WRITTEN QUESTION E-3124/03 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Working languages.
Date: 2003-10-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, European Commission, multilingualism, official language, operation of the Institutions, public administration, public relations, use of languages

C 78 E/224

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

In these extracts the various figures include the unit of measurement of the exported quantities, for which
the codes are: 1; 10; 30; GRA; HL; Hl; hl; HST; k; K; kg; Kg; Kgs; KGS; NUM; NUMBER; P; q; ST; T; t;
TON; U; UNI.

Can the Commission say whether ‘GRA’ should be taken to mean grams; whether ‘k, kg, K, Kg, Kgs and
KGS’ should be taken to mean kilograms; whether ‘q’ should be taken to mean quintal; whether ‘TON, T
and t’ should be taken to mean tonnes; whether ‘HL, Hl and hl’ should be taken to mean hectolitres, and to
what units of measurement the following codes correspond: 1; 10; 30; HST; NUM; NUMBER; P; ST; U;
UNI?

(1) OJ C 137 E, 12.6.2003, p. 172.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(19 November 2003)

The additional answer given to the Written Question P-3202/02 concerns a listing of aggregated refunds
paid for exports to several different destinations. The aggregates cover the financial years 1998 until 2001
and the details shown in that listing for the units of measurement are indicated as reported by the Member
States.

Until financial year 2001, Commission Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999 (1) did not impose any standard
codes to be used by the Member States for the units of measurement reported to the Commission. For that
period, the CATS database thus contains the units of measurement as internally used by the Member States
in their own computer systems, with the significance given at the national level for each financial year.

Confronted with this large variety of non standardised codes used by the Member States, the Commission
has introduced standard codes for the unit of measurement when updating Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999
for financial year 2002. From financial year 2002 onwards, the Commission requires the following
standard codes:

Character

Significance

K

L

P

Kilogram

Litre

Piece

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999 of 25 October 1999 laying down detailed rules of the application of
Regulation (EC) No 1663/95 as regards the form and content of the accounting information that the Member States
must hold at the disposal of the Commission for the purposes of the clearance of the EAGGF Guarantee Section
accounts, OJ L 295, 16.11.1999.

(2004/C 78 E/0228)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3124/03

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(22 October 2003)

Subject: Working languages

EU enlargement is making the language issue a topic of increasing concern, both from the point of view of
the institutions (which require translation and interpretation services, working documents and official
publications in order to be able to function smoothly without undermining the dignity of any individual
EU language or denying it equal treatment) and in terms of the choice and the use of working languages
by staff within the institutions. For the purposes of internal work organisation it would appear that there is
an increasing trend towards the exclusive use of English at the expense even of French, which has
traditionally been the primary working language.

1.

Can the Commission confirm this trend?

If it can, does it not think that, by following such a trend, its staff are contravening both the letter

2.
and the spirit of the Treaties?

27.3.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/225

Can the Commission establish objective criteria for the selection of working languages with due
3.
regard (amongst other factors) to demographics (cid:1) a criterion which should not be ignored? What action
does the Commission intend to take in order to re-establish language equality for all the Member States,
whose languages are the finest expression of their dignity and of their identity?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(6 January 2004)

1. and 2.
working language for the purposes of internal work organisation.

The Commission certainly cannot confirm a trend towards the exclusive use of English as a

On the one hand, according to Council Regulation No 1/58 determining the languages to be used by the
European Economic Community (1), all the official languages are also working languages (Article 1) and
everybody is fully entitled to use them interchangeably in the institutions.

Second, for operational reasons it is normal that certain languages should be more widely used than others
by Commission staff in the day-to-day running of departments. Nevertheless, the principle that languages
are equal as official and working languages is respected. Nor has the Commission any intention of
introducing specific arrangements to give preference to the use of one or more particular languages
internally.

As a general condition for recruitment, Article 25 of the Staff Regulations requires applicants to have a
thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Communities and a satisfactory knowledge of another
language of the Communities to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties.

As part of the administrative reform, the Commission has put forward measures to further promote
multilingualism:
it takes third
in addition to requiring a second language at the time of recruitment,
languages into account at the time of the first post-recruitment promotion.

The Commission also points out that it gives top priority to providing intensive language courses so that
officials who do not happen to know the languages most widely used for specific training courses (other
than language courses) when they join can improve their language skills.

3.
As regards communication between Commission departments and administrations in the Member
States and the public in general, the Commission abides strictly by the third paragraph of Article 21 of the
EC Treaty, which states that every citizen of the European Union can write to the institutions in one of the
languages mentioned in Article 314 and have an answer in the same language. This fundamental right has
been incorporated into the draft Constitution, not just in Article I-8(2) on citizenship of the European
Union, but also in Article II-41(4) in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

(1) OJ B 17, 6.10.1958.

(2004/C 78 E/0229)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3126/03

by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission

(23 October 2003)

Subject: The cross-border provision of gaming services for humanitarian causes

Although Article 49 of the Rome Treaty guarantees the freedom to provide services throughout the
European Union,
to impose
restrictions on the cross-border provision of gaming services to safeguard their national public order.
Nevertheless, this right is not an absolute one, and any restriction imposed must be necessary to achieve
the objective pursued and must be proportionate.

Justice ruled that Member States have a right

the European Court of