WRITTEN QUESTION E-3294/03 by Claude Moraes (PSE) to the Commission. The European Commission's 5th Framework Project.
Date: 2003-11-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, European identity, dissemination of information, research results, social analysis, youth policy

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/513

by the Commission after Visa submitted a package of reforms, and it was the object of extensive
discussions and consultation with interested parties. More particularly, Visa committed itself, firstly, to
reducing the level of its MIFs for the different types of consumer cards: for Visa’s deferred debit card and
credit card payments, the weighted average MIF rate will be brought down in stages, to a level of 0,7 % in
2007; for debit card transactions, Visa will immediately introduce a flat-rate MIF of EUR 0,28. Secondly,
the MIF is capped at the level of costs for certain specific services provided by issuing banks, which in the
Commission’s view correspond to services provided by cardholders’ banks which benefit those retailers
who ultimately pay the cross-border MIF. Thirdly, Visa has allowed member banks to reveal information
about the MIF levels and the relative percentage of the three cost categories to retailers at their request.

1. Monitoring the respect by Visa of the modified MIF scheme for cross-border transactions in all
Member States (therefore also in Portugal) is under the responsibility of the Commission. Should any
infringement of the terms of the exemption decision come to the attention of the Commission, the services
of Directorate General Competition will investigate any possible deviation from the decision.

It is important to emphasise that the exemption decision of the Commission only applies to cross-border
payment transactions with Visa consumer cards at retailer outlets within the European Economic Area. The
decision does not apply to MIFs for domestic Visa payments within Member States. As a matter of fact, the
assessment of the exemptability of the reformed Visa MIF was carried out by the Commission in the
context of cross-border payments within the Visa payment scheme only. The assessment of Visa MIFs for
domestic payments in Portugal would have to be made in the light of the different market conditions in
the Member State.

2.
Community competition law applies where trade between Member States may be appreciably
affected. Therefore, if there were to be any indication of possible violation of Community competition law
in the Portuguese cards market, such information could be forwarded to the National Competition
Authority or the Commission.

A copy of the concerns raised by the Honourable Member has been sent to the Portuguese competition
authority (Autoridade da Concorrência).

(2004/C 78 E/0534)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3294/03

by Claude Moraes (PSE) to the Commission

(7 November 2003)

Subject: The European Commission’s 5th Framework Project

How does the Commission plan to utilise the findings of its 5th Framework Project ‘The Orientation of
Young Men and Women to Citizenship and European Identity’ (HPSE-CT-2001-00077)?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(12 December 2003)

Under the Second Call
for Proposals launched by the Key Action ‘Improving the Socio-economic
knowledge-base’ of the Fifth Framework Programme, the project ‘Orientations of Young Men and Women
to Citizenship and European Identity’
received a financial contribution of
(HPSE-CT-2001-00077)
EUR 995 000 with a duration of 36 months, from the Community. The project is co-ordinated by Prof.
Lynn Jamieson, University of Edinburgh and wishes to examine the constructions of European identity and
European citizenship amongst young people in six countries (cid:1) four current and two prospective Member
States.

C 78 E/514

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

The project is still ongoing and it is expected that most of its results will be of value in a tangible manner
during its final year. The final conference of the project itself will take place in Brussels in July 2004 where
key findings and policy suggestions will be presented with a particular focus on the needs of policy makers
(institutional actors, educational authorities, vocational bodies).

The research consortium plans to raise awareness and utilise its findings by disclosing them in two
principal ways: first, through the website of the project http://www.ed.ac.uk/sociol/youth where documents
and reports are available to the general public as well as to the scientific and policy communities. Second,
by establishing contacts with European, national and local institutions and actors (the list of these contacts
is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Secretariat General of the Parliament). Furthermore,
the consortium plans to prepare and distribute a policy brief with the key findings of its research to all
Ministries of Education in Europe and across all levels of government.

The Commission asked the project coordinator to disseminate the research findings in the conference
organised jointly by Directorate General Education and Culture (DG EAC) and the Council of Europe on
Youth and Participation, Strasbourg, 24 to 26 November 2003, which aimed to contribute to the
through rigorous
implementation of
collaboration between DG Research (RTD) and DG EAC the research deliverables will have an impact on
education policy and active civic participation. Finally, the research findings will also be transmitted to the
Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy as well as the Committee of Culture, Youth,
Education, Media and Sports of the Parliament.

the White Paper on Youth (1). Moreover,

is anticipated that

it

(1) COM(2001) 681 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0535)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3296/03

by Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 November 2003)

Subject: Fees for residence permits

It is a regular occurrence for nationals of EU Member States who apply for a residence permit in the
Netherlands to be charged large administrative fees. One such case concerns a German woman who has
officially been cohabiting with a Netherlands national since 1 July 2002. Until 31 May 2003, when she
was made redundant, she used to commute to Germany to work. She is now receiving Dutch
unemployment benefit pursuant to Article 71 of Regulation No 1408/71 (1). She has been compelled to
pay a fee of EUR 430 for renewal of her residence permit.

The woman has two children, who live with her ex-husband (their father) in Germany. She is a German
national and has never worked in the Netherlands. Her cohabiting partner has always lived in the
Netherlands, and until March 2001 was self-employed there. Since April 2001 he has been employed by a
business in Germany (as a frontier worker).

1.
Is it permissible for the Netherlands to charge a fee of EUR 430 per annum for extending a residence
permit? Is it permissible to charge this amount for an extension such as that granted on 6 June 2003,
which was limited to six months (until 6 December 2003)?

2.
Is it permissible for the Netherlands to charge a fee of EUR 285 per child for their residence permits
if the German mother wishes to bring her children up in the Netherlands together with her Dutch partner?

Does the case described here entail a violation of Community law (EEC Treaty, Articles 13, 17, 18

3.
and 39, and, inter alia, EEC Directive 68/360) (2)?

NB: the charge for a Dutch identity card is EUR 28,73 for the Netherlands’ own residents and Netherlands
nationals.

(1) OJ L 149, 5.7.1971, p. 2.
(2) OJ L 257, 19.10.1968, p. 13.