Commission en direct. #03, avril - mai 2013.
Date: 2013-04-08
Institutions: Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security
Subjects: European Commission, European neighbourhood policy, European official, banking system, dissemination of EU information, serial publication

Commission

en 

#03 (cid:3) AVRIL (cid:3) MAI 2013

DOSSIER
BANKING UNION

GRANDE COALITION POUR L’EMPLOI

EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

KOSIČE 2013

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Roger Waite is the Commission Spokes-
person for Agriculture and Rural Develop-
ment. He took up this post in 2010 after 
many  years  as  a  Brussels-based  journalist 
on  CAP  issues,  notably  for  AGRA  FACTS.

Caroline Pottier  is a 
Policy Ofﬁ cer in DG AGRI’s 
unit dealing with the review 
of  organic  farming  policy. 
She has a degree in agrono-
my and is a product quality 
specialist, with ten years’ ex-
perience in DG AGRI in the 
ﬁ elds of geographical indica-
tions, agricultural markets, 
and  international  aspects 
of  organic  farming  policy.

Joan Flanagan is Education Ofﬁ cer in the Commission’s 
Representation in Ireland and is responsible for the coordi-
nation of DG COMM’s ‘Back to School’ exercise in Ireland.

Maria Raﬀ aella Assetta 
est juriste et travaille à la DG MARKT. 
Après une longue expérience dans 
le  domaine  des  marchés  publics, 
elle a rejoint l’unité «Politique des 
services ﬁ nanciers et relations avec 
le  Conseil».  Avant  de  rejoindre  la 
Commission,  elle  a  travaillé  en 
Italie comme avocat indépendant.

Kathrin  Blanck-Putz  is  Policy  Ofﬁ cer  and  team 
leader  for  the  review  of  the  European  Supervisory  Au-
thorities  in  DG  MARKT’s  Unit  responsible  for  Financial 
Services  Policy  and  Relations  with  Council.  Before  join-
ing  DG  MARKT  in  2009,  she  was  assistant  professor  of 
EU  Law  at  Vienna  University  of  Economics  and  Business.

Madeleine 
Majorenko is 
Head  of  Division 
for  the  European 
Neighbourhood 
Policy  in  the  Eu-
ropean  External 
Action  Service 
(EEAS). She has a 
long  background 
in the Commission 
working with ENP-
related issues both 
in  DG  MARKT 
and  DG  RELEX.  

Flaminia   Bussacchini  heads 
DG HR’s Equal Opportunities and Work-
ing Conditions Unit. Her Unit’s mission 
is to promote a shared understanding of 
what a fair, ﬂ exible and respectful work-
place is about and what is needed to make 
further progress, to help DGs deliver on 
their equal opportunities objectives and to 
monitor and report on the progress made.

Jan Ceyssens is a team leader in 
DG MARKT’s Unit responsible for Finan-
cial Services Policy and Relations with 
the Council. He graduated in law from 
Humboldt University in Berlin and holds 
a Masters’ degree in European Law from 
King’s College London. Before joining DG 
MARKT in 2009, he worked at DG COMP

Susanne Tillmanns worked 
as  a  Blue  Book  Trainee  for  the 
Unit  for  Equal  Opportunities  and 
Working  Conditions  in  DG  HR 
from October 2012 until February 
2013.  She  contributed  to  several 
communication  projects  for  the 
Unit,  and  likes  writing  and  the 
creative  process  that  goes  with  it.

Valérie  De  Koninck  man-
ages the Language Training Team in DG 
HR’s Learning and Development Unit. 
She is responsible for the development, 
management,  monitoring  and  evalu-
ation  of  the  Commission’s  language 
training  policy,  as  well  as  for  inter-
institutional collaboration in this ﬁ eld.

K a r o l i n a 
Pyka is a Human 
Resource  Manage-
ment Ofﬁ cer in DG 
HR.  She  managed 
the eCV project, in-
cluding creation of 
the eCV search tool. 
An HR practitioner 
since 2007, she re-
cently  completed 
the HRM Post Grad-
uate Certiﬁ cate Pro-
gramme and enjoys 
the challenge of ap-
plying the acquired 
knowledge and skills 
in  the  HRM  field.

Stina Soewarta 
is Head of DG DEVCO’s 
the  Communication 
and Transparency Unit. 
Before joining the unit, 
she was a member of 
Commissioner Andris 
Piebalgs’ Cabinet, both 
as Energy and Develop-
ment  Commissioner. 
She  has  also  worked 
in  Denmark’s  Perma-
nent  Representation 
to  the  EU  and  in  the 
European Parliament.

Lutz  Köppen  
works as a Human Re-
sources Management 
Ofﬁ cer in DG HR deal-
ing  with  the  annual 
job screening exercise. 
He has played a deter-
mining  role  in  the 
eCV  revamp  project. 
He  joined  the  Com-
mission two years ago, 
with private-sector ex-
perience in the areas 
of  audit  and  perfor-
mance improvement, 
business strategy, and 
project management.

(cid:47)(cid:311)(cid:65)(cid:62)(cid:64)(cid:81)(cid:66)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:2)(cid:64)(cid:69)(cid:66)(cid:67) Zach Hester, Tél. 02 29 69617 - (cid:48)(cid:66)(cid:64)(cid:79)(cid:311)(cid:81)(cid:62)(cid:70)(cid:79)(cid:66)(cid:2)(cid:65)(cid:66)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:311)(cid:65)(cid:62)(cid:64)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:76)(cid:75) Dominique Labourdette - (cid:47)(cid:311)(cid:65)(cid:62)(cid:64)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:76)(cid:75) Matteo Manzonetto, 
Michael Scheerer - (cid:48)(cid:81)(cid:62)(cid:68)(cid:70)(cid:62)(cid:70)(cid:79)(cid:66)(cid:80) Sébastien Procureur, Catarina Da Fonseca - (cid:42)(cid:70)(cid:80)(cid:66)(cid:2)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:2)(cid:77)(cid:62)(cid:68)(cid:66)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:2)(cid:32)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:65)(cid:2)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:70)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:66) Marcelo Contreras - 
(cid:32)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:70)(cid:66)(cid:79)(cid:2)(cid:65)(cid:66)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:66)(cid:64)(cid:81)(cid:66)(cid:82)(cid:79)(cid:80) Eimear O’Kelly - (cid:32)(cid:69)(cid:66)(cid:67)(cid:2)(cid:65)(cid:126)(cid:82)(cid:75)(cid:70)(cid:81)(cid:311) Norman Jardine. 

(cid:30)(cid:64)(cid:64)(cid:310)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:303)(cid:2)(cid:32)(cid:76)(cid:74)(cid:74)(cid:70)(cid:80)(cid:80)(cid:70)(cid:76)(cid:75)(cid:2)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:2)(cid:65)(cid:70)(cid:79)(cid:66)(cid:64)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:2)(cid:73)(cid:70)(cid:68)(cid:75)(cid:66) – (cid:45)(cid:66)(cid:79)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:75)(cid:75)(cid:66)(cid:73)(cid:2)(cid:62)(cid:64)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:67) http://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu - (cid:44)(cid:45)(cid:2)(cid:66)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:79)(cid:66)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:62)(cid:70)(cid:81)(cid:311)(cid:80) https://myintracomm-ext.ec.europa.eu - 
(cid:30)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:79)(cid:66)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:70)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:81)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:70)(cid:76)(cid:75)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:66)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:62)(cid:68)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:64)(cid:66)(cid:80)(cid:2)(cid:5)(cid:311)(cid:68)(cid:62)(cid:73)(cid:66)(cid:74)(cid:66)(cid:75)(cid:81)(cid:2)(cid:34)(cid:34)(cid:30)(cid:48)(cid:6) http://myintracomm.ec.testa.eu

Commission en direct est édité par l’unité de Communication, DG HR D.3 - (cid:30)(cid:65)(cid:79)(cid:66)(cid:80)(cid:80)(cid:66): CE-SC11, 01/18 - Télécopieur 0229 99285 -
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(cid:38)(cid:48)(cid:48)(cid:43)(cid:23)(cid:2)(cid:14)(cid:21)(cid:16)(cid:13)(cid:10)(cid:18)(cid:18)(cid:22)(cid:21) - Cette publication n’engage pas juridiquement la Commission.

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EDITORIAL

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POSITIVE 
THINKING

by Zach Hester, 
Editor-in-Chief, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

Research tends to show that whether we 

see the glass as half empty or half full is 
not without importance for our mental and physi-
cal health, and, as a result, our overall well-being.

Optimists  may  have  a  head  start,  as  positive 
thinking tends to come naturally to them. But the 
good news is that pessimists can learn to identify 
negative thinking and then to reframe such situa-
tions more constructively.

The health benefits may include living longer 
and being less susceptible to depression and distress 
and less prone to heart attacks and cardiovascular 
disease, as well as being more resistant to the com-
mon cold. Positive thinkers also tend to have better 
psychological and physical well-being and exhibit 
better coping skills when faced with difficult situa-
tions and stress. But this may be because they also 
tend to live healthier life styles.

Given the challenges the Commission has faced 
of late, there must be quite a few optimists and pos-
itive thinkers among staff. How else, when faced 
with the fall-out from the financial and economic 
crisis, did Commissioners and EU staff working in 
the front line keep a cool head and set to work to 
improve regulation of the EU’s financial sector?

This month’s dossier focuses on the establish-
ment of the banking union – a work in progress – 
with special interviews with Commissioner Michel 
Barnier  and  the  European  Central  Bank’s  Yves 
Mersch as well as the story of DG MARKT’s ‘Banking 
Union’ team, who have risen to the challenge of 
producing indispensable legislation in record time.
Long live the optimists who strive for a better 
world! I am sure you will find other examples also 
in the pages that follow… (cid:74)

 
SOMMAIRE

BANKING UNION

22

49

10

26

06 Post

07 Regards 

Europe & beyond
08 Brèves

10 Grande Coalition pour l’emploi

12 Reforming agriculture policy

13 Renforcer les droits des passagers

14  Record-breaking organic farming 

consultation

18 Cooperating with neighbouring countries

20 Remettre le Mali en marche

Our stories
22  Dynamiser la production audiovisuelle 

25 Luxembourg Marathon

26 Back to School in Ireland

29 Action de Noël

30 DGT ﬁeld oﬃcers

Au quotidien
46 Recognising equal opportunities

48  Being an Equal Opportunities 

Correspondent

49 e-Learning for languages

50 Searching for talent with eCV

52 In Memoriam

15 Photos

Pierre  
Amilhat
20

Cesar 
Salvatore 
Gallini
29 

Michel 
Barnier
36

Yves  
Mersch
38

Herman 
Luyten
44

Alvaro  
de Oña
48

Théa  
Spruit
54

56

Generations
54  Théa Spruit

Freizeit
56 Košice 2013

59 Brèves

60 Jeux

62 History in pictures

63 Annonces

32
 Dossier

34 Timeline – Towards a banking union

36 Facing the eurozone’s challenges

38 Banking sector supervision and the ECB

40 Le côté «humain» de l’Union bancaire

42 Towards a financial sector supporting growth

44 Courses to explain the crisis

45 Glossary

POST

Protection des 
consommateurs

Des 
économies

Voilà,  l’économie:  «Commission  en 

direct» ne paraît plus chaque semaine, 

mais chaque mois.

Helga van den Steen, DG COMP

J’ai sous mes yeux votre belle page 39 dans le 

«Commission en direct» du mois de mars.
En ce qui concerne la garantie obligatoire de deux 
ans que vous mentionnez, je serais curieuse de savoir 
s’il  existe  UN  magasin  en  France  qui  applique  la 
Directive européenne!?

Je suis installée en Avignon depuis 1997 et dois me 
battre continuellement lors de mes achats! La réponse 
laconique est : un an, ou éventuellement deux ans 
pour le gros électroménager par exemple. J’ai beau 
mentionner cette Directive, rien à faire.

A titre d’exemple : je viens d’acheter un lave-linge 
et un jet pour les dents. Le premier achat a reçu deux 
ans et le second un an, malgré que le fabricant ins-
crive deux sur la boîte.

Le moins qu’on puisse dire, c’est que c’est fatigant 

et frustrant!

Arlette Teunkens, pensionnée

Fair 
democratic 
access

The European Citizens’ Initiative allows citizens to request new EU legislation from the 

Commission once a million signatures from a significant number of Member States have 

been collected.

There are currently on-going petitions on a wide range of topics, including a quality education 
policy for the EU (www.euroedtrust.eu). To sign this on-line petition, one has to select the Member 
State that you come from, and enter information that proves your identity. However, for Ireland, one 
has to provide an address and one has to be ‘a permanent resident in Ireland’. This means that Irish 
people like myself living abroad cannot sign this petition.

Why did the Irish authorities not permit Irish people to also select a passport as a possible way to 

prove identity?

This is a clear case of discrimination. Irish people would seem to have less of a voice in the EU? 
Irish citizens who have emigrated to other EU countries can’t participate in this unique democratic 
process in the same way that other EU nationals can. Is this fair? 

Gerard Hanney-Labastille, Eurostat

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Avril - Mai 2013

S
REGARDS

G

Nous devons tous prendre la mesure de l’urgence 
de parvenir à une solution politique aﬁ n de prévenir 
que la Syrie soit complètement détruite.
Ban Ki-moon 

The European Parliament is 
convinced that deepening the 
recession by dogmatically 
implementing austerity policies 
makes no economic sense.
Martin Schulz

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The fact is, from Skype 
to Spotify to Angry Birds, 
there are many European 
success stories. Sometimes 
we’re too shy to talk about 
them: let’s not be!
Neelie Kroes

Un nouveau Lehman 
Brothers ne serait 
plus possible 
aujourd’hui en Europe. 
On a remis de l’ordre et 
de la transparence dans le 
système ﬁ nancier.
Michel Barnier

 
 
 
 
EUROPE & BEYOND

Microso(cid:2)  ﬁ ned 
for breaking 
browser choice 
commitments

The  Commission  has  fined  Microsoft 

Corporation  €561  million  for  breaking 
the terms of an earlier agreement to offer users a 
choice  of  Internet  browser.  In  2009,  Microsoft 
agreed to pay a €860 million fine and promised to 
give Windows users the option of choosing another 
browser rather than having Internet Explorer auto-
matically installed. But Microsoft failed to stick to 
the  deal  for  some  15  million  installations  of 
Windows 7 in Europe from May 2011 until July 2012. 
The company admitted the failure, adding that it 
was a mistake. Joaquin Almunia, Vice-President and 
Commissioner for Competition Policy, said that the 
fine  reflected  the  size  of  the  violation  and  the 
length of time it went on. It was also intended to 
make an example of Microsoft and deter other com-
panies from doing the same thing. “A failure to com-
ply is a very serious infringement that must be sanc-
tioned accordingly,” the Commissioner stated. “We 
take full responsibility for the technical error that caused 
this problem and have apologized for it,” the company 
said in a statement. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/competition/sectors/ICT/microso(cid:4) /investigation.html

BRÈVES

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La santé des 
abeilles est 
capitale

Aucune majorité qualifiée n’a été trouvée 

le 15 mars dernier concernant la propo-
sition de la Commission visant à restreindre l’utili-
sation de trois néonicotinoïdes afin de protéger la 
santé des abeilles. Treize Etats membres ont voté en 
faveur  de  la  proposition,  alors  que  neuf  se  sont 
opposés et cinq se sont abstenus. Suite à ce vote, la 
Commission a décidé de soumettre la proposition 
au Comité d’appel. «La santé de nos abeilles est d’une 
importance capitale. Nous avons le devoir de prendre des 
actions proportionnées et pourtant décisives pour les pro-
téger partout où cela s’impose», a déclaré le commis-
saire Tonio Borg, chargé de la santé. Le 28 janvier 
dernier, le commissaire avait annoncé une série de 
mesures législatives suite à la publication d’un rap-
port de l’autorité européenne de sécurité des ali-
ments  (EFSA)  sur  les  risques  pour  la  santé  des 
abeilles liés à trois néonicotinoïdes, à savoir le clo-
thianidine, l’imidaclopride et le thiaméthoxame. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/borg/docs/speech_agri_
council_19032013_en.pdf

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Avril - Mai 2013

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Renforcer la 
voix du peuple

En 2009, seuls 43% des Européens ont voté 

lors des élections européennes. Selon un 
récent Eurobaromètre, ce faible taux de participa-
tion est principalement dû à un manque d’informa-
tion. C’est pourquoi la Commission a adressé des 
recommandations pratiques aux Etats membres et 
aux partis politiques en vue des prochaines élec-
tions qui auront lieu en 2014. Les partis politiques 
devraient ainsi désigner leur candidat au poste de 
président de la Commission et indiquer leur affilia-
tion à un parti politique européen. La Commission 
appelle  également  les  Etats  membres  à  convenir 
d’un jour unique commun pour ces élections. «Les 
recommandations concrètes d’aujourd’hui contribueront 
à renforcer la voix du peuple au sein de la démocratie 
européenne et à transformer les élections européennes de 
l’an prochain en véritable débat sur l’avenir de l’Europe», 
a indiqué Viviane Reding, vice-présidente chargée de 
la justice, des droits fondamentaux et de la citoyen-
neté. Il revient désormais aux Etats membres d’ap-
pliquer ces recommandations d’ici aux élections. Le 
Comité des représentants permanents a récemment 
approuvé un projet de décision du Conseil les avan-
çant aux 22-25 mai 2014. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-215_fr.htm

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Latvia applies to 
enter eurozone

Next year Latvia could become the euro-

zone’s  18th  member.  On  5  March, 
Latvia’s government officially submitted a request 
for the Commission to assess its readiness to intro-
duce the single currency on 1 January 2014. In line 
with the Treaty requirements, the Commission and 
the European Central Bank will now each make a 
thorough and objective assessment of Latvia’s eco-
nomic performance. “We will present the conclusions 
of our assessment in the spring – by late May, early 
June,” said Commission Vice-President Olli Rehn, 
responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs. At 
a joint press announcement with Latvia’s Minister 
of Finance Andris Vilks, he added: “Without prejudg-
ing  in  any  way  the  outcome  of  the  assessment,  […] 
Latvia’s decision to request entry to the euro area shows 
how much progress the country has made in getting its 
economy back on track, following the very deep eco-
nomic crisis of 2008-2009.” In 2009, Latvia was the 
first EU country to ask for an EU-IMF bailout due to 
the financial crisis’s impact, which had caused its 
economy to shrink by 10.5%. But the country has 
since recovered. Welcoming the request as “another 
sign of confidence in the euro”, Olli Rehn noted that 
Latvia now has the highest GDP growth rate and 
the second highest export rate in the EU. (cid:74) 

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/economy_ﬁnance/eu/countries/latvia_en.htm

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EUROPE & BEYOND

UNE GRANDE COALITION POUR L’EMPLOI 
REDYNAMISER L’ÉCONOMIE  
GRÂCE AU NUMÉRIQUE

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par Sébastien Procureur, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

L’Union européenne est confrontée à un déﬁcit de compétences 
numériques alors que le nombre de chômeurs augmente.

