WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3857/97 by Carlos ROBLES PIQUER to the Commission. Failure to fill the position of director of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies in Seville (IPTS)
C 187/72 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 6. 98 In the last fifteen years or so, these structures have multiplied throughout the European Union and have now attained a certain maturity, although there are considerable variations between regions. As the Honourable Member rightly points out, the concept is still evolving in response to technological progress, especially in the information and communication technologies. For example, we are currently witnessing the emergence of multi-centre or ávirtualí parks. Technology parks are grouped into national associations which regularly organise forums where the members can compare notes on development, the structures which have been created and the tools which are available to the businesses concerned. Furthermore, the International Association of Science Parks, which brings together a large number of parks in Europe and other parts of the world, organises useful forums for reflecting on the future of technology parks, and the Commission maintains a keen interest in their deliberations. (98/C 187/113) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3857/97 by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission (5 December 1997) Subject: Failure to fill the position of director of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies in Seville (IPTS) At the end of 1996 Mr Herbert J. Allgeier left the position of director of the IPTS which he had held since August 1994. Almost one year later, no new director of the centre has been appointed, a fact that is all the more disturbing given the newness of this specialized body of the JRC (Joint Research Centre), which was set up in Seville in September 1994 and given a mandate by Commissioner Edith Cresson one year later following the appointment of the new Commission. When does the Commission intend to fill this vacancy? Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (22 January 1998) During its 1367th meeting, which was held on 16 December 1997, the Commission decided to appoint Mr Cadiou to the post of Director of the JRCís Institute for Prospective Technological Studies in Seville. (98/C 187/114) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3859/97 by Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission (5 December 1997) Subject: Decentralization of Parliamentís activities The Court of Justice of the European Communities found in Franceís favour that the European Parliament should hold 12 part-session weeks per year in Strasbourg. This decision was taken in spite of Parliamentís known opposition and is based on an interpretation of the decisions of the Council of Ministers. The European Union was originally founded as a group of six countries which decentralized its activities to different parts of its territory, to Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Now, however, the Union has enlarged to include 15 Member States, and still more members will join in future. Under present-day conditions then, this decentralization, which is very costly to the taxpayer, is no decentralization at all but › to an even greater degree › a centralization. What action does the Commission propose to take with a view to bringing about either a decision in principle that all MEPs work should be carried on in one place (i. e. Brussels) or a proper decentralization reflecting the EUís current composition? For example, the Northern dimension might be taken into account by building a debating chamber for Parliament in Oulu (northern Finland) for a few part-sessions a year, and this alternative would be just as sensible as the current practice