WRITTEN QUESTION E-3622/03 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Cost of free education in Greece.
Date: 2003-12-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, Greece, education statistics, household consumption, private education, school fees

C 78 E/614

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(22 January 2004)

The Commission is not aware of the published conclusions drawn from research carried out by Athens
University and the Demokritos research centre concerning the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) in milk produced in various regions of Greece.

Consequently, the Commission can not currently provide an answer to the questions concerning this study.

The Commission has requested the report to the competent authorities of Greece and will be able to
provide an answer to the questions of the Honourable Member after receipt of the report.

(2004/C 78 E/0648)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3622/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 December 2003)

Subject: Cost of ‘free’ education in Greece

According to a study reported in the Greek press, total private expenditure on education in Greece
amounted to EUR 1 770 000 000 in 2002, which is equal to 2,8 % of total private expenditure in Greece
and 1,2 % of the country’s gross national product. This astronomical sum is made up of fees for private
schools, supplementary tuition (at privately run establishments known in Greece as ‘frondistiria’)
in
subjects taught in the state schools, the teaching of which, however, is inadequate for those pupils who
wish to be admitted to Greek universities, and for foreign language tuition at ‘frondistiria’.

Are there any data available to show whether the equivalent of ‘frondisteria’ exists in the other Member
States and how widespread the institution is? In which other Member States are such establishments as
widespread and per capita private expenditure on supplementary tuition as high as in Greece? Does the
Commission have any data on the expansion of this system in Greece over the last twenty years, a
phenomenon which represents a huge drain on the family budget of every Greek, whose income is the
lowest in Europe and barely 67 % of the Community average?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2004)

The Commission has at its disposal the Eurostat Household Budget Survey, which includes data on private
household expenditure on education. This is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s
Secretariat. The latest survey relates to 1999. Different private expenditure items on education are
aggregated within this category, including expenditure related to public education, such as text books and
also expenditure on private schools and private tuition. A breakdown of the data presenting expenditure
solely on private institutions is, however, unavailable.

The data available for 1999 show that private household expenditure on education in Greece represents
2,4 % of private household expenditure, which is three times the Union average and higher than in any
other Member State.

While the data refer to private household expenditure on education in total, there is very little available
data on expenditure purely on private tuition. In France, the private tuition market (‘cours particuliers’)
amounts to EUR 1,4 billion (0,2 % of private household expenditure) and in Germany,
is
estimated at over EUR 1 billion (0,1 % of private household expenditure). In the Union as a whole, private
tuition is estimated to be less than 0,5 % of private expenditure. In Greece, this figure appears to be over
2 %.

‘Nachhilfe’

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/615

the private sector as a whole, which includes,

it is important to bear in mind that they do not refer to
In order to interpret these data correctly,
expenditure of
for example, expenditure by private
companies on education and training, nor do they give any indication of expenditure on education and
training as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP). The Commission analysed the question of
investment in education and training in its Communication of January 2003 entitled ‘Investing efficiently
in Education and Training: an imperative for Europe’ (1). Details on the overall levels of investment in the
Member States, from both the public and private sectors, can be found in this Communication.

The Commission does not have detailed information on the equivalent of ‘frondistiria’ in Member States at
its disposal. However, the data available for Greece suggest that the importance of ‘Frondistiria’ has
increased in the last decade. This also has to be seen in the light of growing upper secondary and tertiary
attainment rates.

Eurostat data suggest that private household spending on education in Greece has more than doubled
between 1988 and 1999 in absolute terms. Measured as a share of household expenditure, it has increased
by 50 per cent from 1988 to 1999 (from 1,6 to 2,4 %). In fact, the data reported in the Greek press
relating to private expenditure on education in 2002 imply that there may have been a further increase
since 1999.

(1) COM(2002) 779 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0649)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3626/03

by Marianne Thyssen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Opening up the labour markets in the Member States

(5 December 2003)

The accession treaty with the candidate countries includes transitional measures relating to the access
which EU citizens from the new Member States will enjoy to the labour markets of the present Member
States.

Member States are permitted to open up their labour markets earlier than agreed.

This could result in very different situations from one Member State to another, which could distort
competition between businesses.

Would not some coordination of the positions of the Member States in this regard be desirable? Will the
Commission assume a coordinating role here?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2004)

According to the transitional arrangement agreed in the Accession Treaty, for the first two years following
the accession of the new Member States, free movement or workers under Community law will not apply,
and access to the labour markets of any present Member State will depend on the national law and policy
of those States, as well as on the bilateral agreements they may have with the new Member States. This
means that during the transitional period Union citizens from new Member States who want to work in
the Union might need to obtain work permits, depending on the national law of the Union country where
they want to work. Some Member States have indicated that they intend to fully open their labour markets
to workers from all the new Member States. Other present Member States intend to allow more restrictive
access, which will differ depending on the new Member State in question. This transitional arrangement
does not apply to Cyprus and Malta.