WRITTEN QUESTION E-3071/03 by Lissy Gröner (PSE) to the Commission. Gender budgeting.
Date: 2003-10-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, budget policy, budgetary procedure, dissemination of EU information, gender equality, statistics

C 70 E/210

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(11 November 2003)

As requested by the Thessaloniki European Council (19 and 20 June 2003), the Commission has prepared,
as a first step, two legislative proposals (1) for Regulations amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95
for visas (2), and amending Council Regulation
of 29 May 1995,
(EC) No 1030/2002 of 13 June 2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-
country nationals (3). As a second step the Commission will present, in December 2003, a proposal on
biometrics in passports.

laying down a uniform format

The proposals on visa and residence permits intend to require Member States to integrate two biometric
identifiers, the facial image and two fingerprints, which shall be kept on a storage medium in the visa and
in the residence permit for third country nationals in a harmonised way, thus ensuring interoperability.

The Commission considers that prevention of the use of bogus or false identities could best be achieved by
enabling more reliable checking of whether the person who presented a document was identical to the
person to whom the document had been issued. Existing security standards are improved even further by
the integration of two biometric identifiers.

When choosing the most appropriate biometric identifiers,
the ICAO
(International Civil Aviation Organisation), which has taken the lead for the development of international
standards in this respect, has been taken into account. Furthermore, ICAO recommends a contactless
microchip as the most appropriate storage medium.

the results of

the work of

The Commission is devoting particular attention to the protection of personal data. The Commission
recalls that Directive 95/46/EC (4) on data protection applies to the processing of personal data -including
biometric data. In accordance with Article 30 of this Directive, the Commission intends to submit all above
mentioned proposals for consultation to the Working Party composed of national data protection
authorities, set up by Article 29 of the said Directive.

The two existing proposals include a specific obligation to ensure the security of data. There are various
technical approaches to secure the stored information but a definite technical solution will have to be
determined.

The discussions that the Commission is having with the United States about the protection of airline
passenger data are not related to these proposals.

(1) COM(2003) 558 final.
(2) OJ L 164, 14.7.1995.
(3) OJ L 157, 15.6.2002.
(4) Directive 95/46/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with

regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, OJ L 281, 23.11.1995.

(2004/C 70 E/226)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3071/03

by Lissy Gröner (PSE) to the Commission

(20 October 2003)

Subject: Gender budgeting

In the budget debate held in plenary on 23 September 2003, Commissioner Schreyer spoke about the
overarching introduction of gender budgeting in the EU budget.

1. What tangible measures has the Commission taken to implement the proposals set out in the
Ghilardotti report (A5-0214/2003)?

2. Will gender budgeting be taken into account as early as the 2004 budget?

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/211

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(21 November 2003)

The Honourable Member is asking the Commission what tangible measures the Commission has taken to
implement the proposals set out in the (A5-0214/2003) and if gender budgeting will be taken into
account as early as the 2004 budget.

In response to the Parliament’s request to distribute information on gender budgeting, the Honourable
Member may wish to note that the Commission has already disseminated the opinion of the Advisory
Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men within the Commission, to the Parliament and in
the Member States. This document includes valuable information on the principles, methods and tools of
gender budgeting. It is available to a wider public on the Commission web site (1). The Commission might
also consider disseminating a brochure on gender budgeting.

Promoting gender equality in economic life is one of the objectives of the Framework Strategy on Gender
equality 2001-2005 and the related programme. Although the priority theme for the action programme in
2004 and 2005 is: ‘change of gender roles and stereotypes’, proposals for projects on other themes can
also be considered for financial support if the projects meet the conditions required. In this context
projects on gender budgeting might be considered.

So far, the public budgets in Europe as well as the household of the Union are to a large extent gender
blind.

However, some progress is underway as many programmes within the Community budget, such as the
Structural Funds, programmes within education, research, development co-operation etc. explicitly refer to
including the
the aim of fighting discrimination and promoting equality between women and men,
empowerment of women. Gender budgeting requires the development of
indicators, and statistical
information about the state of affairs. As the Member States administer approximately 80 % of the
Community budget, the Commission relies on information from them. Data often exists only in aggregated
form, which does not permit a gender-specific analysis. Further efforts are needed at all levels to develop
statistics and indicators broken down by sex.

The integration of the gender perspective into the budgetary process is part of the gender mainstreaming
strategy and the Commission will continue developing methodologies and tools, including gender statistics
and indicators, for the implementation of gender mainstreaming.

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/equ_opp/index_en.htm

(2004/C 70 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3076/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(20 October 2003)

Subject: Results of studies into the threats to the health of people living or working in the vicinity of

transmitter masts for the new UMTS system

1.
In recent years have complaints come to the Commission’s attention concerning mobile telephony
(GSM) transmitter masts which are annoying to and potentially damaging to the health of those living or
working in buildings on which such masts are sited, irrespective of whether scientific studies have yet
provided conclusive proof of such damage.

2.
Following the initially slow take-up of the new UMTS system, which is the basis for rapid Internet
access and the transmission of images via mobile phones, does the Commission expect to see a rapid
expansion in the use of the system over the next few years and, as a result, an increase in the number of
transmitter masts and their associated electro-magnetic fields?