WRITTEN QUESTION E-0501/04 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Measures to tackle the Ulysses syndrome.
Date: 2004-02-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: health policy, integration of migrants, mental health, mental stress, migrant, social policy

C 88 E/188

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

(2004/C 88 E/0194)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0501/04

by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Measures to tackle the Ulysses syndrome

(23 February 2004)

The psychological upheavals which immigrants are more and more prone to, due to the very difficult
obstacle course they have to run in their search for a better life, constitute an emergent health problem in
societies where there are large numbers of immigrants.

The Ulysses syndrome, or the syndrome of immigrants suffering from chronic or multiple stress,
is
unleashed by a series of blows involving the individual’s loss of such existentially important points of
reference as family and friends, native culture and land, social position and physical safety.

Is the Commission aware of the existence of this phenomenon, its seriousness and its importance, and
does it therefore intend to put forward legislative measures to tackle it?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(28 April 2004)

The Commission is aware that immigrants may suffer from health problems, from chronic or multiple
stress due to loss of reference points such as family and friends, native culture and land, social position.

the integration of

The Commission drew attention to this issue in its Communication on immigration,
integration and
employment (1) and urged Member States to develop comprehensive integration policies at national level,
life including ensuring
which take into account
appropriate health care and access to social services. The Commission also highlighted the need for
mainstreaming specific migration and integration concerns into all policy fields at the European level,
including Community health policies. In this respect the Commission has financed a project under the
former Health Monitoring Programme on ‘Monitoring and reporting of socio-economic differences in
health indicators in the EU’, one of whose outcomes was a specific report on ‘Health inequalities in Europe
and the situation of disadvantaged groups’. This report commented on the specific situation of migrants.

immigrants into all aspects of

As regards the question of putting forward EU legislation to tackle this phenomenon, it should be recalled
immigrants, remain the
that ensuring proper health care and tackling specific health problems of
responsibility of the Member States. The Commission does not, therefore,
intend to propose specific
legislation in this field.

(1) COM(2003) 336 final.

(2004/C 88 E/0195)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0510/04

by Sérgio Marques (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 February 2004)

Subject: Stage reached in the implementation of aid to Venezuela

Following the tragic floods which occurred in Venezuela in December 1999, the Commission allocated
substantial sums of money to support reconstruction in the affected areas (including the state of Vargas)
and to support risk prevention (i.e. devising and implementing programmes designed to enable natural
risks to be managed in a huge area adjacent to the one affected by the 1999 floods in the states of Falcón,
Miranda and Yaracuy).