WRITTEN QUESTION E-2316/03 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Knowledge of languages in the Union.
Date: 2003-07-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: language policy, language teaching, standardisation, video disc

6.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33 E/251

The Commission is currently analysing the situation in order to determine the exact nature and effects of
the above mentioned Fractionation Agreement,
the economic impact on European
manufacturers. The issue as to whether the market conditions constitute a breach of the WTO rules
requires further analysis.

in particular

Subject to the results of this analysis, the Commission will take the appropriate steps, e.g. raise the subject
with the Australian authorities or in the appropriate WTO Committee.

(2004/C 33 E/258)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2316/03

by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Knowledge of languages in the Union

(14 July 2003)

Following the widespread introduction of new multi-media technologies, for example DVD technology,
Europeans can buy films and watch them in the various Union languages. However, increasingly often
DVD’s on the market offer films in two language versions at the most, and do not always provide subtitles
for each language version.

1.
Does the Commission not consider that the potential of technologies should be exploited to the full
in order to spread knowledge of Community languages as much as possible, thereby implementing one of
the principal commitments made at the Lisbon European Council?

2. What legislative steps and other measures will the Commission take to ensure that European citizens,
using the technology mentioned, can learn the languages of other European peoples by watching films?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(4 September 2003)

The Commission fully shares the Honourable Member’s desire to improve the teaching and learning of
languages in the Union.

The Honourable Member may be interested to know that the Commission has recently published a
Communication to the other institutions (1) ‘Promoting language learning and linguistic diversity: an Action
Plan 2004-2006’.

The Communication specifically refers to the potential of new technologies for promoting language
learning:

Every community in Europe can become more language-friendly by making better use of
opportunities to hear and see other languages and cultures, thereby helping to improve language
awareness and learning.

Research shows that the use of sub-titles in film and television can encourage and facilitate language
learning. The power of the media (cid:1) including new media such as DVDs (cid:1) could be harnessed in the
creation of a more language-friendly environment by regularly exposing citizens to other languages
and cultures. The potential for the greater use of sub-titles to promote language learning could be
exploited.

Furthermore, the Commission proposes to launch a study to analyse the potential for greater use of sub-
titles in film and television programmes to promote language learning and to examine ways and means of
encouraging greater use of sub-titled audio-visual material for language learning purposes.

C 33 E/252

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2004

Regarding the second question, and more specifically about the legislative steps, one should stress that the
Commission does not have the competence to take initiatives of a legislative nature in this field.

In conclusion, the Commission considers multilingual DVDs as one of several possible tools for creating an
environment in Europe which is more ‘language-friendly’, and would encourage their use as such.

(1) COM(2003) 449 final.

(2004/C 33 E/259)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2324/03

by Bill Newton Dunn (ELDR) to the Commission

(14 July 2003)

Subject: Is the British Government justified in paying different pensions to different categories of persons

working in the British National Health Service?

The British Government rewards workers who in their National Health Service have served a minimum of
twenty years looking after patients suffering from mental illness by counting each of those years as double
for purposes of calculating pensions.

My constituent served in the mental health field from 1994 to 1999 but then transferred into the field of
general nursing (cid:1) so under these rules her 1994-1999 years would not count double.

Is this discrimination unfair and illegal, possibly bearing in mind the court case Coloroll Pension Trustees
Ltd versus Russell in which the statement was made that ‘trustees of an occupational pension fund are
bound to do everything in their power to ensure compliance with the principles of equal treatment under
Article 199 of the Treaty of Rome’?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(14 August 2003)

On the basis of
the Commission cannot establish whether there is an
infringement of Community law in the area of equal treatment between women and men. It would ask the
Honourable Member to provide more details concerning the case of the constituent in question.

the information provided,

(2004/C 33 E/260)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2326/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(16 July 2003)

Subject: Discrimination between workers and employees as regards compensation for dismissal

Greek labour legislation does not consider that intellectual and manual workers merit the same degree of
protection in the event of redundancy, which is why, when workers are dismissed,
they receive
proportionally far
less compensation than employees. Trade union organisations have called for
compensation for these two categories to be standardised, not only for obvious reasons of equal treatment,
but also because the very small amount of compensation given to workers constitutes an incentive for
dismissing them.

Can the Commission provide information on arrangements in the other Member States? What measures
does it intend to take to promote the standardisation of compensation at European level?