WRITTEN QUESTION E-3445/03 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Support for non-autonomous handicapped people.
Date: 2003-11-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, disabled person, health care, health service, integration of people with disabilities, open method of coordination, social integration, social security, social-security benefit

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/285

The cost of acquisition of the Berlaymont by the Commission after renovation as defined in the contractual
Convention is EUR 553 million which includes EUR 503,3 million for the Commission’s share in the
renovation cost and EUR 49,6 million for the value of the building before renovation. However, detail of
the real and/or final costs of the renovation is not available to the Commission because these figures are
only available to the Belgian Government. It is clear, meanwhile, that delay in the execution of the works
has added substantially to any final cost. According to a report submitted by Ernst and Young to the
Commission dated 16 July 2002,
to BEF 29 044 billion
(EUR 719 million).

the full cost of renovation could amount

The Berlaymont renovation is lead by a consortium called EuroConstruct which is composed of two
companies: Bouygues (Fr) and Strabag (D).

(1) OJ C 160 E, 4.7.2002.

(2004/C 78 E/0285)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3445/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Support for non-autonomous handicapped people

(20 November 2003)

Relatives of highly dependent, non-autonomous handicapped people have alerted me to the fact that the
situation in Portugal is extremely bad, with pensions for severe dependency being extremely low and major
shortcomings in the provision of public support. Private ‘social solidarity’ institutions working in the field,
which play a very important role, encounter many difficulties and enormous restrictions, since there is a
lack of adequate residential accommodation for these people.

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. What aid is earmarked to help and guarantee the viability of

institutions looking after non-
autonomous handicapped citizens, such as the mentally handicapped, and specifically for residential
accommodation and for teaching and recovery techniques?

2. What measures are envisaged to make progress towards bringing pensions for handicapped people
into line amongst the various Member States, given that in Portugal, the monthly pension for highly
dependent people is a mere EUR 225?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(6 January 2004)

The level of social benefits, the conditions for their granting and the organisation of social protection
systems fall within the competence of the Member States. A legislative harmonisation of benefits for
people with disabilities is not foreseen.

However, since the Lisbon European Council
in March 2000, the Union has put in place enhanced
cooperation between the Member States in the field of social protection by applying the open method of
coordination first to questions of social inclusion and, subsequently, to pensions. The extension of this
open method of coordination to health care and long-term care is also foreseen.

The open method of coordination is based on the definition of common objectives (cid:1) which are legally
non-binding, however (cid:1) and indicators for measuring Member States’ progress towards these objectives.

In terms of social inclusion, two objectives cover people with disabilities:

(cid:1) to prevent the risk of exclusion, the Member States are called on to exploit fully the potential of the
knowledge-based society and of new information and communication technologies and to ensure that
no-one is excluded, taking particular account of the needs of people with disabilities;

C 78 E/286

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(cid:1) to help the most vulnerable, the Member States should promote the social integration of women and
men at risk of facing persistent poverty, for example because they have a disability or belong to a
group experiencing particular integration problems, such as immigrants.

The Commission is currently preparing a draft joint report on social inclusion. This report will assess the
Member States’ national action plans for social inclusion for 2003 and address the situation of people with
disabilities. The Commission’s draft report will form the basis for the joint report that will be adopted by
the Council and the Commission for submission to the Spring European Council in March 2004. The
national action plans are already available at
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/
employment_social/soc-prot/soc-incl/index_en.htm).

the following address:

In the context of the European Year of People with Disabilities (2003), the Commission is funding a study
of the situation of people with disabilities in institutions in Europe,
including in the accession and
candidate countries. The results are expected by the end of 2004.

(2004/C 78 E/0286)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3450/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(20 November 2003)

Subject: Criteria for fisheries sector structural actions

in his reply of 7.2.2002 to my question E-3593/01 (1) concerning the fixed
Commissioner Fischler,
premiums for fishermen who had worked in the fleet operating off Morocco, stated that ‘It was felt more
appropriate to direct Community funding towards measures to adjust fleet capacity in line with resources’,
adding that, with regard to Council Regulation EC No 2792/1999 (2) of 17 December 1999, ‘the Member
States can introduce additional conditions in their national legislation, provided that they conform with the
Community rules and regulations on assistance’.

According to the ‘Southern Fisheries Workers’ trade union, the Portuguese Government has not responded
to requests for assistance from the fishermen of Sesimbra, who worked on the vessels ‘Anacleto António’,
‘Castelo Manuel’ and ‘José Leste’, which came under the modernisation/conversion process, and had
submitted their respective applications for fixed individual premiums well before the closing date in 2002,
but who have not yet been informed of the contents of the decision which has apparently been taken on
their applications.

Given the desperate plight of these fishermen, who are still not in receipt of the individual fixed premiums
under the Regulation in question, will the Commission tell me what measures it intends to take to make
good this injustice, and deal with the serious social problems of these Portuguese fishermen?

(1) OJ C 160 E, 4.7.2002, p. 150.
(2) OJ L 337, 30.12.1999, p. 10.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(12 December 2003)

The previous written question related to Article 12(3)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 (1), which does
not apply to vessels affected by the non-renewal of the agreement with Morocco because they do not meet
the requirements regarding the permanent cessation of fishing activities within the meaning of Article 7 of
that Regulation.

The owners of the vessels referred to in this new question submitted proposals on modernisation and
conversion of activities and these were approved by the Portuguese authorities on 30 June 2003. Also, the
fishermen who worked on board those vessels have submitted applications for individual compensatory
payments.