D’ici  à  2015,  jusqu’à  900.000  emplois 

seront vacants dans le secteur des tech-
nologies de l’information et de la communication 
(TIC) mais le nombre de nouveaux diplômés et de 
travailleurs dans ce secteur ne suffira pas pour faire 
face à cette demande. 

Pourquoi une Grande Coalition?
Confrontée à la plus grave crise économique depuis 
les années trente, la jeunesse européenne attend des 
actes forts. Par ailleurs, si les entreprises qui opèrent 
en  Europe  n’arrivent  pas  à  recruter  une  main 

d’œuvre qualifiée, elles pourraient perdre en com-
pétitivité. C’est pourquoi la Commission a lancé 
début mars lors d’une conférence de deux jours à 
Bruxelles  une  Grande  Coalition  pour  l’emploi 
numérique dans le cadre des efforts qu’elle déploie 
pour rendre l’Europe plus compétitive. La Coalition 
appelle les entreprises, les gouvernements, les édu-
cateurs, les partenaires sociaux, les prestataires de 
services  de  l’emploi  et  la  société  civile  à  agir 
ensemble pour former les personnes aux compé-
tences recherchées dans le secteur des TIC. Cette 
action  commune  vise  en  particulier  à  aider  les 

10

Avril - Mai 2013

 
Les technologies numériques créent des emplois 
et aident les petites et moyennes entreprises

jeunes et les chômeurs. Elle permettra à la fois de 
stimuler  l’économie  européenne,  et  d’ouvrir  des 
perspectives concrètes pour une partie des quelque 
26 millions de chômeurs que compte l’Europe. «Si, 
ensemble, nous réussissons à inverser la tendance et à 
pourvoir les emplois vacants de plus en plus nombreux 
dans le secteur des TIC, l’impact sur l’ensemble de l’écono-
mie sera beaucoup plus large. Nous voulons donner aux 
Européens les moyens d’occuper les emplois qui joueront un 
rôle moteur dans la prochaine révolution des TIC», a indi-
qué le Président José Manuel Barroso. 

Neelie  Kroes,  vice-présidente  en  charge  de 
l’Agenda Numérique ajoute. «Il ne s’agit pas de réin-
venter la roue, mais de renforcer et développer ce qui 
marche. Je souhaite que les participants s’engagent de 
manière forte, qu’ils joignent leurs forces lorsque des 
opportunités se présentent, et que nous reconnaissions 
tous le besoin de faire les choses différemment.»

Comme le souligne Androulla Vassiliou, com-
missaire en charge de l’éducation, de la culture, du 
multilinguisme  et  de  la  jeunesse,  «la  compétence 
numérique est devenue une compétence essentielle que 
tout le monde devrait apprendre à l’école. C’est essentiel 
pour notre croissance économique, pour l’insertion pro-
fessionnelle des personnes et pour l’inclusion dans la 
société.»

Pour  sa  part,  László  Andor,  commissaire  en 
charge de l’emploi, des affaires sociales et de l’inclu-
sion a déclaré: «La Grande Coalition que nous lançons 
aujourd’hui est un projet novateur à deux points de vue: 
Tout d’abord, nous réunissons un très large éventail de 
parties  prenantes.  Un  vaste  partenariat  est  en  effet 
nécessaire si nous voulons exploiter le potentiel de plein 
emploi du secteur des TIC. La deuxième nouveauté, c’est 
que nous souhaitons construire ce partenariat sur l’enga-
gement ferme de chaque acteur» «Si nous réussissons à 
combler la pénurie de compétences dans le secteur des 
TIC, tout le monde sera gagnant», a-t-il conclu.

«Les technologies numériques créent des emplois et 
aident les petites et moyennes entreprises», a souligné 
Antonio Tajani, commissaire en charge de l’indus-
trie et de l’entreprenariat. 

Des engagements en amont
Le lancement de la Grande Coalition est le fruit 
d’une initiative menée en amont sous la direction 
de la vice-présidente Neelie Kroes pour recueillir des 
engagements initiaux auprès notamment d’entre-
prises technologiques, d’administrations, ou de res-
ponsables  d’enseignement.  Nouveaux  emplois, 
stages, financements de démarrage, cours universi-
taires en ligne gratuits font entre autres partie de ces 
engagements. Au total plus de quinze entreprises et 
organisations adhèrent déjà à la Grande Coalition.

Les  engagements  initiaux  ont,  par  exemple, 
débouché sur une nouvelle plateforme d’apprentis-
sage en ligne pour les jeunes, dénommée «Academy 
Cube», et sur un nouveau module de formation des-
tiné aux installateurs de réseaux d’énergie intelli-
gents. De plus, la Commission s’occupe du lance-
ment  de  Startup  Europe,  une  plateforme  unique 
d’outils et de programmes destinés à aider les per-
sonnes qui veulent mettre sur pied et faire prospérer 
des entreprises du web en Europe. 

Le président Barroso a appelé d’autres acteurs à 
suivre l’exemple de ces pionniers. Il a appelé à une 
participation active de toutes les parties prenantes, 
par exemple, en matière de formations gérées par 
l’industrie et d’amélioration des programmes sco-
laires et universitaires. Il en va de l’avenir de la jeu-
nesse  européenne  qu’il  faut  aider  aujourd’hui  à 
acquérir  les  compétences  dont  elle  aura  besoin 
demain. (cid:74)

La Grande Coalition pour les emplois 
numériques: 

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/grand-coalition-digital-
jobs-0 

Academy Cube: 

 (cid:3) http://academy-cube.eu/ 

11

EUROPE & BEYOND

CAP REFORM 
ENTERING THE END GAME

by Roger Waite, Spokesperson, DG COMM (cid:87)(cid:87)

In March, ﬁrst the European Parliament and then the Council  
of Agriculture Ministers ﬁnalised their negotiating mandates  
for the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

As  a  result,  some 

18  months  after 
Agriculture  Commissioner 
Dacian Cioloş tabled his pro-
posals for reform, the negotia-
tions  are  now  entering  the 
end-game – the first time that such a reform has 
been decided by co-decision. More importantly, all 
the major elements of the Cioloş approach are very 
much intact, notably the need to agree a “fairer and 
greener” CAP.

Speaking after the marathon Council session on 
18-19 March, Commissioner Cioloş was particularly 
upbeat about his greening proposal – underlining 
that  the  Council  and  the  Parliament  have  both 
agreed on the concept that in future 30% of CAP 
Direct Payments will directly be linked to the provi-
sion of environmental public goods. “This is not only 
important for taxpayers, but it is also important for 
farmers,” he enthused. There remain many techni-
cal details to iron out between the institutions, but 
much of this is linked to how we can take account 
of what is already being done well. On certain ele-
ments, such as the issue of an ‘Environmental Focus 
Area’ on each farm holding, the Council is closer to 
the Commission position than the Parliament.

One of the other key elements is a fairer distribu-
tion of CAP funds. Here the Parliament is closer to 
the Commission than the Council on most points. 
For example, on the distribution of funds within 
the Member States, many Ministers are much more 
reluctant  to  see  a  redistribution  away  from  the 
larger, more intensive farmers who have benefitted 

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from a system based on his-
torical production references. 
The Council is also calling for 
a higher payment for young 
farmers and for the capping of 
the  direct  support  that  any 
individual farmer can receive to be voluntary for 
Me mb e r   St ate s,  whe r e a s  M E P s   b ac k   t he 
Commission’s compulsory approach. These are the 
sort of issues, strongly supported by the wider pub-
lic, where co-decision with the Parliament really 
can make a difference to the end result.

On sugar quotas, the Commissioner added, “it is 
clear that the quota regime will go, it is now only a ques-
tion of negotiating when.”

But  the  two  negotiating  mandates  have  also 
shown that many proposed changes are accepted by 
all sides. For Rural Development policy, for exam-
ple, new initiatives to boost innovation have been 
widely welcomed and the idea of providing more 
flexibility to Member States when they draft their 
tailor-made  multi-annual  schemes,  designed  for 
local specificities, has been endorsed by all.

In procedural terms, a series of trilogues between 
the three institutions will get underway in April 
with a view to reaching a political agreement before 
the end of June. Many of the rules will already apply 
next year, but Cioloş is pragmatic about the system 
of Direct Payments, indicating that it would not be 
possible for Member States to have sufficient man-
agement and control systems in place by early next 
year. “For something as important as this, it’s better 
to do it properly, than to do it quickly.” (cid:74)

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RENFORCEMENT DES 
DROITS DES PASSAGERS

par Sébastien Procureur, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

La Commission a présenté à la mi-mars une proposition dont l’objectif 
est d’actualiser et d’étoﬀer les droits des passagers qui sont bloqués à 
l’aéroport. 

Une  révision  de  la  législation  en  la 

matière  est  en  effet  nécessaire  pour 
assurer que leurs droits soient effectivement respec-
tés dans la pratique. 

«Nous avons conscience que la vraie priorité des pas-
sagers bloqués est tout simplement de rentrer chez eux, 
c’est pourquoi nous mettons l’accent sur l’information, 
la prise en charge et l’efficacité du réacheminement. 
L’objectif est d’acheminer les passagers vers la destina-
tion de leur choix dans les plus brefs délais tout en lais-
sant aux transporteurs aériens le temps nécessaire pour 
résoudre les problèmes», souligne le vice-président 
Siim Kallas, en charge des transports.

La  législation  comportait  des  zones  d’ombres 
notamment concernant l’information, le droit au 
réacheminement  et  les  droits  en  cas  de  retard 
important. Pour clarifier les choses, la proposition 
prévoit, par exemple, qu’une compagnie devra offrir 
un réacheminement via une autre compagnie ou 

via un autre moyen de transport si elle n’a pas la 
possibilité de réacheminer elle-même les passagers 
bloqués plus de 12 heures. Les compagnies devront 
également informer les passagers de la situation le 
plus vite possible. Par ailleurs, la proposition clarifie 
la notion de «circonstances exceptionnelles». Une 
catastrophe naturelle et une grève des contrôleurs 
sont  ainsi  considérées  comme  des  circonstances 
exceptionnelles.

La Commission mentionne également de nou-
veaux droits notamment en cas de réaménagement 
des horaires de vol ou en cas d’erreur de manipula-
tion des bagages. De plus, il est également prévu que 
les  transporteurs  aériens  devront  envoyer  une 
réponse formelle dans les 2 mois en cas de réclama-
tion. La proposition doit désormais être approuvée 
par les Etats membres et le Parlement européen. (cid:74)

 (cid:3)http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-203_en.htm

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EUROPE & BEYOND

ORGANIC FARMING CONSULTATION 
OVER 40,000 RESPONSES

by Caroline Pottier, DG AGRI (cid:87)(cid:87)

The Commission has included in its work programme for 2013 the 
review of the organic farming framework – both the action plan and 
the legislation.

Our Unit – DG AGRI’s Organic Farming 

Unit (H.3) – is in charge of preparing 
these proposals and is now conducting an impact 
assessment. 

A public consultation on this topic was launched 
through an on-line questionnaire on 15 January, 
yielding  a  huge  number  of  responses  –  41,375, 
which has broken all previous records for DG AGRI. 
Such a turnout can be explained by the high 
interest citizens and consumers have for food issues. 
In addition, organic farming meets many of their 
concerns about health, environment, and animal 
welfare. 

The  introduction  of  a  new  European  organic 
logo in 2010 has given visibility to organic farming, 
with 24% of citizens (according to Eurobarometer 
389) aware of it two years after its introduction. It 
makes a bridge between citizens’ practical concerns 
and Europe. 

Fortunately,  our  team  had  anticipated  such 
interest. This is the reason why we decided to pro-
pose a questionnaire with closed questions, using 
IPM – the interactive policy-making tool, which 
allows easy retrieval of statistics on the replies. 

We also set up a special task-force, involving sev-
eral trainees, to help us analyse the free contribu-
tions (so far 1,200). 

The inclusion of questions on sensitive issues 
like additives, substances and the prohibition of the 
use of GMOs in organic farming has also probably 
contributed to the high response rate. 

After the consultation closes on 10 April, our 
next move will be to analyse the results of the ques-

14

Avril - Mai 2013

tionnaire using a statistical software. This public 
consultation is only one part of the consultation 
process – DG AGRI has planned a meeting with the 
advisory group on organic farming on 11 April.

Our stakeholders’ input will feed into the impact 
assessment  that  we  intend  to  finalise  before  the 
summer. DG AGRI aims to create the best possible 
conditions for the EU organic production sector to 
develop further. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/consultations/organic/2013_en.htm

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PHOTOS

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Intronisation du Pape François

De  très  nombreux  ﬁdèles,  des  chefs  d’Etats  et  de  gouvernement  venus  des  quatre  coins  du  monde 
ont assisté le 19 mars à l’intronisation du Pape François. L’Union européenne était représentée par les 
présidents du Conseil, Herman Van Rompuy, de la Commission, José Manuel Barroso, et du Parlement, 
Martin Schulz. A noter la présence d’Angela Merkel et d’autres dirigeants européens. De nombreux diri-
geants d’Amérique latine qui compte plus de 40% des catholiques étaient présents à la messe d’intro-
nisation, notamment, Cristina Kirchner, la présidente d’Argentine, pays natal du nouveau chef d’Etat du 
Vatican, ou encore la présidente du Brésil Dilma Roussef et le président mexicain Enrique Peña Nieto. 
Le vice-président Joe Biden représentait les Etats-Unis. (cid:74)

 
 
PHOTOS

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Les leçons du tsunami

Le tremblement de terre et le tsunami qui ont 
dévasté le nord-est du Japon le 11 mars 2011 
ont démontré l’importance de la résilience face 
à des chocs extérieurs comme les catastrophes 
naturelles.  Kristalina  Georgieva,  commissaire 
en  charge  de  la  coopération  internationale,  de 
l’aide humanitaire et de la réaction aux crises, 
a participé deux ans après jour pour jour à un 
débat  organisé  sur  ce  thème  par  les  amis  de 
l’Europe  (Friends  of  Europe).  Elle  a  énuméré 
plusieurs leçons tirées après le tsunami. Si plu-
sieurs  leçons  opérationnelles  ont  été  tirées,  il 
faut poursuivre les eﬀorts de sensibilisation. «La 
sensibilisation  internationale  est  cruciale  pour 
transformer les comportements car nous avons 
besoin  d’un  changement  complet  de  mentalité 
dans  un  monde  qui  connaît  des  catastrophes 
plus fréquentes et plus dévastatrices», a-t-elle 
souligné. Kristalina Georgieva a également par-
tagé un haïku avec l’assemblée à l’occasion de 
ce second anniversaire. (cid:74)

“Deep within our hearts  
We remember your sorrows 
And what fell apart. 
Today we all pray 
For a brighter tomorrow 
Pain brings a new start”

 (cid:3)http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-220_en.htm

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Les femmes à l’honneur

Neelie Kroes, vice-présidente de la Commission en charge de la Stratégie numérique, s’est rendue le 
8 mars à Amsterdam. Elle a dans le cadre de la Journée internationale de la femme, signé une aﬃche 
soutenant les femmes d’Egypte réalisée par Amnesty international. Neelie Kroes a par ailleurs participé 
à un débat, organisé par la représentation de la Commission et le bureau d’information du Parlement 
européen, dont la question centrale portait sur les contributions des femmes pour résoudre la crise éco-
nomique. La vice-présidente s’est inquiétée que trop peu de femmes s’orientent vers les études et les 
métiers liés aux technologies de l’information et de la communication. Plus généralement, elle a appelé 
les jeunes femmes à saisir toutes les opportunités qui se présentent. «Suivez vos propres espoirs et 
non les attentes des autres. Faites ce qu’il faut faire pour conserver votre identité de femme», a-t-elle 
indiqué. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-208_en.htm

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EUROPE & BEYOND

COOPERATING WITH NEIGHBOURING 
COUNTRIES TO IMPROVE 
PEOPLE’S LIVES

by Madeleine Majorenko, EEAS(cid:87)(cid:87)

How is EU cooperation with neighbouring countries developing? 
On 20 March, the Commission and the EU High Representative 
for Foreign Aﬀairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton adopted 
a joint communication and a series of reports which assess the 
implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in 2012.

