WRITTEN QUESTION E-1796/03 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Commission compensation.
Date: 2003-05-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commissioner, exchange rate, indemnification, legal basis, redemption, regulations for civil servants

15.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 11 E/229

Under Poland’s State programme for Roma, educational establishments were recognised as a priority. In
Poland, Roma assistants act as intermediaries between school and pupils’ families, in order to help Roma
pupils to have better relations with the school. The Roma assistants programme has brought significant
improvement of attendance and educational school achievements among Roma pupils in the schools under
the programme.

Bulgaria adopted a Framework Programme in 1999 on integration of Roma, focusing inter alia on
education, housing, health and employment. However, as outlined in the Commission Regular Reports,
little progress has been achieved to date in implementing this programme. Until now there has
unfortunately been little change in the situation of the Roma minority and there are no significant
developments in their socio-economic situation and living conditions.

The Government of Romania adopted in April 2001 its national strategy for the improvement of the
situation of Roma. A shortage of resources has meant that of the ten points covered by the Strategy only
five have been prioritised so far (health, housing, employment, education and infrastructure).

(2004/C 11 E/257)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1796/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(28 May 2003)

Subject: Commission compensation

How much money has been paid in total to each of the present Commissioners under the exchange rate
compensation scheme, the legal basis of which was recently ruled invalid?

Have all or any part of these sums been repaid?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2003)

The legal basis of the exchange rate compensation scheme (the transfer weighting system) as it applies to
members of the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors and the Commission has never been ‘ruled invalid’.
On the contrary, as the Court of Justice has always advised, and re-affirmed on 9 October 2002, the
weighted transfer system as applied to members of the above Institutions has always been, and continues
to be, legal and in full conformity with the rules.

All payments made over the period of existence of the Court of Justice, Court of Auditors and Commission
have therefore been, and continue to be, legal, valid, and in conformity with budgetary rules. Repayment
of the relevant sums by members of the Court of Justice, Court of Auditors and Commission would not,
therefore, be justified.

The misconception contained in the Honourable Member’s question that the legal basis of the transfer
weighting system had been ‘ruled invalid’ may have arisen from reports of varying accuracy made about
the system in 2002.

Those reports appear to have arisen from a decision of members of the Court of Auditors in May 2002 to
suspend their use of the system from 1st July 2002 and not to resume such use ‘unless and until the legal
basis of the system was clear’. The Commission was informed of that decision by the Court of Auditors
and Commissioners decided on 7th June 2002 to adopt the same course. Shortly afterwards members of
the Court of Justice took a similar decision.

Following these events, in October 2002 the Court of Justice again confirmed its established view of the
legality of the weighted transfer system. The members of the Court of Justice consequently resumed use of
the system in January 2003. On 9th January 2003 the Commission was informed by the Court of Auditors
that its members had also resumed use of the system. The Commission has not altered its suspension
decision of June 2002, and that decision therefore remains in force.

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Official Journal of the European Union

EN

15.1.2004

All of these details have been set out in full in answers to various Parliamentary Questions since autumn
2002.

As the Honourable Member is aware, the salaries and allowances of Members of the Commission are
public knowledge and so are the conditions applying to the weighted transfer system. The Commission has
always ensured that salaries are paid, and weighted transfers made, in strict conformity with the relevant
rules, including those relating to limits. The Commission does not, however, consider that there is any
legitimate public interest to be served in disclosing details of how individual Members of the Commission,
the Court of Justice or the Court of Auditors organise their personal financial affairs in relation to
arrangements which they have been, and are, legally entitled to use.

(2004/C 11 E/258)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1811/03

by Miquel Mayol i Raynal (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(2 June 2003)

Subject: Erasmus World programme

The Council of the European Union recently reached a political agreement concerning the implementation
of the Erasmus World programme. The aim of this programme is to create a quality framework with a
view to attracting greater numbers of postgraduate students from all parts of the world.

It has been suggested in various milieux that this programme should be viewed as an opportunity to boost
competitiveness and further the objectives laid down by the Lisbon European Council in March 2000 with
the aim of making the EU ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world’.

Under the programme, it is planned to create grants for Masters-level courses, subject to the condition that
the courses should be offered in at least two of the EU’s official languages. This would have the effect of
marginalising the Catalan language in the teaching of Masters and other courses. Catalan, despite being the
native tongue of more than seven million people and an official language in Catalonia, the Valencia region
and the Balearic islands, has still not been granted official status at EU level. The Catalan language will,
therefore, not be eligible for the above-mentioned aids. This amounts to yet another blow against the long-
established Catalan language and culture (cid:1) even more so considering that Barcelona, in which university-
level teaching is carried out mainly in Catalan, receives more Erasmus students than any other university
town in the Spanish state.

Does the Commission intend to take action to correct the adverse effects of this policy on the

1.
teaching of Catalan (and other European languages) at university level?

Does the Commission believe this policy to be compatible with its own efforts to promote

2.
multilingualism and the learning of non-majority languages in the Member States?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(30 July 2003)

The Annex to the Council’s Common Position on Erasmus Mundus (1) provides under Action 1 (cid:1) Erasmus
Mundus Masters Courses (cid:1) point 2.i the following:

[2. For the purpose of the programme, Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses shall:]

without prejudice to the language of instruction, provide for the use of at least two European
languages spoken in the Member States where the higher education institutions involved in the
Erasmus Mundus Masters Course are situated and, as appropriate,
for language preparation and
assistance for students.