commerce Secretary Evans available to all those participating in the TABD process.
Copies of this correspondence can be provided on request to the Members of the Parliament and to
members of the public.

4.
As to the documents referred to as ‘minutes of the meetings in Brussels at the end of April 2003 at
which the proposal to relaunch of the TABD was discussed’, any request to the Commission for access to
such documents, by Members of the Parliament as well as by members of the public, will have to be
handled in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the Parliament and of the Council of
30 May 2001 regarding public access to Parliament, Council and Commission documents (2).

5.
Participation in the half-day TABD Chief Executive Officer (CEO)-government meeting in the margins
of the 25 June EU-United States Summit is limited to a core group of CEOs representatives of the Union
and United States business community, whose companies have for the most part been active in the TABD
leadership functions in the past. The Commission has not been responsible for the invitation list and is not
aware of a request by the Parliament to participate in this meeting.

6.
The Commission regrets that the Trans Atlantic Environment Dialogue (TAED)
present and has encouraged environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
transatlantic co-operation.

is not active at
to renew their

The Commission would like to inform the Honourable Member that the Trans Atlantic Labour Dialogue
(TALD) is being pursued, in very practical terms, through co-operation between the European Trade Union
College (ETUCO) and the training agency of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial
Organisations (AFL-CIO) in the project ‘Improving Transatlantic Dialogue (cid:1) the world of work’ aimed at
improving communication and co-operation between trade union representatives from multinational
companies active on both sides of the Atlantic.

Similarly, the consumer dialogue (TACD) continues to be active in bringing the perspective of consumer
representatives to the dialogue between European and US authorities. At the meeting with TACD leaders in
April 2003, TACD presented its 2003 Priorities for Government Action to Commission and US officials.
The Commission response to the ‘report card’ on European and US progress on TACD recommendations,
produced by the TACD at its Annual meeting in October 2002, has been transmitted to the Parliament.

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The Commission stresses the importance it attaches to the work of all the transatlantic dialogues with
7.
civil society. The Transatlantic Business, Consumer, Environment and Labour Dialogues have all made
equally valuable contributions to the shaping of the transatlantic relationship, its objectives and activities.
The Commission is convinced that the transatlantic dialogues will continue to play a strong and valuable
role in taking the relationship forward in the future.

(1) OJ C 155 E, 3.7.2003, p. 200.
(2) OJ L 145, 31.5.2001.

(2004/C 11 E/247)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1733/03

by Jo Leinen (PSE) to the Commission

(23 May 2003)

Subject: Linguistic discrimination in EU job vacancy notices

In its answer to Question E-0941/02 (1) the Commission states that the term ‘native speaker’
is not
acceptable, under any circumstances, under Community law. The Commission also states its intention of
continuing to use its powers to fight against any discrimination caused by a requirement for native speaker
knowledge in job advertisements.

A job advertisement published recently by Cedefop (European Centre for the Development of Vocational
Training) in Thessaloniki, on whose governing body the Commission is represented, bore the title ‘English
mother tongue secretary’. However, the list of qualifications referred only to ‘excellent English’.

Does the Commission take the view that the misleading title of this job advertisement discriminates against
all applicants who are not native speakers of English?

What action will the Commission take on this matter?

Will the Commission try to prevent job advertisements such as this from being published in future?

(1) OJ C 229 E, 26.9.2002, p. 161.

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(9 July 2003)

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is a decentralised body set up
under a specific Regulation (1). It is autonomous as regards its staff policy, over which the Commission has
no control, beyond being represented on its Management Board. Indeed according to its basic Regulation,
it is the Director who is ‘responsible for all staff matters and for engaging and dismissing staff’. The basic
regulation of Cedefop specifies that its language regime is that of the Community.

The Commission considers that the use of the term ‘native speaker’
in a job advertisement breaches
Community rules on free movement of workers and discriminates against applicants who are not native
speakers of English.

The Commission has investigated the matter of the job-offer for an English mother-tongue secretary
published by Cedefop on 7 April 2003. Cedefop has informed the Commission that the use of the term
‘English mother tongue’ in the vacancy notice for a secretary was considered important since the job
involves substantial assistance to non-English native-speaking experts in the Agency who publish 80 % of
their work in English. Part of the role of the secretary will be to assist in ensuring quality of the language
in the Agency’s publications. Cedefop therefore considered that the highest level of English was required
for the post.