Two major conclusions emerge. Cooperation 

with partner countries is stronger and is 
delivering positive results despite turbulent political 
and economic conditions in most of the countries. 
But political reforms are uneven and progress towards 
sustainable democracy in ENP countries can be a 
bumpy road.

A mixed picture
In the Southern Mediterranean countries, progress 
in making democratic reforms varies. Civil society 
organisations play a stronger role, checks and bal-
ances are progressively introduced, and democratic 
elections  were  held  in  Egypt,  Libya,  Algeria  and 
Tunisia. In some of the countries, the EU deployed 
elections  observation  missions.  But  concerns 
remain about freedoms of assembly, association and 
expression, including media freedom, notably in 
Egypt and Algeria. Constitutional reform is slow.

Eastern Partnership countries are also increasingly 
taking different paths. Moldova, Georgia and Armenia 
continued democratic reforms and held elections in 
line with international standards. Ukraine’s parlia-
mentary elections presented a mixed picture with 
shortcomings and constituted a deterioration com-
pared to standards previously achieved. Azerbaijan 
needs to make significant further efforts to meet its 

commitments in the field of democracy, including 
electoral processes. The elections in Belarus took place 
against an overall background of repression.

This mixed picture confirms the wisdom of the EU 
taking a differentiated approach to partner countries. 
In fact, the ENP provides the EU with a toolbox of 
instruments that allows it to adapt its response to the 
individual context of its partners and their aspirations 
for their relationship with the EU.

Most partner countries are going through political 
transitions and the role of civil society is more and 
more important. The EU has supported organisations 
via the Civil Society Facility. But in some countries 
NGOs are not yet able to operate without interference 
from the authorities.

The EU continued  negotiations with Moldova, 
Armenia and Georgia for Association Agreements that 
include Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas 
(DCFTA)  and  with  Azerbaijan  for  an  Association 
Agreement. It also started DCFTA negotiations with 
Morocco at the beginning of March 2013, continued 
preparations for such negotiations with Tunisia, and 
started preparations with Jordan. The EU-Ukraine 
Association Agreement was initialled and awaits sig-
nature after Kiev delivers on set of EU expectations. 
The EU and partners continued work to improve the 
mobility  of  people.  2012  saw  significant  progress 

18 Avril - Mai 2013

Most partner countries are going through political 
transitions and the role of civil society is growing

towards the goal of visa-free travel within the Eastern 
Partnership.

Making a difference in people’s lives
With better cooperation in specific sectors, the ENP 
is increasingly influencing people’s lives in positive 
and concrete ways. EU-supported projects related to 
transport (road safety, improvement of public trans-
port),  environment  (water  management,  impact 
assessments),  education  (participation  of  several 
thousands of students and researchers from partner 
countries  in  European  programmes)  or  energy 
(development of renewable energies), among many 
others,  are  improving  daily  living  conditions  in 
partner countries.

The EU continued to support partner countries’ 
reform efforts by making available additional fund-
ing  worth  €1  billion  from  the  EU  budget  in  the 
period 2011-13. Of this, €670 million is channelled 
through two umbrella programmes – €540 million 
for  SPRING  in  the  Southern  Mediterranean  and 
€130  million  for  EaPIC  in  the  Eastern  Neigh-
bourhood. Both programmes focus on promoting 
democratic transformation and institution-building 
and supporting sustainable and inclusive growth. 
The  European  Investment  Bank  (EIB)  and  the 
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 
(EBRD) have also extended their lending capacities 
in partner countries.

Cooperation with our neighbours should make 
the best use of all instruments and policies at the 
EU’s disposal, combining long-term political asso-
ciation, trade policy, sectoral policies and financial 
cooperation, with shorter-term policies and meas-
ures related to security instruments. The ENP shows 
how a comprehensive approach can be used to gen-
erate coherent action. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://eeas.europa.eu/enp/index_en.htm

 (cid:3) www.enpi-info.eu

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What is the European Neighbourhood 
Policy?

The  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  (ENP)  was 
launched in 2004 after the EU enlargement to 10 new 
Member States. Through it, the EU offers its neigh-
bours  a  privileged  relationship,  building  upon  a 
mutual commitment to common values – democracy 
and human rights, rule of law, good governance, mar-
ket economy principles and sustainable development.
The ENP offers a deeper political relationship and 
economic integration through reforms as means of 
achieving peace, stability and economic prosperity. 
Following  an  extensive  review,  in  2011,  the  EU 
launched a renewed ENP, seeking to strengthen ties 
through a “more for more” approach, reinforcing the 
cooperation and making more funding available for 
those  countries  implementing  the  agreed  reform 
agenda. Twelve countries (out of the 16 countries tar-
geted by the policy) actively participate in the ENP – 
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, 
Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Israel and 
Lebanon. The other four – Belarus, Algeria, Libya and 
Syria – are not participating in the ENP, although 
Algeria has started negotiations to join.

19

 
 
EUROPE & BEYOND

COOPÉRATION AU DÉVELOPPEMENT 
MALI: (cid:3)REMETTRE L’ETAT 
PLEINEMENT EN MARCHE!(cid:4)

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par Stina Soewarta, DG DEVCO (cid:87)(cid:87)

Conﬂit au nord, instabilité politique et insécurité alimentaire: le Mali 
aﬀronte une crise multiple. Pierre Amilhat, directeur de la DG DEVCO 
– EuropeAid pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et l’Afrique centrale, fait le point 
sur les priorités de l’aide au développement mise en œuvre par la 
Commission.

L’

aide de l’UE au Mali était en partie 
suspendue depuis le coup d’Etat de 

mars 2012. Qu’est ce qui permet aujourd’hui 
sa reprise, annoncée par le commissaire 
Piebalgs le 12 février dernier?
Notre coopération au développement est liée au res-
pect de principes et valeurs qui fondent nos sociétés : 
les droits de l’homme, la démocratie et l’Etat de droit. 

Avec le coup d’Etat, ces critères n’étaient plus réunis, 
entraînant  des  mesures  dites  «prudentielles». 
Concrètement, nous avons suspendu certains pro-
grammes mais sommes restés aux côtés de la popu-
lation, notamment en appuyant la transition démo-
cratique.  Par  ailleurs,  l’aide  humanitaire  (voir 
encadré) n’a jamais cessé. L’adoption de la «feuille de 
route» par les autorités maliennes, c’est-à-dire un 

20 Avril - Mai 2013

 
calendrier pour un retour à la démocratie, a permis 
la reprise de l’aide. Elle se fera graduellement, accom-
pagnant les avancées effectives de la feuille de route.

Quelles seront vos priorités? 
Pour le moment, nous disposons d’une enveloppe 
d’environ 250 millions d’euros pour répondre aux 
besoins prioritaires. L’enjeu est d’avoir un impact 
rapide  sur  le  quotidien  des  Maliens.  A  cause  des 
troubles politiques et de la guerre, l’Etat n’est plus en 
mesure de fournir les services de base à sa popula-
tion. Par de l’appui budgétaire et de l’assistance tech-
nique, entre autres, il faut aider à remettre l’Etat plei-
nement  en  marche  pour  qu’il  puisse  fournir  les 
services de base à la population. Un seul chiffre : au 
moment où je vous parle plus de mille écoles sont 
fermées dans le nord du pays.

L’éducation,  la  sécurité  alimentaire,  l’eau,  la 
santé et la décentralisation figurent parmi nos prio-
rités, à côté du rétablissement de la démocratie et de 
la  paix  et  du  renforcement  de  la  gouvernance. 
Concrètement, nous allons aider l’Etat à procéder à 
des programmes de vaccination humaine et ani-
male et à lutter contre les risques de choléra pen-
dant la saison des pluies. Nos interventions permet-
tront  de  fournir  des  semences  et  engrais  aux 
agriculteurs et des moyens aux éleveurs afin de pré-
venir les crises alimentaires. Une politique de tra-
vaux à haute intensité de main d’œuvre pour l’entre-
tien des routes et d’autres  infrastruc tures détériorées 
permettra de créer environ 20 000 emplois. 

On voit émerger au Conseil une réponse 
européenne cohérente. Quelle est la 
prochaine étape?
Oui,  en  effet,  sous  l’impulsion  du  commissaire 
Piebalgs et de la vice-présidente Ashton, ces réunions 
ont permis la mise au point d’une réponse européenne 
cohérente et globale en matière de coopération au 
développement et en parfaite articulation avec la ges-
tion politique de la crise malienne portée par le Service 
européen  d’action  extérieur  et  les  Etats  membres. 
Cette approche commune sera présentée lors de la 
conférence internationale des donateurs qui sera orga-
nisée par l’UE et la France, le 15 mai à Bruxelles. 

Il s’agira d’une étape très importante pour fédérer les 
énergies et les moyens de l’ensemble de la commu-
nauté internationale en faveur de la stabilité et du 
développement du Mali. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/acp/country-cooperation/mali/
mali_fr.htm

Aide humanitaire

Le Mali est le théâtre d’une crise humanitaire aux 
multiples  aspects:  4,2  millions  de  personnes 
souffrent de la faim, dont 175 000 enfants de mal-
nutrition sévère, tandis que 430 000 personnes 
ont fui le conflit dans le nord du pays. La succes-
sion rapide des crises épuise les ressources des plus 
pauvres; la situation est particulièrement critique 
au Nord à cause des combats et des pénuries.

En 2012, l’aide apportée par ECHO au Mali a 
permis  de  traiter  52  000  enfants  souffrant  de 
malnutrition sévère, de distribuer nourriture et 
coupons alimentaires pour aider les plus pauvres 
à faire face à l’envolée des prix alimentaires et, 
enfin, de pallier l’absence de services de base en 
fournissant eau potable, nourriture et soins de 
santé primaires aux populations affectées par la 
crise dans le Nord. Toutefois, l’acheminement des 
secours de base est rendu délicat par des condi-
tions de sécurité difficiles et un accès limité. Pour 
préserver l’«espace humanitaire», il est essentiel 
que l’aide soit fournie dans le respect des prin-
cipes d’impartialité, de neutralité et d’indépen-
dance. Les 42 millions d’euros déjà débloqués 
pour  le  Mali  en  2013  viendront  renforcer  ces 
efforts jusqu’à la stabilisation de la situation et 
l’implication d’autres services de la Commission.
L’objectif de renforcement de la résilience au 
Mali  fait  partie  d’une  stratégie  globale  de  la 
Commission, qui est à l’avant-garde de la réponse 
aux crises alimentaires récurrentes dans le Sahel. 
En  2012,  l’Alliance  Globale  pour  l’Initiative 
Résilience (AGIR-Sahel) s’est fixé comme objectif 
l’éradication de la faim au Sahel à l’horizon 2033.

21

OUR STORIES

DYNAMISER LA PRODUCTION 
AUDIOVISUELLE

par Sabrina Fredj, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

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Slumdog Millionaire, La Vie des autres (Das Leben der Anderen), 
La vie est belle (La Vita è bella), Le Discours d’un roi (The King’s 
Speech), La Môme (La Vie en rose)…

Tous  ces  films  ont  bénéficié  de  l’apport 

financier  du  programme  MEDIA  de  la 
Commission et témoignent du dynamisme de la 
production cinématographique européenne de ces 
dernières  années.  Conçu  pour  aider  l’industrie 
audiovisuelle en Europe – Suisse, Norvège, Islande, 
Croatie  et  Lichtenstein  compris  –,  depuis  1991 
MEDIA soutient une production de qualité, mais 
reste peu connu du grand public. Visite des coulisses 
avec Nils Koch et Isabella Tessaro de l’équipe MEDIA 
de la DG EAC.

Un cinéma fragmenté
«Aux Etats-Unis, le budget du marketing d’un film équi-
vaut souvent au budget alloué pour le film lui-même, 

autrement dit un film peut être lancé dans plusieurs pays 
en même temps et, surtout, bénéficier d’une très forte cou-
verture médiatique», explique Nils Koch qui travaille 
au  programme  MEDIA.  «En  Europe,  le  marché  du 
cinéma est fragmenté du fait des différences linguistiques 
et culturelles. Les films circulent donc peu hors de leur 
pays d’origine et ont plus de mal à générer des revenus. 
L’un de nos objectifs premiers est de restructurer le secteur 
audiovisuel européen (films et documentaires) pour le ren-
forcer.»

MEDIA apporte des fonds financiers aux interve-
nants des différentes phases qui rythment la vie d’un 
film. Le financement de la production et la réalisa-
tion du film sont du ressort national mais le pro-
gramme est présent dès la phase de pré-production: 

22 Avril - Mai 2013

 
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investissement dans des projets liés à la formation et 
à la coopération entre Européens et non-Européens 
via son volet MEDIA Mundus, apport à des sociétés 
de production indépendantes dans l’aide au dévelop-
pement de projets, facilitation de l’accès aux prêts 
bancaires pour les producteurs…

Outre la production, l’aide porte également sur la 
distribution et la promotion auprès des distributeurs 
et des salles de cinéma. L’enjeu est de taille: la part de 
marché des films européens sortis en salle n’est que 
de 30% dont seulement 7% pour les films européens 
non nationaux. Pour améliorer la circulation trans-
nationale des films, des subventions sont versées à 
2 500 cinémas indépendants (hors réseaux multi-
salles) en Europe qui s’engagent à projeter 70% de 
films européens et non nationaux sur leurs écrans 
(réseau Europa Cinemas).

Parallèlement, le programme MEDIA encourage 
les coproductions internationales et investit dans des 
programmes de sous-titrage.

Au total, environ 1 200 projets par an reçoivent 
une aide. «La contribution de l’UE ne peut jamais dépas-
ser 50% du budget total, ce qui implique le cofinancement 
des projets. De ce fait, les productions où l’aide nationale 
est la plus conséquente sont aussi les plus avantagées par 
notre programme», reconnaît Isabella Tessaro qui gère 
la garantie de l’accès au financement. Ces marchés 
sont la France, l’Allemagne, l’Italie, l’Espagne et la 
Grande-Bretagne. Pour contrebalancer ce déséqui-
libre, les projets issus des autres pays ont parfois droit 
à un financement à hauteur de 70% en fonction de 
critères notamment liés à la taille de la production 
audiovisuelle nationale.

Autre cheval de bataille: la numérisation de l’au-
diovisuel européen. «Nous testons actuellement la 
sortie de films d’emblée sur plusieurs supports – salles, 
DVD, vidéo à la demande (VOD), diffusion télé», note 
Nils Koch. «L’objectif n’est évidemment pas de tuer les 
salles de cinéma mais de donner plus de visibilité à des 
films qui ne resteront jamais six semaines en salle. Le 
cinéma européen est un marché de niche. Sans cette poli-
tique, ces films demeurent tout simplement inconnus», 
ajoute Isabella Tessaro. Le fait est que les majors 
américaines vendent leurs films sous forme de «pac-
kages» aux salles de cinéma qui, de ce fait, ne sont 
pas complètement libres dans leur programmation 
et disposent ainsi de moins de place pour les films 
européens. Ainsi, le programme MEDIA explore de 
nouveaux  canaux  de  diffusion  de  la  production 
européenne: jusqu’à la fin de 2013, un festival VOD 
propose un florilège du cinéma européen accessible 
en ligne sur le site Europe loves cinema (voir lien ci-
dessous).

La moisson des festivals
Malgré une assez faible fréquentation en salles et la 
concurrence américaine, la qualité du cinéma euro-
péen est reconnue par tous les professionnels. En 
vingt ans, treize films financés par MEDIA ont reçu 
une palme d’Or à Cannes. Child’s Pose du Roumain 
Călin Peter Netzer vient de recevoir l’Ours d’or à 
Berlin (voir Cend 02, page 17).

Vitrine de la production audiovisuelle mondiale, 
les  festivals  sont  des  évènements  immanquables 
pour l’équipe MEDIA qui en soutient une centaine 
en Europe et assure une présence dans les festivals 

23

 
et marchés de premier plan – Cannes, Venise, Berlin, 
Sundance, Toronto, Buenos Aires.

Chouchou des festivals, le cinéma européen est 
dominé par le genre art et essai. «L’humour est très 
culturel et constitue souvent une barrière à la circulation 
des  films»,  reconnaissent  Nils  Koch  et  Isabella 
Tessaro, ce qui explique que les grandes comédies 
reçoivent  moins  de  subventions.  Mais  il  y  a  des 
exceptions. La dimension tragique et universelle du 
film Intouchables  (The Intouchables) – un homme 
tétraplégique se lie d’amitié avec son aide à domi-
cile, jeune banlieusard sans avenir – lui a permis de 
conquérir le marché international.

