WRITTEN QUESTION E-2012/03 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. Secondment of staff.
Date: 2003-06-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, European official, labour mobility, personnel administration, statistics, support policy

6.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 58 E/121

(2004/C 58 E/137)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2012/03

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(17 June 2003)

Subject: Secondment of staff

Could the Commission indicate the number of staff it has on secondment to institutions and organisations
to which it gives subsidies? Could the Commission also provide a list of institutions where staff are
currently on secondment and indicate what steps are being taken to ensure that the relationship is not
abused?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(22 September 2003)

Tables with the number of staff on secondment to institutions and organisations and the amount of grants
that was committed for those of them to whom it was applicable in 2002 are sent directly to the
Honourable Member and to the Secretariat of the Parliament.

These figures clearly demonstrate that the relationship is not abused. In relation to secondments in the
interest of the service, the Honourable Member will notice that in the vast majority of cases, only one
Commission official is seconded per host institution/organisation, a situation which is in keeping with the
interests of the Commission.

In relation to secondments at the request of the official concerned, it should be borne in mind that the
relevant officials are fully paid by the host institution/organisation so that any net
impact on the
Commission (and, therefore, the Union) budget is either marginal or non-existent.

(2004/C 58 E/138)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2014/03

by Robert Goebbels (PSE) to the Commission

(17 June 2003)

Subject: Distortion of competition with regard to CO2 emission rights

The political agreement on the trading of greenhouse gas emission rights provides for a trading system to
come into effect in 2005. Initially, it will cover CO2 emissions from large industrial and energy plants.
However, because implementing procedures vary from sector to sector and from undertaking to
undertaking within one and the same country as well as from country to country, the implementation of
the European Directive may well result in distortions of competition within the European Union. What is
more, the implementation thereof may well penalise European industry vis-à-vis industry in other parts of
the world, especially the United States of America, which has not signed up to the Kyoto Protocol. The
case of the iron and steel industry is particularly striking if we consider that an inconsistent application of
trading quotas may entail a sale price increase of up to 15 %.
that sector’s
competitiveness on external markets would be seriously jeopardised.

is self-evident

that

It

Has the Commission given any thought to the possibility of an iron and steel group retaining the emission
rights relating to sites which are no longer operational and which may be transferred to other sites?

Does the Commission intend to take account of the recovery of blast-furnace gases sold by iron and steel
groups to the electricity sectors?

How does the Commission intend to protect
competitors who do not have to bear such additional costs?

the iron and steel

industry in Europe from foreign