MEDIA soutient aussi l’accès aux marchés. Le but 
principal est d’apporter une aide logistique aux pro-
fessionnels  en  leur  donnant  accès  aux  stands 

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MEDIA, sur les festivals, afin qu’ils puissent rencon-
trer d’autres acteurs du secteur à un moindre coût. 
Enfin, la promotion du cinéma européen passe aussi 
par les European Film Awards qui récompensent 
tous les ans le meilleur film européen et Shooting 
Stars qui, chaque année dans le cadre de la Berlinale, 
met en avant dix jeunes acteurs européens lors de 
festivals.  Daniel  Brühl,  Daniel  Craig,  Mélanie 
Laurent, Cécile de France y ont fait leurs classes.

Inventif, incisif, le cinéma européen représente, 
de surcroît, un vecteur d’emploi que cherche à soute-
nir le programme MEDIA tout en encourageant la 
créativité partout en Europe. A cet égard, le budget 
proposé  de  1,8  milliards  d’euros  pour  la  période 
2014-2020 est en discussion avec un nouveau défi en 
ligne de mire: la coordination des mécanismes de 
soutien à la culture et à l’audiovisuel sous le pro-
gramme «Creative Europe». (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/culture/media/index_en.htm

 (cid:3) www.dailymotion.com/europelovescinema#video=xw8hwc

Success Story

2013 

Amour, Michael Haneke 

2012 

The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius 

2011 

Le Discours d’un roi, Tom Hooper 

2009 

Le Ruban blanc, Michael Haneke

2008 

Slumdog Millionnaire, Danny Boyle 

2002 

Le Pianiste, Roman Polanski 

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2000 

Dancer in the Dark, Lars Von Trier

24 Avril - Mai 2013

 
 
OUR STORIES

LUXEMBOURG MARATHON 
RUNNING FOR A GOOD CAUSE 

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by Catarina Da Fonseca, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

The Commission Representation in Luxembourg will use this year’s Luxembourg 
marathon on 8 June to help homeless people and people struggling to overcome 
drug addiction get their lives back on track. The ALL Together – Marathon du 
Luxembourg project is the brainchild of Marco Artico (Eurostat) and Mario Galetto 
(European Parliament). Commission en direct ﬁnds out more.

Could you tell us more about  

All Together?

This project will allow drug addicts in treatment as well 
as a number of homeless people to participate in the 
team run of the Luxembourg ING Marathon this year, 
along with participants from the European institu-
tions. Everybody will wear the same “European” t-shirt 
–  symbolising  the  union  and  solidarity  among  all 
European citizens – thereby giving all the runners the 
same look. The aim of getting EU staff to run together 
with people in difficulty is to raise public awareness of 
the fact that there are European citizens who need our 
help in overcoming their problems. We hope that this 
project, as part of the European Year of Citizens 2013, 
will give the participants a boost in their efforts to re-
establish normal lives.

Who can get involved?
Our aim is to bring together everyone working for the 
European  Institutions  based  in  Luxembourg. 
Colleagues from Bruxelles are also warmly welcome. 
Currently, there are approximately 11 000 people work-
ing for the EU in Luxembourg alone, which makes the 

EU the largest single employer. In the past, every EU 
Institution has participated separately in the marathon. 
But this year, for the first time, everybody will be 
encouraged to wear the same t-shirt. 

How can colleagues help with your project?
By joining our enthusiastic team of runners! All run-
ners are welcome, whatever their level of fitness. You 
can get involved without having to run the whole 
marathon, or, if you would like to help but don’t want 
to run, there are other ways to assist. You can be a vol-
unteer on the day and hand out drinks to the runners 
or help out at the EU information stands that will be 
put up. Attractive registration fees have been offered to 
participants in the project for the marathon, half mar-
athon and team runs (8-13 km each). (cid:74)

Registration and contact persons

Marco Artico (Eurostat) (tel: +352-4301-34623), José Carvalho  
(DG HR), Ildiko Faber (DGT), Mario Galetto (European Parliament)  
(tel: +352-4300-23650), and Christophe Dessainte and Daniel Karzel 
(Court of Justice).

25

 
OUR STORIES

IRISH COLLEAGUES  
BACK TO SCHOOL

by Joan Flanagan, Commission Representation in Ireland (cid:87)(cid:87)

In February, 45 of our Irish colleagues from the Commission 
participated in DG COMM’s ‘Back to School’ exercise in Ireland.

Co ord i nate d  by  t he  C om m ission 

Representation in Ireland, this was the 
fourth ‘Back to School’ exercise in Ireland and was 
scheduled to coincide with the Irish Presidency and 
the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s accession to what 
is today the EU. Altogether over 80 schools hosted 
visits  from  62  participants,  including  Irish  col-
leagues from the European Parliament, the Council, 
the European Economic and Social Committee, the 
European External Action Service and the Court of 
Auditors. There was a particular focus on EU citi-
zens’ rights as part of the European Year of Citizens.
Here are some of our colleagues’ stories. 

Mary Kavanagh (DG RTD), taking part for the 
fourth time, visited three schools in Cork in the 
south of Ireland.

26 Avril - Mai 2013

“As in previous years, I found it a very enriching 
experience. The sessions were lively and participatory. 
The schools and teachers are genuinely delighted that 
the EU is coming to them and the students are interested 
to see a local person who has made a career in Europe. 
It makes the EU seem closer to home and gives them a 

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new career perspective. The teachers were particularly 
happy  with  resource  materials  provided  by  the 
Commission Representation in Ireland and DG RTD 
also provided ‘EU Research and Innovation’ reusable 
shopping bags which will be seen all over the city in the 
coming weeks! I included three key messages in my pres-
entations – the importance of research and innovation, 
the EU Institutions and how rules and regulations are 
made, and the advantages to Ireland of EU membership. 
I also stressed the importance of languages.” (cid:74)

Josephine McCourt (JRC) visited her former sec-
ondary school, also in Cork.

“I  found  the  experience  very  enjoyable  but  quite 
demanding! I spoke to more than 50 16-year-old pupils. 
After a short introduction, the students participated in 
a quiz about the EU. They were very enthusiastic about 
this and did quite well. The offer of prizes (Belgian choc-
olates!) created a buoyant atmosphere and a lively ques-
tion and answer session followed my talk. They asked 
lots of questions about the EU and the Joint Research 
Centre. None of them was aware that the Commission 
has its own in-house science service. Such sessions sim-
ply sow a seed, maybe an important seed. The teacher 
was very appreciative of the initiative and it was great 
to see the spark of interest in the faces of the pupils! Two 
newspapers sent photographers and the visit was covered 

in one of Ireland’s main national newspapers, the Irish 
Examiner. I also visited my third level college, Limerick 
Institute of Technology, where I gave a more JRC-oriented 
talk to 80 Analytical Chemistry students. At the time, the 
JRC had an open call for researchers and I tried to convey 
how important a solid scientific background is for their 
future careers.” (cid:74)

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Sarah  Ironside  (DG  EMPL)  and  Jill  Hughes 
(DG CONNECT) organised a joint visit to their old 
secondary school in Dublin. Speaking afterwards, 
Jill said, “It was a really enjoyable experience and I 
would certainly be interested in participating again.” 
Sarah, who was going ‘Back to School’ for the third 
time, said “I enjoy it on many levels. I find it a great 
opportunity to refresh my own knowledge of what is 
going on in the EU and to think about how to share this 
in a clear and interesting way. I love meeting the stu-
dents and I believe that we can all learn a lot from the 
experience of discussing our work with young people. I 
hope to return in 2014.” (cid:74)

Also  participating  for  the  third  time,  Brenda 
Maher  (DG  MARKT)  visited  three  schools  in 
Dublin. 
“The packs – sent to the schools by the Commission 
Representation in Ireland – and the quiz were particu-
larly brilliant. I’ve had a mail from pupils in one of the 
schools to thank me for coming and teachers from the 
other  two  schools  also  conveyed  their  appreciation.  
I really enjoyed it all once again.” (cid:74)

See picture 
at the top 
of the 
article

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Feedback  from  schools  has  also  been  extremely 
positive.  Dublin  school  principal,  Pat  McKenna, 
hosted  a  visit  from  Eilish  McCumiskey  (DG 
ENTR): “It was a pleasure to have Eilish return to her 
Alma Mater. I believe that this was a worthwhile experi-
ence for our students as it allowed them see the career 
path of “one of their own” and allowed them to consider 
the opportunities that may present to them. Many stu-
dents of this age are rudderless and searching for goals. 
Speakers like Eilish provide them with an opportunity to 
pause  and  maybe  even  think!  We  would  welcome 
another visit in the future.” (cid:74)

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school/index_en.htm

28 Avril - Mai 2013

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OUR STORIES

ACTION DE NOËL 2012
UN NOUVEAU RECORD

par Sébastien Procureur, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

L’action de Noël organisée par l’OIB, le Comité paritaire des restaurants 
et ancien économat (CPRE) et Eurest a permis de récolter cette année un 
montant record de 28.060 euros. Cette somme a été versée intégralement 
à l’association «Farilu» et à la fondation «I see». Commission en direct a 
interviewé Cesar Salvatore Gallini, secrétaire du CPRE. 

En quoi consiste l’action de Noël?

  L’action  de  Noël  dure  environ  deux 
semaines pendant la période qui précède les fêtes de 
fin d’année. Cette action existe depuis le milieu des 
années 80 et a toujours été accueillie favorablement 
par nos collègues. Elle se déroule dans tous les res-
taurants et cafétérias de la Commission. Elle consiste 
à récolter des dons auprès de nos collègues qui fré-
quentent ces lieux en leur demandant une partici-
pation d’un euro dans les restaurants lors de leurs 
passages aux caisses et de majorer de 10 % leurs tic-
kets de caisse à la cafétéria. Les dons récoltés sont 
intégralement versés à l’association caritative qui a 
été préalablement choisie par le CPRE.

Comment avez-vous sélectionné les 
bénéficiaires? 
Exceptionnellement, cette année, le CPRE a sélec-
tionné  deux  associations,  à  savoir,  l’association 
«Farilu», une boulangerie où travaillent des handi-
capés mentaux, et la fondation «I see», un centre de 
formation de chiens guides pour déficients visuels. 
Elles ont été choisies parmi d’autres candidatures 
car elles répondaient parfaitement à tous les critères 
de sélection. 

Avez-vous déjà pensé à la prochaine action? 
Suite au succès croissant de l’action, nous recevons 
régulièrement diverses candidatures. Elles sont archi-
vées et discutées en septembre pour en définir le 

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bénéficiaire. Pour qu’une candidature soit acceptée, 
l’association doit, entre autres, être parrainée par un 
ou une collègue de la Commission et être active à 
Bruxelles et sa périphérie et si possible être mobili-
sée dans le domaine alimentaire ou de l’enfance. 
Pour terminer, je tiens à remercier infiniment tous 
les collègues pour leur générosité et je vous donne 
d’ores et déjà rendez-vous à la fin de l’année pour 
une nouvelle action de solidarité. (cid:74) 

 (cid:3) http://www.fondationisee.be/

 (cid:3) http://www.jest.be/farilu_besoins.php 

29

 
 
 
 
 
 
OUR STORIES

DGT FIELD OFFICERS 
THINKING OUT OF THE BOX WHILE 
LIVING OUT OF A SUITCASE 

by Matteo Manzonetto, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

Problem-solving, improvisation and travel are a daily reality for  
the 31 translators based in the Commission’s Representations  
in the Member States.

Entrusted  with  linguistic  and  commu-

nication tasks, equipped with boundless 
reserves of creativity and energy but with only 
limited financial means, DGT Field Officers are 
unremitting in their efforts to promote a multi-
lingual EU.
See for yourselves…
Real ‘field’ work

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Our work certainly isn’t boring! No day is ever the 
same — from localising and editing press releases 
for the national press, to translating Commissioners’ 
messages and interviewing writers of international 
renown  for  our  in-house  radio  station.  Yes,  it 
involves much more than ‘just’ translating. Press 
releases need to be tailored to the specific interests 

30 Avril - Mai 2013

of the national audience and ‘Eurojargon’ has to be 
cut out in favour of clear messages, so we can better 
communicate Europe to citizens.

We also visit schools and universities throughout 
the country. Depending on the audience, we rely on 
funny videos or serious statistical data to convince 
pupils and students that speaking several languages 
is not only enriching but also vital to access the job 
market. Some of them might, who knows, become 
our  future  colleagues  —  for  some  reason,  events 
where  we  talk  about  career  opportunities  at  the 
Commission are always the most crowded! (cid:74)
Raphael Gallus and Laura Bosselli
Rome

No island is an island – Making the 
case for languages in Britain

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Reading the ‘London morning news summary’ is a 
depressing way to start the day. Whatever bad hap-
pens in the UK — from the horsemeat scandal to the 
cap on bankers’ bonuses — it is the EU’s fault 

The main task of the two language officers in 
London is to promote language learning in the UK. 
We also provide information on career opportuni-
ties for linguists in the EU Institutions, as we lack a 
sufficient number of translators into English.

How to find our way in the anti-EU jungle? For 
starters, not that many people, especially the young, 
actually know what the EU really is, let alone its lan-
guage policy. This is when I don my missionary hat! 
Language is often seen as a class issue. Speaking 
French is ‘posh’ while speaking a ‘community lan-
guage’ is stigmatising. We often hear ‘isn’t learning 
languages a waste of time and money, as everybody 
speaks English?’

Only  9%  of  14-15-year-old  school  pupils  in 
England are able to use their first foreign language 
as  independent  speakers,  according  to  the  latest 
Eurobarometer survey. But often convincing the 
pupils not to drop their languages seems easier than 
convincing the headteacher to keep them on offer.
How can you reach the wider public? We have to 

be inventive!

We do it through football. The Arsenal Double 
Club project, which combines language learning with 
football, has proved to be a huge success — especially 
with boys. Or we do it through the foreign language 
spelling bee competition — British kids adore compe-
titions. Or through literature. In the UK, only 3% of 
books published are translations, so supporting a net-
work that promotes foreign literature through transla-
tion makes sense. 

All means are good, from Pinocchio to football… 
and language diplomacy has proved a valuable tech-
nique to get a message through. As Anne Pawels, Dean 
of the School for Oriental and African Studies, said: 
“Monolingualism is curable, even in the UK!” (cid:74)
Angeliki Petrits
London

«I like this feeling of immediacy»

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At the Representation in Vilnius, I feel a bit like a 
juggler, trying to keep as many balls – tasks, that is 
– in the air at the same time. 

The first ball, one I never let go of, is translating 
and ‘localising’ what the Commission has to say to 
the people of Lithuania. I like this feeling of imme-
diacy. I translate, say, a press release on unemploy-
ment  in  the  EU  or  an  interview  with  President 
Barroso and see them in publication shortly after.

My second ball is visits to universities to help 
students try their hand at a Commission text and 
answer their questions as to what, how, and why.

Another bit of my juggling act is to co-organise 
local  events  for  the  European  Day  —  actually, 
week — of Languages in September. Why not have 
an open-air event with language games and multi-
lingual concerts one day, a language quiz on live 
radio  the  next,  or  interactive  lessons  at  the 
Representation the day after? 

And  what  about  Lithuania’s  first-ever  EU 
Presidency? That promises to be challenging, with 
more  messages  to  put  into  language  ordinary 
Lithuanians understand and more language events 
to organise. First up, I’m taking part in the Back to 
School programme. I can’t wait to go back to my 
former school. After all, that’s where I fell in love 
with languages! (cid:74)
Agnė Kazlauskaitė 
Vilnius

31

 
 
 
Banking union

The creation of a banking union is a crucial element 
in the EU’s strategy to cope with the crisis.  
Single supervision power concentrated at the 
European Central Bank will strengthen the 
Economic and Monetary Union. In the future, 
integrated banking systems will have integrated 
prudential oversight.  
A work in progress…

DOSSIER
TOWARDS A BANKING UNION
ADDRESSING THE FINANCIAL AND 
ECONOMIC CRISIS

by Michael Scheerer, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

It started with the US real estate 

bubble  busting  and  Lehman 
Brothers collapsing. What followed was 
the most serious financial – and subse-
quently economic –turmoil since the 
Great Depression. Here is a short his-
tory of the crisis and the Commission’s 
and the EU’s response. (cid:74)

December 2009
EU ﬁ nance ministers agree to create three new 
European authorities to supervise banking, 
insurance and security markets. The European 
Banking Authority; the European Insurance and 
Occupational Pensions Authority; the European 
Securities and Markets Authority. 
February 2009
The de Larosière* Group, charged with making 
a recommendation to the Commission on 
strengthening ﬁ nancial supervision, publishes its 
report.

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2007

2008

2009

August 2007
The US real estate bubble 
bursts and globally damages 
the banking sector. Starting in 
August 2007 with an abrupt 
rise of interbank interest 
rates, the ﬁ nancial crisis would 
eventually be considered by 
many economists as the worst 
since the Great Depression in 
the 1930s.

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34 Avril - Mai 2013

September 2008 
Lehman Brothers*, the fourth-largest US Investment bank, 
collapses. 
The crisis evolves into a ﬁ nancial and economic crisis. In 
September 2008 the Irish government issues a guarantee to 
its banks’ depositors and bond-holders. Six Irish banks that had 
ﬁ nanced the housing bubble lose an estimated 100 billion euro
October 2008
The Commission proposes increasing minimum protection for 
bank deposits to €100 000 to assure depositor conﬁ dence.

Iceland’s government nationalises the island’s largest bank, 
Kaupthing, and other troubled ﬁ nancial institutions, to avoid a 
collapse of their banking sector
November 2008
The Commission adopts a comprehensive European economic 
recovery plan for a coordinated response to the economic 
crisis, which aims to restore consumer and business conﬁ dence, 
restart lending and stimulate investment in the EU’s economies, 
create jobs and help the unemployed back into work.

 
 
U
E
©

January 2011
EU countries start implementing the European Semester as part of the broader 
reform of the EU’s economic governance.
March 2011
Euro area leaders agree on the ‘Pact for the euro’ , establishing stronger economic 
policy coordination
April 2011
Portugal’s government announces it will request ﬁ nancial assistance from the IMF, 
the EFSF and EFSM. Portugal requests a €78 billion IMF-EU ﬁ nancial assistance 
package in a bid to stabilise its public ﬁ nances, granted in May
October 2011
A(cid:4) er ratiﬁ cation by the euro area, the EFSF becomes fully operational. It has an 
eﬀ ective lending capacity of €440 billion through guarantee commitments from 
the 17 participating euro area countries.
November 2011
The Council adopts a package of six legislative Commission proposals (‘six pack’) 
aimed at strengthening economic governance in the EU.
December 2011
Euro area leaders agree on a new ﬁ scal compact to strengthen further economic 
policy coordination. The ﬁ scal compact requires that general government budgets be 
balanced or in surplus. The leaders also agreed to reinforce the rules governing the 
excessive deﬁ cit procedure, to bring forward the entry into force of the ESM to July 
2012 and to reassess the adequacy of EFSF/ESM €500 billion ceiling in March 2012.
The legislative package to reinforce the EU’s rules of economic governance (“six-pack”) 
enters into force.

*

March 2013
Parliament and Council agree to 
impose a cap on bonuses for highly 
paid bank executives. The deal has to 
be approved by Member States and 
Parliament in plenary.

Parliament and Council approve 
the ‘two-pack’ legislative proposal 
presented by the Commission to 
further strengthen the coordination and 
surveillance of budgetary discipline.

The Eurogroup reaches an agreement 
with the Cypriot authorities on 
the key elements necessary for a 
future macro-economic adjustment 
programme.

2010

2011

2012

2013

April 2010
Greece oﬃ  cially requests ﬁ nancial support 
from the euro area countries and the IMF.
May 2010
The euro area countries and the IMF agree 
on a €110 billion loan package to Greece. 
In response to the sovereign debt crisis, EU 
ﬁ nance ministers decide on a comprehensive 
package of measures to preserve ﬁ nancial 
stability in Europe, including a European 
Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM) 
and a European Financial Stability Facility 
(EFSF) with a capacity of up to €500 billion. 
The IMF is ready to participate with an 
additional €250 billion. 
December 2010
EU and IMF agree on a €85 billion assistance 
package for Ireland.
To safeguard the ﬁ nancial stability of the 
euro area as a whole, euro area leaders 
approve the future European Stability 
Mechanism (ESM) as the permanent fund.

February 2012
A second aid package for Greece is agreed. The euro area agrees a 
€109 billion package designed to resolve the Greek crisis and prevent 
contagion among other European economies.
June 2012
A(cid:4) er the Spanish government had to spend huge amounts on bank 
bailouts, the country becomes a prime concern for the euro area 
a(cid:4) er being faced diﬃ  culty in accessing bond markets. On 9 June, 
the Eurogroup grants Spain a ﬁ nancial support package of up to 
€100 billion aimed at supporting Spanish banks.

With a large oﬀ -shore banking industry that was shaken to its 
foundations during the ﬁ nancial turmoil the Government of Cyprus 
requests ﬁ nancial assistance from EFSF/ESM, citing diﬃ  culties in 
supporting its banking sector.
September 2012 
In response of the ﬁ nancial crisis, the Commission presents plans for a 
banking union aimed at strengthening the banking sector which was at 
the epicentre of the crisis. The proposal calls for a Single Supervision 
Mechanism (SSM) for banks led by ECB. In December 2012, EU leaders 
endorse the plan.
September 2012
ECB President Mario Draghi* announces the new mechanism Outright 
Monetary Transaction’s readiness to carry out conditional sovereign 
bond purchases from struggling euro area countries.

 
DOSSIER

BANKING UNION
MAKING THE EUROZONE FIT FOR 
FUTURE CHALLENGES

by Michael Scheerer, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

Commission en direct asked Internal Market Commissioner 
Michel Barnier about the lessons the EU has learned from 
the euro crisis and how the new banking union is taking shape.

euro’s introduction in 1999 for 

Why did it take so long after the 

a banking union to become a reality?
The creation of a Single Supervisory Mechanism is 
a  major  step  towards  the  creation  of  a  banking 
union, which in itself will strengthen our Economic 
and Monetary Union. Could we have acted earlier? 
One of the first achievements of my mandate was 
the creation of the European Banking Authority 
(EBA) based on the de Larosière report, and although 
the EBA only has coordination and mediation pow-
ers, many Member States were still reluctant to cre-
ate such a European authority. Only with the crisis 
were we able to win support from all Member States 
in the European Council of June 2012 to create a 
real European supervisor. The European Council 
also opted to use the existing Treaty to confer super-
visory tasks on the European Central Bank (ECB).

Europe is still in economic trouble and it 
cannot be fully excluded that financial 
institutions in some Member States could 
still collapse. What are the lessons learned 
from the crisis?
The main lesson learned is the necessity to ensure 
the stability and efficiency of financial markets and 
thus to restore public confidence in them. We must 
ensure that the financial sector supports the real 
economy, thus laying the foundations for a return to 
growth and job creation. The new rules on capital 
and liquidity requirements for banks for instance, 
and  on  the  need  to  register  and  clear  derivative 

U
E
©

36 Avril - Mai 2013

 
exchanges are key to making sure that the financial 
sector poses less risks to society and is more resilient.

What are the benefits of the Single 
Supervisory Mechanism?
The Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) will be a 
tool to help put an end to the negative feedback 
loop between banks and sovereign debts. When a 
country in the eurozone is faced with a banking 
crisis, this can create tensions for public finances 
and lead to contagion within the eurozone. The 
tensions  in  the  sovereign  debt  market  and  the 
banking sector have fed each other, creating severe 
funding problems for governments and many mar-
ket participants. 

The  SSM  is  also  crucial  to  completing  the 
Economic and Monetary Union. If we want an effi-
ciently  functioning  monetary  policy,  we  need  a 
single European banking system. And it starts with 
a single European supervisory system.

But we also need the SSM to reduce the fragmen-
tation of the banking system. The crisis has led to 
a re-nationalisation of banking activities with less 
cross-border funding and many lost opportunities 
for citizens and businesses.

When will the new supervisory system with 
the ECB in the lead be able to function? 
It is envisaged that the SSM will be fully operational 
12  months  after  the  entry  into  force  of  the  SSM 
Regulation. I hope that that will be in March 2014. To 
allow for a smooth transition to the new mechanism, 
the ECB and the national supervisors need some flex-
ibility to prepare for their new responsibilities, while 
ensuring the SSM is sufficiently ambitious to meet 
market expectations.

In the future, will all eurozone banks be 
supervised from Frankfurt?
The  SSM  is  composed  of  the  ECB  and  national 
supervisors. The SSM Regulation will confer key 
supervisory tasks and powers on the ECB over all 
the credit institutions established within the euro 
area.  For  example,  in  future  all  banks  will  be 
authorised by the ECB.

But when it comes to day-to-day supervision and 
the preparation of decisions, the ECB cannot do the 
job alone. It will have particular responsibility for 
direct supervision of banks with assets of more than 
€30 billion or constituting at least 20% of their home 
country’s GDP or which have requested or received 

direct public financial assistance from the European 
Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) or the European 
Stability Mechanism (ESM). 
National supervisors will have responsibility to take 
individual supervisory decisions for less significant 
banks. But the ECB may at any moment decide to 
supervise directly one or more such banks.

You have said that the banking union’s 
ultimate aim is to stop using taxpayers’ 
money to bail out banks. Who would pay 
the bill within the new banking union if 
a bank of systemic importance were to 
collapse?
We now have an agreement with the Parliament 
and Council on the bank capital requirements leg-
islation, and current proposals on deposit guarantee 
schemes and bank recovery and resolution are being 
discussed – hopefully to be concluded soon. The 
new capital and liquidity rules will be crucial to 
prevent banking crises, with more vigilant action 
by supervisors.

But if a crisis were to occur, our resolution legis-
lation should ensure that each Member State can 
take preventive measures, such as dismissing man-
agement or obliging a bank to sell assets. A new 
‘bail-in’ tool would make sure that shareholders and 
creditors pay for the cost of a bank restructuring. If 
that is not sufficient, our proposal foresees that each 
country should have a national fund for resolution 
and deposit guarantees. These are key tools for the 
banking union to function fully.

In June this year, the Commission will propose a 
Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) to govern the 
resolution of banks in the banking union. This is 
needed to ensure speedy and credible reactions in 
the event of a banking crisis and avoid contagion 
within the eurozone. A key component will be that 
resolution costs are borne first and foremost by banks 
and their shareholders and creditors. Only excep-
tionally, if that is insufficient, should the SRM have 
recourse to financing arrangements funded by indus-
try contributions, subject to appropriate public back-
stop arrangements.

The SSM is, however, a precondition for direct 
recapitalisation of banks by the ESM – an issue cur-
rently being discussed by the EU’s Finance Ministers 
in the Eurogroup. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/ﬁnances/banking-union/index_
en.htm

37

DOSSIER

BANKING SECTOR SUPERVISION
ECB READY TO TAKE ON ITS 
NEW ROLE

by Michael Scheerer, Cend(cid:87)(cid:87)

The European Central Bank (ECB) is preparing for its new role as the 
major supervisor for the banking sector. Commission en direct asked 
ECB Directory member Yves Mersch from Luxembourg about the ECB’s 
preparations and how conﬂ icts of interest will be avoided.

The first steps towards a banking 

union have now been completed. 

How advanced are your preparations and 
how soon will the Single Supervisory 
Mechanism (SSM) be functioning?
The ball is not yet in the European Central Bank’s 
court. I hope that the trilogue discussions between the 
European Council, the European Parliament and the 
Commission  will  soon  conclude  and  that  the 
Regulation is finalised swiftly. Once the SSM Regulation 
enters into force, the ECB will have one year until it will 
effectively take over its supervisory tasks. 

This is a short time span, but we are prepared 
and motivated to live up to our future responsibili-
ties. In this context, a High-Level Group at execu-
tive level, chaired by the ECB President, discusses 
the strategic lines of the preparations. A Task Force 
on Supervision and a restricted Project Team - both 
at senior staff level – are doing the technical work. 
The ECB’s internal preparatory work for the estab-
lishment of the SSM is progressing as much as pos-
sible in the absence of the final Regulation.

Supervision and resolution are two sides of the same 
coin.  In  other  words,  the  SSM  needs  the  Single 
Resolution Mechanism (SRM) as its complement. 
Strong commitments have been made to set up the 
SRM as a matter of priority. I therefore expect that 
the Commission will very soon publish a proposal 
for a strong SRM, centred around a Single Resolution 
Authority (SRA). 

This SRA needs to ensure timely and impartial 
decision-making focused on the European dimen-
sion. It needs to be the competent counterpart to 
the SSM to which failing banks can be handed over. 
The SRA must credibly pursue a least-cost resolution 
strategy, assessing possible cross-border spillover 
effects and systemic concerns. It needs to ensure 
that resolution costs are first and foremost borne by 
the private sector. 

This, and the fact that the SRA should have a 
European Resolution Fund (ERF) at its disposal, will 
help to break the vicious bank-sovereign nexus. The 
ERF should be financed by the private sector via 
fees, levied over time. 

The SSM is only one pillar of the banking 
union. What are the ECB’s expectations 
with regard to the upcoming Single 
Resolution Mechanism currently 
being prepared by the Commission?

When it comes to bank resolution, how 
can the ECB help minimise costs without 
recourse to taxpayers’ money?
Diligent and effective supervision is the first line of 
defence to protect public funds, i.e. the tax payer. 

38 Avril - Mai 2013

U
E
©

Diligent and eﬀective supervision is the 
ﬁrst line of defence to protect public funds

The earlier a bank’s problems are identified, the 
more likely it is that they can recover on their own 
strength. This is why in particular the upcoming 
Bank  Recovery  and  Resolution  Directive  (BRRD) 
provides for mandatory recovery plans – to be devel-
oped by the banks under the control of the supervi-
sor. Even the best possible supervision will not be 
able  to  prevent  entirely  any  failure  of  banks. 
However, an effective supervisor may eventually 
have to shut down non-viable banks in the public 
interest.

ECB supervision is meant only to cover 
banks of systemic significance.  
How do you determine a bank’s systemic 
importance? What would happen if there 
were a conflict between the SSM and 
national authorities over this issue? 
The draft SSM Regulation indicates certain objective 
criteria for the identification of significant credit 
institutions, which will be further complemented by 
a methodology to be adopted by the ECB upon pro-
posal of the new Supervisory Board. 

The indicators for significance are defined in the 
SSM Regulation and relate most importantly to the 
size and the cross-border activity of a bank. In any 
case, the draft SSM Regulation provides the ECB with 

the competence to decide on its own initiative to sub-
ject any credit institution to its direct supervision.

Critics of the SSM fear that the ECB’s 
future double role as the guardian of 
monetary stability and supervisor of 
financial institutions could lead to conflicts 
of interest. Couldn’t this damage the 
reputation of the ECB if the SSM failed?
In normal times, price stability and financial stabil-
ity are not in conflict. Nonetheless, the risk of such 
a potential conflict has been addressed in the draft 
SSM  Regulation.  It  requires  the  ECB  to  separate 
strictly monetary policy from the supervisory tasks. 
This will be ensured by adequate internal organ-
isational separation. In doing so, the ECB can draw 
on the experience of a significant number of central 
banks – even within the EU – which are also man-
dated with supervisory tasks. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2013/html/sp130227_1.
en.html

39

 
DOSSIER

LE CÔTÉ (cid:3)HUMAIN(cid:4) 
DE L’UNION BANCAIRE

par Raﬀaella Assetta, DG MARKT (cid:87)(cid:87)

C
M
©

Au cours de l’été 2012, la proposition de la Commission de créer une 
Union bancaire est devenue un mandat politique d’importance majeure à 
exécuter dans des délais qui paraissaient presque impossibles à tenir. Et 
pourtant, les personnes chargées de réaliser ce déﬁ y sont arrivées en un 
temps record. Nous les appellerons l’équipe «Union bancaire».

L’idée d’une Union bancaire en Europe n’est 

pas complétement nouvelle, même si per-
sonne n’imaginait au début de l’année 2012 parve-
nir aussi rapidement à un projet concret.

L’Union bancaire comprend un mécanisme de 
supervision  unique  (MSU)  et  un  mécanisme  de 
résolution unique (MRU) pour les banques dans la 
zone euro. L’équipe «Union bancaire» est chargée de 

préparer les propositions législatives nécessaires à la 
création de ces mécanismes et de les négocier avec 
les Etats membres et le Parlement.

Un nouveau sujet
Le 29 juin 2012, les chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement 
de la zone euro appellent la Commission à présenter 
des propositions législatives pour créer le MSU afin 

40 Avril - Mai 2013

 
L’équipe «Union bancaire» a déjà dû préparer une 
proposition sur un sujet très complexe en un temps record

que le Conseil puisse les examiner d’urgence avant 
la fin de 2012. Il faut donc préparer une proposition 
législative sur un sujet complètement nouveau, en 
utilisant une base juridique jamais utilisée aupara-
vant, pour le mois de septembre.

Au lieu de prendre des vacances, l’équipe «Union 
bancaire» va plancher sur le SMU, afin de rédiger 
deux propositions législatives et de préparer leur 
adoption  par  la  Commission.  Ce  fut  un  été  de 
brainstormings,  de  discussions  intenses  avec  la 
Banque centrale européenne et l’Autorité bancaire 
européenne, de consultations interservices serrées, 
et de choix politiques faits au plus haut niveau de la 
Commission.

L’équipe «Union bancaire» comprend des fonc-
tionnaires de la DG MARKT. Certains étaient des 
experts dans le secteur bancaire et ont dû faire appel 
à toute leur créativité. D’autres s’y connaissaient 
moins et ont dû apprendre très vite. Certains ont 
pris de courtes vacances, d’autres ont dû y renoncer, 
faisant ainsi preuve d’une grande disponibilité. Les 
managers et les membres du cabinet ont également 
participé activement aux discussions pendant tout 
l’été:  de  Bruxelles,  de  leurs  lieux  de  vacances  et 
même pendant leurs congés de maternité. De son 
côté, le service juridique était toujours là pour aider 
à  trouver  des  solutions  aux  questions  juridiques 
complexes et le secrétariat général, également impli-
qué de près, passait les orientations politiques du 
président. Ils ont tous travaillé ensemble dans des 
conditions qui n’étaient pas idéales mais ils ont fait 
preuve  d’un  esprit  de  coopération  remarquable. 
C’était pour la bonne cause: aider l’Europe à sur-
monter la crise de l’euro.

Un bon résultat
Le 12 septembre 2012, la Commission adopte les pro-
positions législatives pour créer le MSU et une com-
munication expliquant le projet de l’Union bancaire. 
L’équipe «Union bancaire» est très fatiguée mais aussi 
très fière d’être parvenue à ce résultat.

Parallèlement  aux  discussions  au  Parlement 
européen, il faut à partir de ce moment négocier les 

propositions  législatives  avec  les  Etats  membres 
pour qu’ils parviennent à un accord unanime en à 
peine trois mois. L’équipe «Union bancaire» com-
mence alors à discuter avec les Etats membres et à 
chercher des solutions qui peuvent tous les satis-
faire. Ce fut un automne de réunions du groupe de 
travail de haut niveau créé au Conseil, de contacts 
bilatéraux  aux  niveaux  tant  technique  que  poli-
tique, de préparations de textes de compromis.

Discussions fébriles
Le 12 décembre 2012, les ministres des finances se 
réunissent pour boucler le dossier. Une journée et 
une  longue  nuit  attendent  l’équipe  «Union  ban-
caire», y compris le commissaire et le top manage-
ment de la DG MARKT. Après 14 heures de discus-
sions fébriles et plusieurs révisions des compromis, 
un accord unanime est trouvé à 4 h 30 du matin. 
L’équipe «Union bancaire» est vraiment au bout de 
ses forces mais heureuse d’avoir franchi une étape 
fondamentale.

La négociation avec le parlement européen com-
mence tout de suite après: pas de répit pour l’équipe 
«Union  bancaire»  qui  est  impliquée,  encore 
aujourd’hui dans la phase finale de cette négociation.

Vers le MRU
Le 14 décembre 2012, le Conseil européen demande 
à la Commission de présenter une proposition pour 
la création du MRU au cours de l’année 2013 afin 
que le législateur puisse l’examiner avant la fin du 
mandat du Parlement européen, à savoir, la mi-2014.
Encore une fois, on demande à l’équipe «Union 
bancaire» de préparer une proposition sur un sujet très 
complexe en un temps record. Elle a déjà commencé 
à y travailler intensément. L’histoire continue… (cid:74)

L’équipe «Union bancaire» de la DG MARKT de gauche à 
droite: Kathrin Blanck-Putz, Jan Ceyssens, Raffaella 
Assetta, Martin Merlin, Charlotte Sickermann

41

DOSSIER

TOWARDS A STRONGER FINANCIAL
SECTOR TO SUPPORT GROWTH

by Kathrin Blanck-Putz and Jan Ceyssens, DG MARKT (cid:87)(cid:87)

Over the last ﬁ ve years, the Commission has been working to 
strengthening regulation and supervision of the ﬁ nancial sector to 
provide an eﬀ ective response to the ﬁ nancial crisis and to ensure that it 
can play an eﬀ ective part in our strategy to put the EU back on the path 
of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, creating jobs and enhancing 
our competitiveness.

Europe has played a key role in shaping a 

global response to the crisis. With our inter-
national partners in the G20, we have pursued a com-
prehensive programme of financial reform that will 
be implemented throughout the world. It is an ambi-
tious programme, but we are well on track towards 
completing it in 2013.

We have worked constructively together with the 
EU’s legislators in the European Parliament and the 
Council to strike a balance between limiting banks’ risk-
taking to ensure financial stability and allowing the 
financial sector to ensure a sustainable flow of credit to 
the economy, so as to support growth and investment.

Building  on  this  international  agenda,  the 
Commission has also pursued the integration of the 
financial services sector within Europe. We need to 
do more to create a genuine single rule book for all 
firms and markets within a real Single Market, with 
proper consumer protection in a more responsible 
financial system.

We also need to face up to the specific needs of 
economic and monetary union by building a banking 
union. This remains one of the Commission’s top pri-
orities and is central to embedding confidence and sta-
bility in the euro area.

New rules for the global financial system
The G20 has been instrumental in establishing the 
core elements of a new global financial regulatory 

framework that will make the financial system more 
resilient. These include reforms to improve the stabil-
ity of the banking system through stronger prudential 
requirements and a framework for crisis management, 
as well as measures to strengthen the regulation of 
financial markets and infrastructures, especially by 
regulating  derivatives  –  complex  financial  instru-
ments which are at the heart of today’s financial mar-
kets and can quickly spread risk – and bringing them 
on to well-regulated and transparent platforms. 

The Commission has now proposed all the main 
legislation linked to the G20 commitments, including 
two very significant packages on prudential require-
ments for banks and the regulation of capital markets. 
The majority of these proposals will have been enacted 
into law by the end of this year. Additional recom-
mendations from the G20 are also expected later in 
2013  to  address  the  risks  stemming  from  shadow 
banking and financial institutions other than banks.

A safe, responsible, growth-enhancing 
financial sector
Europe has also been working to improve the stabil-
ity and efficiency of the Single Market in financial 
services. This is essential to ensure the financial sec-
tor  supports  the  real  economy.  Key  principles 
include  the  need  for  the  financial  system  to  be 
properly supervised, more stable, more responsible, 
more consumer-friendly and growth-enhancing. 

42 Avril - Mai 2013

a
g
l
e
B
©

Europe has played a key role in shaping a 
global response to the crisis

deeper integration – compulsory for the euro area, 
and open to all Member States – will build on the 
single rule book of prudential requirements, crisis 
prevention,  management  and  resolution  and 
deposit guarantees for all banks in the EU.

Creating a banking union is an essential part of 
the Commission’s efforts towards a deeper Economic 
and Monetary Union (EMU). In addition to an inte-
grated  financial  framework,  the  other  building 
blocks are integrated budgetary and economic pol-
icy frameworks, and further improvements to the 
EU’s democratic accountability, as foreseen in the 
Commission’s Blueprint for a deeper EMU (see Cend 
653, page 1). (cid:74)

Three new European Supervisory Authorities – a 
European Banking Authority, a European Securities 
and Markets Authority, and a European Insurance 
and  Occupational  Pensions  Authority  –  and  the 
European Systemic Risk Board were established in 
2011 to improve cross-border cooperation, consist-
ent enforcement of rules and systemic oversight. 
The Commission has also proposed legislation to 
establish a single rule book for all financial firms 
and markets to apply appropriate regulatory stand-
ards and support a level playing field across the 
Single Market.

A banking union to strengthen the euro
In addition to the regulatory and supervisory frame-
work applicable in the whole EU, the shared respon-
sibilities and cross-border links within the euro area 
require specific measures to sustain confidence in 
the single currency. In particular, a banking union 
is  necessary  to  break  the  harmful  connections 
between sovereign debt markets and banks. This 

43

 
DOSSIER

TRAINING
HELPING STAFF UNDERSTAND 
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

by Michael Scheerer, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

DG HR’s Learning and Development Unit organises courses 
explaining the crisis. Commission en direct spoke with Herman 
Luyten, Head of Sector in Luxembourg, about them and how 
they help staﬀ  understand the diﬃ  culties Europe faces.

What do the courses cover?

We  developed  two  courses  on  the 
current global economic crisis. The first focuses on 
the causes of the 2008 banking crisis and the sec-
ond deals with the EU sovereign debt crisis. The 
decisions  presented  by  the  Commission  and 
adopted by the Parliament and the Council will 
determine the future path of Europe. That’s why 
this issue is so important.

Who are the courses aimed at and what do 
they cover?
We are of course all concerned in our ‘staff as ambas-
sador’ role. Surely it has happened already to all of 
us. You are with family and friends and, knowing 
that you work for the European Institutions, they ask 
you if you think the euro will survive.

Many of us are non-economists, but we have to 
understand the issues at stake. Many colleagues work 
together with DG ECFIN’s specialists on cross-DG 
projects and also need a basic understanding of the 
macro-economic mechanisms ‘behind the crisis’.

In  the  ‘EU  sovereign  debt  crisis’  course,  we 
explain the basic economics of monetary and fiscal 
integration, the theoretical underpinnings of the 
euro, and the justification for the current level of 
fiscal federalism. We also look at why we need more 
integration of budgetary policies, and focus on spe-
cific countries particularly affected by the crisis like 

U
E
©

Greece, Ireland and Spain, as well as the case of can-
didate country Iceland. The role of the credit rating 
agencies, the European system of financial supervi-
sion, the role of the International Monetary Fund 
– all this is explained in a non-technical way by our 
fantastic Professor Gisèle Hites.

In  the  course  on  ‘understanding  the  global 
financial crisis’, we explain how the US ‘housing 
crisis’ – as a result of a long period of cheap credit 
–  affected the global financial  system. Financial 
meltdown was avoided in 2008 through govern-
ments intervening to bail out the bankers and pro-
tect citizens. As a consequence, the banking crisis 
mutated into a debt crisis.

What is the take-up like?
Some  250  colleagues  have  so  far  followed  the 
courses, with a particular focus on DG COMM staff 
dealing with the media who need specific insights 
to discuss such issues with the press. Many of our 
spokespersons have followed the course in a ‘short 
and sharp’ version. We also try to update the Heads 
of Representation when they meet in Brussels.

For staff interested in learning about the crisis, 
there is also an excellent lecture by DG ECFIN’s 
Director Gerassimos Thomas available on line (see 
link below). (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/hr_admin/en/training/learning_
center/lux/Pages/LunchtimeConferences.aspx

44 Avril - Mai 2013

 
GLOSSARY

EFSF
EFSF
The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) is 
a temporary mechanism with a lending capacity 
of up to €440 billion set up by the eurozone 
Member States in May 2010. Following a previous 
aid package to Greece, the EFSF was intended to 
help struggling eurozone countries, and has since 
provided rescue loans to Ireland, Portugal, and 
Greece.
ESM
ESM
The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is 
a €500 billion rescue mechanism that was 
inaugurated in October 2012 and will become 
the primary instrument for providing ﬁ nancial 
assistance as of June 2013. Unlike the EFSF, 
the ESM is a permanent ﬁ nancial assistance 
mechanism for the eurozone established under 
public international law as an international 
ﬁ nancial institution (and thus not a private 
company). In contrast to the EFSM, the ESM is 
only backed by members of the eurozone, and 
not by the EU budget and therefore by other EU 
Member States such as the UK.
EFSM
EFSM
The European Financial Stability Mechanism 
(EFSM) has a lending capacity of up to 
€60 billion. Under the EFSM, the Commission is 
allowed to borrow in ﬁ nancial markets on behalf 
of the EU under an implicit EU budget guarantee. 
The EFSM has been used to provide loans to 
Ireland and Portugal.

‘Six-pack’
‘Six-pack’
In November 2011, the EU adopted a package of 
six legislative proposals – the so-called ‘six-pack’ – 
aimed at strengthening economic governance and 
surveillance in the EU and in the euro area as part 
of the EU’s response to the economic and ﬁ nancial 
crisis. The six-pack strengthens the Stability and 
Growth Pact and shall contribute to sound public 
ﬁ nances in the EU. Moreover, the Six pack introduced 
a new procedure to correct and prevent harmful 
macroeocnomic imbalances. This will help enable 
the EU’s Monetary and Economic Union to function 
properly in the long term.
‘Two-pack’
‘Two-pack’
In March 2013, the EU adopted the so-
called ‘two-pack’ which enhances budgetary 
coordination and ex ante budgetary surveillance 
for all euro area Member States. To ensure the 
timely correction of deﬁ cits, it also reinforces the 
monitoring of Member States under the Excessive 
Deﬁ cit Procedure. Moreover, the two-pack aligns 
and better integrates the principles used in 
providing ﬁ nancial assistance via instruments 
outside the EU framework into the EU Treaty 
framework.
European Semester
European Semester
The ‘European Semester’ is the yearly cycle of 
economic and ﬁ scal policy coordination within 
the EU. Its focus is on the ﬁ rst half of the year, 
hence its name – the ‘Semester’. During the 
European Semester the Member States align 
their budgetary and economic policies with the 
objectives and rules agreed at the EU level. 
This way the Semester aims to ensure sound 
public ﬁ nances, to foster economic growth, and 
to prevent and correct harmful economic and 
ﬁ nancial imbalances in the EU.

45

AU QUOTIDIEN

U QUO

RECOGNITION FOR
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

by Flaminia Bussacchini, DG HR (cid:87)(cid:87)

At the end of this year, Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič will award a label 
to the DGs with the best equal opportunities record. 

This initiative is part of the Commission’s 

Equal Opportunities Strategy, which was 
launched in 2010. The awards will be an official 
recognition of the actions DGs have taken in the 
area of equal opportunities. Having understood the 
business case for equal opportunities, senior manag-
ers in such DGs value and promote equal opportu-
nities and ensure that their DGs are continuously 
improving. The awards will acknowledge the posi-
tive and tangible results such DGs have achieved.

The selected DGs will also be able to use their 
label  when  communicating  with  staff.  After  all, 
recruitment is increasingly becoming a two-way pro-
cess. While the employer still has to assess the suit-
ability of a possible employee for the job, more and 
more  job  seekers  also  evaluate  their  prospective 
employers. Through the awards, the winners will 
also provide an example for other DGs, helping them 
to understand that equal opportunities is  everyone’s 
business – and is, moreover, good business.

More information on the labels will be published 

in the coming months.

This year’s Equal Opportunities campaign
Equal opportunities are becoming more and more 
important within our organisation, as the recent 
Equal Opportunities campaign – from 8 to 19 March 
– demonstrated.

The 2013 campaign offered hundreds of partici-
pants the opportunity to explore current trends in 
equal opportunities through a series of workshops, 
conferences  and  training  courses  organised  by 
DG  HR  and  participating  DGs,  such  as  the 
Secretariat-General, DG COMM, DG CONNECT, 
DG ECFIN, DG EMPL, DG MARE, and DG MARKT.
Vice-President Šefčovič launched the campaign 
with a video statement published on My IntraComm 
on International Women’s Day (see link below).

On 19 March, at the campaign’s closing lunch-
time conference, Anne-Marie Slaughter – a former 

46 Avril - Mai 2013

too important for our organisation to limit itself to 
a  one-off  series  of  events. We  know  that  the  EU 
Institutions will need to deliver better results with 
fewer resources. When people are our unique com-
petitive advantage, we need to use all our talents to 
their full potential. We need to develop more pro-
ductive workplaces, where people are 100% focused 
on their job and fully engaged to deliver on their 
work priorities. Staff who feel they work for a good 
employer will produce better results. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/hr_admin/en/equal_opportunities/
events/Pages/Equal-opportunity-week.aspx

 (cid:3) http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-
still-cant-have-it-all/309020/

senior  US  State  Department  official,  Princeton 
University professor and author of the much-talked-
about article ‘Why women can’t have it all’ pub-
lished in The Atlantic monthly magazine (see link 
below) – shared her personal experience and the 
different reactions in the debate started by what she 
wrote about the difficult choices faced over issues of 
family and career.

In  addition,  many  conversations  about  equal 
opportunities  have  been  taking  place  across  the 
whole Commission – inside DGs, on Yammer, and 
in other forums. Some Directors-General have also 
encouraged their staff to discuss the topic in unit 
meetings.

A dedicated equal opportunities website on My 
IntraComm’s  HR  &  Administration  portal  will 
remain as a reference for what has been produced 
during this extensive campaign (see link below).

What’s next?
Our challenge is to sustain and build further on this 
energy and mobilisation. Equal opportunities are 

47

AU QUOTIDIEN
AU QUOTIDIEN

BEING AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 
CORRESPONDENT

by Susanne Tillmanns, DG HR (cid:87)(cid:87)

Alvaro de Oña is Equal Opportunities (EO) Correspondent in 
DG MARKT. Commission en direct ﬁ nds out what this means.

role? 

What is an EO Correspondent’s 

I have been an Equal Opportunities Correspondent 
since the end of 2010, when I joined the Commission 
as an official. I am glad that my Head of Unit asked 
me to do this, because equal opportunities can have 
a positive impact on many other HR policies. 

What is it like being a male EO Correspondent? 
One of the reasons I was asked to do this job is pre-
cisely  because  I  am  a  man!  Being  a  male  EO 
Correspondent can help reinforce the message that 
equal opportunities is not just about gender, but 
concerns all staff and different areas, from work 
organisation to diversity.

What are your objectives? 
To raise awareness about equal opportunities-related 
topics and engage colleagues and managers to work 
together on particular challenges in the DG. For gen-
der issues, a challenge we face in DG MARKT is the 
representation  of  women  at  middle-management 
level. For the Commission in general, I see a chal-
lenge in pursuing equal opportunities beyond gen-
der questions. We should be working towards a more 
flexible and efficient organisation, based on trust 
and individual autonomy. We have to explore ways 
to build up best practices – learning from each other 
and the outside world. 

Does DG MARKT have any examples of this 
kind of best practices? 
Yes. We have, for example, a management charter on 
equal opportunities covering key aspects of our equal 

48 Avril - Mai 2013

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opportunities policy. We are now carrying out a sur-
vey among staff to monitor how this is being imple-
mented.

Teleworking is functioning particularly well in 
our DG. We have a few managers who telework regu-
larly – leading by example. In general, we see that the 
use of ‘tokens’ for regular or occasional use is a big 
success. They allow more autonomy in work time, 
according to individual needs.

Another example in DG MARKT is the ‘round 
unit’ visits, which took place last year. Colleagues 
from our internal EO Network – in teams of two – 
presented our action plan and received feedback on 
it. It was very helpful to get in touch with other col-
leagues and to hear their opinion direct. Last but not 
least, DG MARKT staff elects an ‘Equal opportunities 
champion’ among its middle managers.

In your DG you have presented an ‘EO 
Champion of 2012’ award. What is this? 
We wanted to recognise the manager who is per-
ceived as the best role model in promoting a stimu-
lating, flexible and high-performing working envi-
ronment.  Staff  can  rate  their  managers  via  the 
survey  mentioned  previously,  and  the  one  who 
scores the best is given the award. 

What is your main message as an EO 
Correspondent? 
Equal opportunities policy concerns all colleagues. 
Everyone should get the chance to realise their full 
potential. It takes time to see the results, but gradu-
ally this message is being heard and understood. (cid:74)

 
AU QUOTIDIEN

LEARNING LANGUAGES 
WHY E(cid:6)LEARNING 
MIGHT BE FOR YOU

by Valérie De Koninck, DG HR (cid:87)(cid:87)

Difficulties in finding the time to follow 

a classroom language course? A new 
offer of e-Learning courses for French and English, 
the most popular languages in the Commission, as 
well  as  German,  Italian,  Spanish  and  Dutch,  is 
available as of April 2013. These will be part of DG 
HR’s Learning and Development Unit’s standard 
offer in the coming years.

Making an informed choice
The launch of this new e-Learning offer is based on 
the experience gained from a pilot project that ran 
from October 2011 to October 2012. The aim was 
to test whether alternative ways of language learn-
ing can be useful in the Commission environment. 
The results confirm that they can.

As  part  of  the  pilot  project,  the  Commission 
acquired 1,200 licences and gave Commission staff 
access to them. Of these participants, 28% were staff 
working in EU Delegations. Within a few weeks, all 
the licenses had been given out, which proves the 
high interest in this kind of learning method.

The  languages  offered  were  French,  English, 
German, Spanish and Italian from levels A1 to C1 of 
the Common European Framework of References for 
Languages, with interfaces available in 15 languages.
The evaluation of the pilot project revealed that 
participants in lower levels progressed much more 
than intermediate and upper learners. This actually 
coincides with current research which confirms that 
learners have difficulty to make the leap from level 
B1 to C1 – learning takes more time and effort due to 
an increase in the complexity of what needs to be 
learned.

People also revealed that the main reason they 
chose to learn a language in this way was the flexibil-

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ity it offered. To balance the lack of human interac-
tion that is inherent in this way of learning, collabo-
rative  tools  such  as  wikis,  forums,  social  media 
groups – such as Yammer – and more informed ped-
agogical advice will be offered. (cid:74)

How it works
DG HR will start by offering interested staff a three-
month course license with the possibility of renewal 
for six more months if participants complete at least 
12 hours of the course during the first three months. 
The offer will also include some coaching support by 
phone to help participants achieve their objectives. 
During the six-month license, participants have to 
complete at least 24 hours of the course before asking 
for a second six-month license.

To accommodate most users’ learning require-
ments, there are interfaces in 20 languages and a 
structured  learning  platform.  This  allows  even 
absolute beginners in a language to follow a course, 
since they can use their mother tongue to under-
stand instructions and explanations.

At the beginning of the course, a placement test 
is required, and an evaluation test at the end of the 
course is highly recommended. The courses are only 
open to Commission staff.

As part of the language training team, our colleagues 
Anna Varna, Nuno Ferreira and Fabienne Bluriot will 
deal with all the pedagogic and administrative queries. 
For more details and to enrol, see the Learning and 
Development website:

 (cid:3) http://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/hr_admin/en/training/elearning/
Pages/index.aspx

49

 
AU QUOTIDIEN
AU QUOTIDIEN

ECV SEARCH TOOL
HELPING COMMISSION MANAGERS 
SEARCH FOR TALENT

by Lutz Koeppen and Karolina Pyka, DG HR (cid:87)(cid:87)

The eCV module in Sysper2 
now has its own search tool, 
available to all managers and all 
HR functions in the Commission. 
From now on, the Commission’s 
managers will have a more 
transparent and detailed overview 
of the internal talent pool. 

The current political and budgetary con-

text makes it crucial to ensure relevant 
workforce planning, better identify learning needs, 
and manage career, performance, and mobility. The 
Commission needs to use its human resources more 
effectively than ever. Knowing that managers can 
search for potential candidates, job holders have 
now one more reason to fill in their eCV and make 
their set of skills and competencies visible on the 
internal job market.

How does the eCV search tool work?
The eCV search tool is part of Sysper2. It allows 
managers, as well as Resource Directorates and DG 
HR, to run searches on the completed eCVs using 
criteria such as Organisational Entity, Place of Work, 
Function  Group,  Resource  Type,  Education  and 
Training, Experience, Languages, Knowledge and 
Competencies. 

To make sure that your eCV will be visible to and 
searchable by managers and the HR function, you 

50 Avril - Mai 2013

Marcelo Contreras
Communication Unit

★  Graphic designer 
& Photographer
★  Fluent in Spanish 

and French

★  Expert in 

Photoshop and 
Illustrator

(cid:44)(cid:3)(cid:191)(cid:3)(cid:79)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:3)
(cid:80)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:72)(cid:38)(cid:57)(cid:4)

eCV

Find it in Sysper2

Human 
Resources
and Security

must select the access setting enabling all staff in 
management positions to view it (see illustration).

How will the eCV search tool be used? 
Managers will now be able to search their DG’s tal-
ent  pool  for  potential  candidates  for  vacancies, 

ACCES SETTINGS

SETTI

eCV access settings 

This eCV is currently visible to all staff in management positions or HR units. 
This eCV is currently only visible to your hierarchy and HR staff. 

Regardless of the privacy level you set, your Director General, Director, Head of 
Unit, the HR unit in your DG, units HR.A.1, HR.A.2 and HR.B.4 will be able to view 
your eCV. 

when establishing teams or task forces, and when 
reflecting on forward planning or future recruit-
ment needs of their DG. They will have the oppor-
tunity to make more informed resource decisions, 
while the job holders have the benefit of promoting 
their talent.

How does this affect you as a job holder?
In order to benefit fully from the new eCV search 
tool, you should fill in your eCV and keep it up to 
date. Make sure you select the access setting that 
will allow managers and the HR function to view it. 
Remember that your eCV can only be found by the 
search tool if the three mandatory tabs are com-

pleted:  Education  &  Training;  Experience;  and 
Languages. But filling in the section on Knowledge 
and Competencies will also increase the chances of 
your eCV being found if a manager is looking for a 
specific skill. 

Currently, the scope of the searches generated by 
managers and HR units is limited to eCVs in their 
own DG. In a second phase, the scope of searches 
will  be  opened  up  Commission-wide.  This  will 
mean  that  any  line  manager  or  HR  unit  in  the 
Commission will be able to make searches on all 
filled-in eCVs across the whole institution. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) www.cc.cec/SYSPER2/home/menu.do

51

 
 
 
AU QUOTIDIEN
AU QUOTIDIEN

In Memoriam

U
E
©

Bruce Millan 
(1927-2013)

After a life devoted to public service, former European 
Commi ssioner Bruce Millan died on 21 February.

With a strong commitment to social justice and 
the fight to bring people out of poverty, Bruce Millan 
was actively involved in politics early in his working 
life. He was first elected to Parliament in 1959, nar-
rowly winning for the Labour Party a Glasgow con-
stituency in which he built up a very strong personal 
following. At the last election he contested in 1987, 
he was elected with almost two-thirds of the vote, 
with a majority of over 19,500.

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52 Avril - Mai 2013

After serving in various ministerial posts in the 
1960s, Bruce Millan was appointed to the Cabinet as 
Secretary of State for Scotland from 1976 to 1979. 
One of his proudest achievements was to set up the 
Scottish Development Agency through which public 
and private capital was invested in regenerating the 
economy and creating jobs in regions in difficulty.

He  used  that  experience  fully  in  serving  as  a 
Eu ropea n  C om m issioner  i n  t he  Delors  I I 
Commission.  Responsible  for  Regional  Policy 
(1989-95),  he  oversaw  the  implementation  of  a 
major Structural Funds reform – ensuring distribu-
tion of funding to regions based on transparent cri-
teria – and played a pivotal role in the establishment 
of the Committee of the Regions.

A very hard worker with an eye for the details 
that made the difference, Bruce Millan was a politi-
cian who much preferred action to the headlines. 
Although he did not seek publicity, his name came 
to be associated in many parts of Europe with the 
growth and jobs created by the regional develop-
ment funds.

Born into a working class family in Dundee and 
the son of a shipyard worker, Bruce Millan had a 
keen understanding throughout his life of the chal-
lenges facing the unemployed and people living in 
difficulty. He saw European Cohesion Policy as a 
pillar of the European project alongside the Single 
Market, and argued consistently for a strong British 
presence at the heart of the European Union. (cid:74)

Ahmad Shihadeh (1980-2013) 

Ahmad was tragically killed on 12 March 2013 during a 
rocket attack on the Damascus suburb of Deraya, where he 
lived. Employed as a Policy Officer in the political and eco-
nomic section of the EU Delegation in Syria since 2007, 
he was deeply appreciated for his enthusiasm and 
natural courtesy, his courage and selflessness. 

Since the temporary closure of the Delegation in 
December  2012,  Ahmad  devoted  his  energies  to 
peaceful, humanitarian causes in his hometown. (cid:74)

 
 
 
 
de les pratiquer à des moments clés pour son pays et pour 
l’Europe». Il a mis son expertise et sa formation au ser-
vice du processus d’adhésion de l’Espagne et des hautes 
fonctions qu’il a exercées au sein de la Commission.

Durant  son  mandat,  le  président  Delors  a  pu 
compter sur son expertise de diplomate chevronné, 
ce qui était toujours précieux dans l’exercice des 
missions de négociation que le président lui avait 
confiées dans cette époque d’action marquée par la 
vision de l’Europe de demain, avec ce qu’on appe-
lait, à l’époque, l’Europe de l’Est.

Le défi principal de cette mission consistait en la 
mise en œuvre d’instruments et de gestion de fonds 
conjointement avec un processus d’analyse, d’éva-
luation et de dialogue politique. Pablo Benavides 
avait vu clair et fut capable d’être à la hauteur d’une 
telle mission et de la gérer.

Après son passage comme directeur général de 
l’Energie, à la Commission, il était rentré à Madrid, 
en restant toujours actif au ministère des affaires 
étrangères où il a terminé sa carrière comme ambas-
sadeur. Il est décédé le 20 février 2013. (cid:74)

Commission en 1961 auprès du Service commun de 
presse et d’information où elle est responsable de la 
section «Information universitaire». 

Après un passage au cabinet du vice-président 
Carlo Scarascia Mugnozza, elle réintègre en 1976 la 
direction générale de l’Information (DG X) où elle 
crée le service Information femmes qui encourage 
l’émancipation  féminine  dans  les  mondes  de  la 
famille, du travail, de la politique et de l’audiovisuel. 
En 1977 sort sous sa direction la revue «Femmes 
d’Europe»  et  sa  contribution  aux  travaux  de  la 
Commission des droits de la femme au Parlement 
européen  est  appréciable.  En  1992,  elle  devient 
directrice honoraire de la Commission. Diverses 
récompenses, dont le prix Minerva en 1986, lui ont 
été attribuées eu égard à son action pour les droits 
de  la  femme.  Elle  est  décédée  à  Rome  le 
2 février 2013. (cid:74)

53

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Pablo Benavides (1938-2013)

Selon Jacques Delors, «Pablo Benavides était – au sens 
aristotélicien du terme – un animal de la Commission. Un 
vrai croyant dans les idéaux européens qui a eu le privilège 

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Fausta Deshormes La Valle 
(1927-2013)

Née à Naples en 1927, Fausta Deshormes est journa-
liste de formation. Après avoir été rédactrice en chef 
de diverses publications italiennes, elle entre à la 

 
 
 
 
 
 
O S
GENERATIONS
G

THÉA SPRUIT
TOUT COMMENÇA PAR
UNE GRANDE SURPRISE

par Alice Siniscalchi, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

Multilingue, valorisant, humain, le parcours professionnel long de 
plus de quarante ans accompli par Théa Spruit chez EPSO n’a jamais 
démenti ses attentes. Cette fonctionnaire exemplaire, à la retraite 
depuis peu, a conﬁ é à Commission en direct ses souvenirs et ses 
projets d’avenir.

Q uel a été votre parcours avant de 

rejoindre la Commission?
A l’âge de 17 ans, avec deux diplômes en poche, je 
souhaitais  déjà  travailler  à  la  Commi ssion,  mais 
j’étais  trop  jeune.  J’ai  donc  trouvé  un  emploi  de 
secrétaire à Verdun (France). Tout en travaillant, j’ai 
continué à étudier par correspondance afin d’obte-
nir  un  brevet  supérieur  en  études  commerciales 
équivalant au baccalauréat et, sur ma lancée, j’ai 
aussi  obtenu  un  Brevet  de  technicien  supérieur 
(BTS) en secrétariat de direction.

Pour  les  épreuves  écrites,  on  disposait  d’une 
machine à écrire mécanique et de six feuilles de 
papier blanc. Les épreuves étaient similaires aux 
examens passés durant mes études: correction d’un 
texte et mise au net, frappe d’une trentaine de lignes 
en dix minutes, copie d’un document manuscrit 
dans sa seconde langue et, en option, une épreuve 
de sténographie. C’est parce que j’ai réussi celle-ci 
que, à ma grande surprise, j’ai directement été recru-
tée au grade C3, dans l’unité «Recrutement, nomi-
nations, promotions».

Comment se déroulait le concours à 
l’époque?
J’ai postulé pour un concours de secrétaire, en 1972. 
En  payant  20  francs  belges,  le  Moniteur  belge 
envoyait le Journal officiel contenant le formulaire 
d’inscription  au  concours.  Celui-ci  s’est  déroulé 
dans les couloirs au sous-sol du Berlaymont. Vu l’âge 
de la plupart des candidates, je me disais que j’étais 
sûrement trop jeune – et pas pistonnée! – pour réus-
sir un tel concours.

Comment imaginiez-vous la Commission 
avant d’y travailler?
Je souhaitais travailler dans un environnement mul-
tilingue, ce qui n’était pas le cas chez mes employeurs 
précédents.

A mon arrivée à la Commission, j’avais un chef 
d’unité breton et des collègues des six Etats membres. 
J’étais comblée par mon travail. Je parlais français, 
néerlandais et allemand. Les documents étaient soit 
manuscrits, soit dictés et les secrétaires les tapaient.

54 Avril - Mai 2013

A chaque élargissement de l’UE, c’était un plaisir d’aider  
mes nouveaux collègues à s’intégrer dans leur lieu de travail

A chaque élargissement de l’UE, c’était un plaisir 
d’aider mes nouveaux collègues à s’intégrer dans 
leur lieu de travail et aussi dans toutes les démarches 
pour trouver un appartement. Je pense que c’est la 
raison pour laquelle j’ai eu parfois le surnom de 
«Maman»! Dans l’unité «Recrutement», les collègues 
des nouveaux Etats membres étaient recrutés un an 
avant l’élargissement. A leur arrivée, ils étaient très 
désorientés. J’en ai vu débarquer à la Commission 
avec leur valise…

Comment votre travail a-t-il évolué au fil 
de votre carrière?
Je suis restée dans ma première unité pendant dix 
ans. Ensuite, j’ai changé d’affectation en suivant 
mon chef jusqu’à son départ en 1985. Pendant les 
années suivantes, j’ai travaillé à la Direction infor-
matique, au secrétariat du directeur général du per-
sonnel et de l’administration, puis dans l’équipe 
IRM (Information Resource Management) de cette 
même direction générale. Puisque je m’étais décou-
vert une passion pour l’informatique, en 1989, j’ai 
réussi  un  concours  interne  de  niveau  B  dans  le 
domaine bureautique. Le jour de l’épreuve orale du 
concours était pour moi historique, à double titre: 
le mur de Berlin tombait, des êtres humains choisis-
saient de vivre ensemble.

Les outils de travail ont fortement évolué au fil 
du temps, des machines à écrire mécaniques aux 
ordinateurs personnels, en passant par le système 
Q.ONE sur des écrans WYSE. Ma mission la plus 
aboutie a été justement de mettre en place tous les 
outils technologiques adéquats au sein de l’unité 
puis de l’office EPSO, et d’en assurer le suivi. J’ai 
également  pu  faire  en  sorte  qu’un  collègue  mal-
voyant travaille en télétravail un jour par semaine, 
en assurant l’installation à son domicile d’un PC 
avec barrette braille.

J’ai  eu  aussi  la  chance  de  partir  en  mission  à 
l’étranger plus d’une centaine de fois pour le dérou-
lement des épreuves des concours.

C
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Quels sont vos projets pour l’avenir?
Au  début  de  ma  retraite,  j’étais  un  peu  perdue. 
Maintenant, je suis membre actif de l’association 
Europe-Tiers Monde (voir lien ci-dessous). Je fais du 
sport et j’aimerais reprendre la lecture et le piano. 
J’envisage aussi de m’inscrire à des cours d’informa-
tique à l’université.

J’ai bien sûr gardé contact avec mes anciens col-
lègues. J’ai aussi quatre filles et une petite-fille: je 
peux profiter au maximum de leur présence.

Je  resterai  toujours  quelqu’un  de  très  actif  et 

optimiste. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://www.europethirdworld.eu

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KOŠICE 2013
TURNING SLOVAKIA’S SECOND CITY 
INTO A CREATIVE HUB

by Zach Hester, Cend (cid:87)(cid:87)

This year is the turn of countries’ second largest cities to take on the 
title of European Capital of Culture, with both Slovakia’s Košice and 
France’s Marseille (see article in Freizeit, Cend #02) in the spotlight. 

56 Avril - Mai 2013

 
 
 
 
Košice – or Kassa in Hungarian and Kaschau 

in German – in the south-eastern part of 
Slovakia saw its initial growth in the late Middle Ages 
due to its strategic location on the international east-
west trading route. Today, the aim is to enhance the 
city’s creative potential and make it a cultural bridge 
between east and west, given its strategic position 
near the Schengen frontier.

With the largest historical centre and the longest 
promenade  in  Slovakia,  vestiges  of  Košice  ‘s  past 
abound, with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque Rococo 
and Art Nouveau buildings. St Elisabeth Cathedral, 
a giant for its time and still the country’s largest 
church, lies at the heart of the well-preserved old city 
and encircled by palaces and townhouses from yes-
teryear (pictured). Several National Parks and six 
UNESCO world heritage sites are also in the vicinity, 
including  Ruthenian  wooden  churches  and  Spiš 
Castle (both pictured). As a gateway to the still wild 
Tatras and Carpathians, the region’s natural beauty 
is another compelling reason for a visit.

A rich, multi-cultural fabric
Over the centuries, Košice has seen kings, borders 
and cultures change. Under Austro-Hungarian rule, 
the  town  prospered  and  –  like  the  surrounding 
region – was culturally mixed, with Slovaks living 
alongside Hungarian, German-speaking and Jewish 
minorities. The Roma add to the local mix. When 
travelling around in the surrounding countryside, 
these characteristics are still visible in the different 
architectural styles of villages’ composite parts. 

The 20th century was one of great rupture and 
change,  with  the  dismantling  of  the  Habsburg 

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empire,  the  formation  of  Czechoslovakia,  the 
destr uction  of  the  Second  World  War,  the 
Communist period and then, soon after the fall of 
the Iron Curtain, the peacefully negotiated separa-
tion of Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Situated in a basin bordered by rolling hills, farms 
and forests that climb up into the foothills of the 
Tatra and Carpathian mountains, Košice has long 
functioned as the region’s economic and cultural 
centre. Today, with a population of just over 240,000, 
the city remains an important centre for steel pro-
duction and other manufacturing activities.

Boosting creativity and cultural cooperation
As part of the preparations for becoming European 
Capital of Culture, the project team was eager to 
increase cooperation among all interested parties – 
the local and regional administration, the private 
sector and universities – to boost the creative sectors 
in Košice and the region.

57

 
 
 
 
 
FREIZEIT

The Pentapolitana project seeks to boost cultural 
cooperation between Košice and four other historic 
towns in eastern Slovakia – Prešov, Levoča, Sabinov 
and Bardejov. Through artistic, educational and sup-
porting activities, the idea is to draw the widest pub-
lic into local cultural life and to establish a network 
of cultural actors and operators. The project is also 
open to other interested towns in the region and 
beyond, including developing cross-border ‘regional 
cultural  corridors’  with  partners  in  the  Ukraine, 
Hungary and Poland.

Košice also has new cultural venues, adding to 
existing  ones  such  as  the  national  theatre/opera 
house, which dates back to 1899. Right in the heart 
of the city, an indoor swimming pool, one of Košice‘s 
most interesting modern buildings, has been trans-
formed into a Kunsthalle or Hall of Art and a former 
army storage depot has been turned into a Kulturpark 
as a stage for a laboratory of living culture. Through 
the SPOTs project, old heat exchanger structures are 
also being turned into local ‘Cultural Points’ to serve 
the specific needs of neighbourhood communities 
and groups of citizens.

The regional municipality’s Terra Incognita pro-
gramme is working to enhance the cultural life and 
awareness of locals and develop the region’s touristic 
potential by improving the quality of cultural, sports 
and free-time facilities for domestic and foreign visi-
tors. Building on some of the region’s strong points, 
three routes are being developed around the themes 
of  iron,  Gothic  and  wine.  As  part  of  the  famous 
Tokay wine region with neighbouring north-east 
Hungary,  the  traditions  of  producing  the  golden 
‘medicine of kings and popes’ go back centuries. The 
region also produces very good rosé wines.

Music features prominently on the cultural pro-
gramme, with local and foreign artists involved in a 
variety of performances and festivals including the 

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Jazz for Sale festival and the new ISCM World Music 
Days (4-15 Nov ember). A balloon fiesta (5-9 June), a 
festival of Jewish culture (6-14 July), events to cele-
brate Andy Warhol’s birthday in August, a festival of 
Central European theatres in September, and a diver-
sity festival in October, as well as the International 
Peace Marathon – Europe’s oldest marathon – on the 
first Sunday in October. Exhibitions of note focus on 
Slovak  modernist  art  of  the  1920s  and  the  city’s 
unique collection of gold treasure.

With something for all the senses, Košice and the 

surrounding region have much to offer. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) http://www.kosice2013.sk/en/

 (cid:3) http://visitkosice.eu/en

 (cid:3) http://www.pentapolitana.sk/pentapolitana-en/

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Balkan Traﬁ k 
Festival

Plus  de  200  artistes  de 

17  pays  se  produiront 
du 17 au 24 avril à Bruxelles sur 
la scène de BOZAR lors de la sep-
tième édition du «Balkan Trafik 
Festival».  Au  programme:  des 
concerts, des documentaires, des 
films, des ateliers et des débats, le 
tout dans une atmosphère festive 
toute  balkanique.  Plusieurs 
grands noms seront en tête d’af-
fiche:  Goran  Bregović,  Taksim 
Trio, Aka Balkan Moon, Martin 
Lubenov. De la musique de cour 
arabo-ottomane, de la musique 
rom, et du rock engagé sont éga-
lement programmés. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) www.bozar.be

Portes 
ouvertes à 
l’opéra

Variété culturelle 
polonaise à l’honneur

Le  festival  de  la  culture  polonaise  au  Luxembourg, 

«kultura  meets  kultur»,  se  déroulera  à  l’abbaye  de 
Neumünster du 11 au 27 avril. Le programme est varié. Côté 
musique on retiendra notamment un concert du Warsaw Village 
Band, le groupe polonais de folk le plus connu dans le monde, un 
concert de la chorale de la cathédrale de Varsovie «Musica Sacra», 
de la poésie chantée, ou encore un concert de rock. Des projec-
tions de films et une exposition photographique de Raymond 
Clement figurent aussi au programme. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) www.festival-polonais.lu/2013/

Chaque  année  les  opéras  européens 

ouvrent  leurs  portes  pour  célébrer 
l’opéra et l’art lyrique. Cette année les Journées 
européennes  de  l’Opéra  auront  lieu  les  11  et 
12 mai prochains. Dans le cadre de l’Année euro-
péenne  de  la  Citoyenneté,  les  organisateurs 
veulent rappeler l’importance de la culture dans 
les projets européens et dans nos vies. Le thème 
commun à tous les opéras participants est «Opéra: 
terrain de jeux». Depuis 2007, 125 opéras ont par-
ticipé à travers 33 pays. La Monnaie, l’Opéra Mobile 
et l’Opéra Royal de Wallonie y participent. (cid:74)

 (cid:3) www.operadays.eu/

11–27 Avril 2013

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FREIZEIT

MOTS CROISES

ACROSS

01  Winner of this year’s 
Oscar for best picture

02  Mammal known for 

being very slow-moving

04  Lakhdar, UN-Arab 

League Joint Special 
Envoy for Syria
06  Spanish rice dish
07  The most famous sheep 

in history

08  Meeting of the College 

of Cardinals to elect the 
Pope

09  The most famous 

Oktoberfest takes place 
in this city

10  Spanish newspaper
14  The official EU web 

portal 

16  Organisation supervising 

international trade
17  Podgorica is its capital 

city 

19  Number of ballet’s basic 

feet positions

20  Sierra Leone’s capital 

city

22  City that hosts a famous 

film festival

23 Largest state in the USA
27  American jazz musician
28  World’s most visited 

museum

29  Checks the financing of 

the EU’s activities
30  German automobile 

manufacturer

DOWN

01  Italian news agency
03  Number of stars in the 

European flag

04  Sea between Central 

Europe and the Nordic 
region

60

Avril - Mai 2013

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5

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2

7

15

17

14

8

21

6

13

9

16

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23

24

25

26

27

29

10

11

12

18

19

22

28

30

05  Active volcano on 
the east coast of 
Sicily

11  The EU motto
12  EU Food Safety 

Agency

11  High-pressure 

coffee

12  European Anti-
Fraud Office

13  International police 

organisation

15  Author of the book 
‘Grapes of Wrath’
18  Nikiforos, current 

European 
Ombudsman

21  Malta’s new prime 

minister

24  Aung San, head of 
Myanmar’s main 
opposition party

25  Small and round chewy 
sweet that comes in 
many colours

26  Commissioner on the 

MOVE

ANSWERS TO MARCH’S CROSSWORD

01 Vilnius - 02 Spinelli - 03 Sochi - 04 Opoce - 
05 Lepanto - 06 Amazon - 07 Morrissey - 
08 Puskás - 09 EFSA - 10 Scrivener - 
11 Espresso - 12 Monastery - 13 Patanegra - 
14 SPP - 15 Birkirkara - 16 Kaliningrad - 
17 Aphrodite - 18 SPA - 19 Depp - 
20 lechwalesa - 21 Faro - 22 DNA -
23 Mansholt - 24 Essor - 25 Oresund - 
26 Sarmale - 27 ECLAS - 28 Aachen - 
29 Halley - 30 Algeria - 31 Grund - 32 GECO - 
33 Dijsselbloem - 34 Nero - 35 Yammer 

Answers in next month’s edition. Send your suggestions for clues and keys to 
matteo.manzonetto@ec.europa.eu, with ‘crosswords’ in the subject line.

QUIZZ

1. Which report served as a basis for the 
negotiation of the Treaties of Rome?
a. The Monnet report
b. The Adenauer report
c. The Spaak report
d. The Schuman report

2. How many Member States were part of the 
eurozone on 1 January 2013?
a. 9
b. 10
c. 17 
d. 13

3. 2012 was the “European Year for Active Ageing 
and Solidarity between Generations”. 2013 is...
a. The European Year of People with Disabilities
b. The European Year of Citizens
c. The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
d. The European Year of worker Mobility

4. The Commission Joint Research Centre is 
located in (among others):
a. Ispra and Karlsruhe
b. Dublin and Petten
c. Culham and Berlin
d. Copenhagen and Geel

5. Who is considered to be a citizen of the 
European Union?
a. Anyone who is a national of a Member State
b.  Anyone who has a passport of a Member State 

and is a resident there

c.  Anyone residing on the territory of the 

European Union
d. All of the above

6. Which country applied, in 2009, to join the 
European Union?
a. Croatia
b. Turkey
c. Iceland
d. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

7. What is the maximum number of Members of 
the European Parliament as set by the Treaty of 
Lisbon?
a. 751
b. 626
c. 732
d. 820

8. Of the following, who has not been President 
of the European Commission?
a. Jacques Delors 
b. Pat Cox
c. Franco Maria Malfatti
d. Jacques Santer

9. How many new Members States joined the 
European Union on 1 May 2004?
a. 7
b. 8
c. 10
d. 13

10. When was the European Social Fund 
established?
a. 1989
b. 1997
c. 1957
d. 1999

1 c; 2 c; 3 b; 4 a; 5 a; 6 c; 7 a; 8 b; 9 c; 10 C
Solutions

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FREIZEIT

HISTORY IN PICTURES
THE ROAD TO ECONOMIC AND 
MONETARY UNION

1979 – European Monetary System

1992 – Maastricht Treaty

After the first attempt 
to create an economic 
and monetary union 
w it h  t he  Wer ner 
Report – symbolised 
by  t he  ‘c ur renc y 
snake in the tunnel’ 
– was thwarted by the 
severe  global  finan-
cial instability in the 
early 70s, a joint proposal by German Chancellor 
Helmut Schmidt and French President Valéry Giscard 
d’Estaing  was  the  new  starting  point  for  stronger 
cooperation. In 1978, they suggested the creation of 
the European Monetary System (EMS), which was offi-
cially established in 1979 in order to build “a zone of 
monetary stability in Europe”.

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1989 - Delors report

With the success of 
the  EMS,  a  major 
initiative to achieve 
e c o n o m i c   a n d 
monetar y  union 
(EMU)  would  be 
launched  in  1989, 
when Commission 
President  Jacques 
Delors  unveiled  a  three-stage  plan  to  reach  full 
monetary union, recommending, for example, the 
creation of a European Central Bank and a single 
currency for the Member States.

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On  7  February 
1992, in what was 
a crucial step for 
deeper  financial 
a nd  e conom ic 
integration,  the 
Maas  tricht Treaty 
was signed. EMU 
involved  three 
stages  and  the 
Treaty set the conditions – the so-called ‘convergence 
criteria’ – that every Member State had to meet to 
adopt the single currency. Stage one – completion of 
the single market – was a reality by 1 January 1994, 
with capital markets liberalised. Stage two involved 
a wide variety of preparatory activities, including the 
European  Monetary  Institute’s  establishment  in 
Frankfurt in 1994 –the forerunner of the European 
Central Bank.

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1999 – Single Currency

Initially,  eleven  countries 
qualified to enter the mone-
tary union in 1998 and were 
the ones that first adopted the 
single currency as of 1 January 
1999  –  stage  three  of  EMU. 
The  production  of  the  first 
euro  coins  and  banknotes 
began in 1999 and three years 
later – on 1 January 2002 – they started circulating.

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 (cid:3) http://ec.europa.eu/economy_ﬁ nance/euro/emu/road/index_en.htm

62 Avril - Mai 2013

 
 
 
 
 
 
Staﬀ  forum with President Barroso
Monday, 22 April, 15.00 to 17.00

President Barroso will hold a staﬀ  forum in Brussels, with 

achievements and challenges in key policy areas. Vice-President 
Maroš Šefčovič will also take questions on staﬀ  policy issues. 
Each DG and Service is allocated a number of places, and only those 
on the conﬁ rmed participants list will have access to the forum in 
person. Other staﬀ  can watch via webstreaming on MyIntraComm.

videoconference links to Luxembourg and Ispra, to discuss 

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Bruxelles célèbre l’Europe!
Samedi 4 et dimanche 5 mai 2013

au Berlaymont les actions concrètes de la 

Ce 4 mai de 10h00 à 18h00, venez découvrir 

Commission dans le cadre de la Fête de l’Europe et des 
portes ouvertes des institutions européennes. Contribuez 
aux nombreuses rencontres organisées dans toute la ville 
et participez de 14h30 à 16h30 au débat sur le futur de 
l’Europe en présence de la vice-présidente Viviane Reding 
à la Tentation, rue de Laeken 28 à 1000 Bruxelles. 
Le 5 mai, visitez le Village européen situé au cœur de la 
Fête de l’Iris de la Région de Bruxelles Capitale.

U
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 (cid:2) http://ec.europa.eu/belgium/events/euopendoors/index_fr.htm

Open Doors at the Joint Research Centre
Saturday, 4 May, Ispra

Visit the JRC site in Ispra during its Open Day and ﬁ nd out what the JRC is doing to promote 

supplies. State-of-the-art laboratories, practical demonstrations, outdoor activities, exhibitions and 
conferences will all illustrate the science behind policy-making.
Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn will also open the brand new JRC visitor centre which will 
present the JRC’s multi-faceted activities.

growth and stability, a healthy and safe environment, consumer protection and secure energy 

 (cid:2) www.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ispra-openday-2013

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Small actions,
big changes
(cid:42)(cid:62)(cid:86)(cid:2)>(cid:2)(cid:39)(cid:82)(cid:75)(cid:66)(cid:2)2013

This year’s EMAS resource eﬃ  ciency 
campaign will include:

(cid:97)(cid:2) ‘Green Commission’ EMAS awards
(cid:97)(cid:2) EMAS Ambassadors’ videos
(cid:97)(cid:2) Interviews in Management Matters
(cid:97)(cid:2) Resource eﬃ  ciency fairs
(cid:97)(cid:2) Study visits
(cid:97)(cid:2) Local events 

> My IC > HR & Admin > EMAS 

REG.NO. BE-BXL- 000003